Palacio
A Spanish surname meaning “palace,” usually from someone who lived near or worked at a noble or royal residence.
The #4,220 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,755 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Palacio comes from Spanish palacio, “palace,” ultimately from Latin palatium, the name of the Palatine Hill in Rome and then, by extension, a royal or imperial residence. As a surname, it most likely began as a topographic or status-based name for someone connected with a palace, or living near one. In some cases it may also reflect association with a named house or estate called Palacio.
History
The surname is found in the Spanish-speaking world and in Spanish colonial contexts, with the common singular form Palacio alongside the plural family name Palacios. Historical records also show Palacio used as a place-name or estate name, which could help produce surnames of this type. In modern usage it is present in Spain and across Latin America, and also appears in the United States through Hispanic immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word palacio is cognate with English “palace,” both going back to the same Latin root.
From the historical record
“dades de Ostende, Nieuport, Dixiuida, la Escusa, Damme, etc. Los majistrados del Franco se reunian en una sala magnífica del palacio de justicia de Brujas, donde se ve todavia una chimenea, obra maestra de escultura de Cár- «los Quinto, Maximiliano I, Maria de Borgoña, Cárlos el”
— Diccionario de los apellidosNotable people named Palacio
- Rodrigo Palacio (b. 1982)
- Alfredo Palacio (1939–2025)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.