Quintero
A Spanish surname originally linked to a tenant farmer or farm worker associated with a quinta (a country estate or rural holding).
The #839 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,501 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from Spanish quintero, a person connected with a quinta: a rural holding, estate, or farm. In older usage it could mean the tenant or renter of such land, or a laborer who works and cultivates it. The deeper root is Latin quintus, “fifth,” though the exact path into the surname is through Spanish rural vocabulary rather than the numeral itself.
History
Quintero is well established in Spain and also common in Spanish-speaking parts of the Americas, where many surnames of occupational or rural origin spread during the colonial period. The name likely began as a byname for someone who leased, worked, or managed a quinta or similar property. It has remained especially familiar in Hispanic naming traditions, with many modern bearers in Latin America and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word behind Quintero also appears in Spanish in related forms connected with a quinta, including references to rural workers and tenants.
From the historical record
“tres tonos 1 un semitono mayor. Quintero. El que tiene arrendada alguna quinta, labra i cultiva las heredades que le pertenecen. El mozo o criado del labrador que ara la tierra. Quintilla. Composicion métrica de cince versos.”
— Diccionario de los apellidosNotable people named Quintero
- Juan Fernando Quintero (b. 1993)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.