Ulloa
A Spanish surname most often linked to a place-name, probably referring to someone from Ulloa in Galicia.
The #2,743 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,509 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ulloa is a Spanish and Galician surname of locational origin. It points to the old place-name Ulloa in Galicia, so the name originally meant “from Ulloa” or “of Ulloa.” The place-name itself is ancient and not fully transparent in meaning, so the surname is best understood as a geographic label rather than a word with a clear everyday Spanish meaning.
History
The name is well established in Spain, especially in Galicia, and appears in medieval noble and local lineages. It later spread to Spanish America through migration and colonial-era settlement, which helps explain its presence across Latin American records. In modern usage it is chiefly a surname rather than a given name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is associated with one of the older place-based Spanish family names, and it has long been found in historic noble and regional lineages.
From the historical record
“(Spanish America.) Mexico, Maxico, San Juan, Ulloa, Santa-Cruz, Tobasco, Jkmargo (?), Matamoras, Contreras, Tourango (Durango), Pueble, Bonaventura, - Sierra, Madre, - Bluefield, Palenque, Panama:, Darien, - Cuba, Habana, Cabanas, Santiago, Car- denas, Cienfuegos, Portorico, Jamaca, Saint-Croix, San-Dom- ingo…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames