| ![Show Contents]() Spinosa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Spinosa was originally a Spanish family that moved to Portugal before the sixteenth century. 1 This surname is of toponymic origin, being derived from the name of the place of residence of the initial bearer. In this instance, the surname is taken directly from the place-name Spinosa which is found in a number of Spanish regions including Galicia and the Vascongadas. Thus, the place-name signifies "one from Spinosa". According to etymologists, the place-name Spinosa is derived from the word "espino" which means "hawthorn." Thus, the place-name/surname Spinosa literally signifies "abundance of hawthorn." By extension, the name is also derived from the Latin word 'spinosus,' meaning thorny. For this reason, a hawthorn tree is shown on the coat of arms. By example, Espinosa de los Monteros is a municipality in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain and this naming tradition continues to the New World where today we find Espinosa, a municipality in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil and Espinosa, a barrio in the municipality of Dorado, Puerto Rico. Early Origins of the Spinosa familyThe surname Spinosa was first found in one of the main towns of Espinoza, in what is now Spain. The name was frequently shortened from the Espinosa spelling to Sinosa. An early reference to a specific family of the name Spinosa mentions the name Espinosa de los Monteros. Felix Espinosa de los Monteros, born in Barcelona in the early 18th century, held the rank of Capitan de Infanteria and was a member of the Order of Santiago. In 1762, he was granted the title of Marques de Monte Oliver and Vizconde del Charco del Novillo. Early History of the Spinosa familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spinosa research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1484, 1515, 1537, 1543, 1545, 1547, 1562, 1600, 1630, 1632, 1633, 1667, 1677, 1679 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Spinosa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Spinosa Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Espinosa, Spinosa, Spinoza, Espinoza, Spineus and others. Early Notables of the Spinosa familyProminent members of the family include - Alonso de Espinosa (1543-?), a Spanish priest and historian of the sixteenth century who was the first official historian of the island of Tenerife. Fray Antonio Vazquez de Espinosa (born in Jerez de...
Migration of the Spinosa familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Alonso De Espinosa arrived in New Spain in 1576; Anton De Espinos arrived in America in 1514; Beatriz Espinosa arrived in America in 1517 with her daughter Juanica Granciso.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Spinosa (post 1700) | + |
- Tom Spinosa, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California, 1974, 1983 2
- Stephen Spinosa, American politician, Representative from New Jersey 8th District, 1998 2
- James E. Spinosa, American politician, Representative from New Jersey 11th District, 2000 2
- De Faria, Antonio Machado. Armorial lusitano: genealogia e heráldica. Lisboa, 1961. Print
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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