Pais History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

From the historical and enchanting region of Spain emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Pais family. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is ez. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins.

The root name Peláez meant "son of Pelayo" and the popular variants Paez and Baez are thought to be extensions of the original name. Pelayo is the Spanish form of the Latin name Pelagius and the Greek Pelagio, meaning "the sea" or "open-sea".

Pelagius (c. 354-418), born in Roman Britain, was a theologian known for developing Pelagianism which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied the original sin. The Pelagian heresy rejected the doctrine of original sin and predestination, insisting on free will and man's innate capacity to do good.

Pelagius (c. 685-737) was a Hispano-Visigoth nobleman who founded the Kingdom of Asturias in 718. He is credited with initiating the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Pelagius of Córdoba (c. 912-926) (in Spanish San Pelayo Mártir) was a Christian boy who died as a martyr in Córdoba in southern Spain around 926 AD. Pelagius was later enshrined as a Christian martyr and canonized as "Saint Pelagius."

Early Origins of the Pais family

The surname Pais was first found in Asturias, where the Visigothic court took refuge from the Muslim occupation of Spain. Located in the north-west of Spain, it is now an autonomous community.

Later Baeza, in the province of Jaén, Andalusia would be the home of one of the branches of this distinguished family. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baeza (Latin Beatia) established in 715 AD was a Visigothic Catholic bishopric, suppressed under Moorish rule.

Early History of the Pais family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pais research. Another 196 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1020, 1046, 1052, 1105, 1108, 1109, 1110, 1126, 1132, 1138, 1142, 1157, 1238, 1403 and 1406 are included under the topic Early Pais History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pais Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Peláez, Pelaez, Peláiz, Pelaiz, Pelayo, Páez, Paez, Báez and many more.

Early Notables of the Pais family

Prominent among members of the family were eleventh century prelate Diego Peláez (fl. 1020-c.1046), chosen by King Sancho II to oversee the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela; Gonzalo Peláez (d. 1138), ruler of the Asturias from 1110 to 1132; twelfth century nobleman Count Pedro Peláez de Valderas; Macía Peláez de Robreda, who received lands in the 1238 Repartimiento de Córdoba; thirteenth...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pais Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pais migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pais Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Salomon Pais, who arrived in North America in 1848 [1]

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)