Padrón
A Spanish surname linked to the word for a register, list, or official record, and also to the place-name Padrón in Galicia.
The #2,751 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,543 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most commonly explained from Spanish and Galician padrión/padrón, meaning a register, roll, or official list. In older Spanish, the same word could also refer to a standard or benchmark, which helps explain its use in place-names and administrative language. As a surname, it may be locational, taken from the town of Padrón in Galicia, or derived from association with a record-keeper or formal register.
History
Padrón is a well-known place-name in Galicia, so the surname could easily have spread as a habitational name from that region. Spanish forms of the surname are found in Spain and throughout the Hispanic world, including the Americas, through migration and colonial-era movement. The accent mark is often kept in Spanish, but in English-language records it is commonly dropped.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The town of Padrón in Galicia is famous in Spanish tradition, which helped make the name familiar beyond the surname itself.
From the historical record
“Cuello. Cabezon. Aumentativo de cabeza. Padron de contribu- yentes i contribuciones. Una pieza de la camisa. La aber- tura de cualquier ropaje para sacar la cabeza. Pieza de hierro en forma de media luna con dientecillos, para suje- tar al caballo. Encabezamiento.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos