Zavala Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Zavala last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Zavala last name
Meaning of the Zavala last name: broad place. Zavala is a Basque surname from zabal, "wide, broad", for a family whose farmhouse stood on broad, open ground. The last name is common in Mexico and Peru. Curiously, Basque names usually describe the family farmhouse rather than a person, so a whole household took its name from the land around its home.
Arms associated with the Zavala name
Spanish heraldry likes castles, lions and trees, and coats of arms associated with the Zavala surname, each with its blazon, follow suit.
Get your full Zavala family history
This is only a glimpse of the Zavala story. The full Zavala 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 Zavala coat of arms. Get the full Zavala report.
Zavala name FAQ
What does the Zavala name mean?
Broad place. Common variants include Zabala, Zabal.
Where does the Zavala surname come from?
It originates in Spain, and is also found in Mexico, Argentina and the United States.
Is there a Zavala coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Zavala 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).