Portillo Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Portillo last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Portillo last name
Meaning of the Portillo last name: small gate, pass. Portillo is a Spanish surname from portillo, "small gate, narrow pass", a diminutive of puerta. It named a family living by a town gate or a mountain pass, or from places called Portillo in Castile. The last name is common in Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
Arms associated with the Portillo name
Spanish heraldry often adds a bordure around the shield, and coats of arms associated with the Portillo name share that style.
Get your full Portillo family history
This is only a glimpse of the Portillo story. The full Portillo history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Portillo coat of arms. Get the full Portillo report.
Portillo name FAQ
What does the Portillo name mean?
Small gate, pass. Common variants include Portilla, Portela.
Where does the Portillo surname come from?
It originates in Spain, and is also found in Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
Is there a Portillo coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Portillo coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Roberto Faure, María Asunción Ribes & Antonio García, Diccionario de apellidos españoles (Espasa, 2001); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).