Show ContentsGuzman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Guzman comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. 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."

Early Origins of the Guzman family

The surname Guzman was first found in Leon, where the name originated in Visigothic times. Perhaps one of the most famous of the family was Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (1256-1309), known as Guzmán el Bueno ("the goodman"), a Spanish nobleman, progenitor of the dukes of Medina Sidonia lineage. He is generally thought to have been born in Léon but may have been a non-Spaniard by descent. In 1296, while in defense of the town of Tarifa, his son was offered in exchange for the surrender of the town. He reportedly threw down his knife for the besiegers to use in killing his son. For his sacrifice, he was granted large swaths of lands and thus began the dynasty.

Early History of the Guzman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guzman research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1221, 1310, 1351, 1500, 1508, 1550, 1579, 1581, 1596, 1602, 1603, 1613, 1615, 1636, 1666, 1671 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Guzman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guzman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Guzmán, Guzman, Gozman, Gotmen, De Guzman and many more.

Early Notables of the Guzman family

Prominent among members of the family

  • Eleanor de Guzman (1310-1351), a Castilian noblewoman and long-term mistress to Alfonso XI of Castile, mother of King Henry II of Castile
  • Diego Ramirez de Guzman (died 1508) became the Bishop of Catania June 1500, after having been promoted previously to Bishop of Lugo, February 1500
  • Luisa Maria Francisca of Guzman (1613-1666), Spanish-born, Queen consort of Portugal

Guzman World Ranking

In the United States, the name Guzman is the 317th most popular surname with an estimated 84,558 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Guzman is ranked the 9,295th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Guzman is the 96th popular surname with an estimated 50 people with that name. 3


United States Guzman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guzman Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Leonor Guzmán, who immigrated to Hispaniola in 1560
  • Diego Guzmán, moved to New Granada in 1561
  • Juan Guzmán, who settled in Peru in 1561
  • Elvira Guzmán, traveled to Guatemala in 1566
Guzman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Pedro De Guzman, who arrived in America in 1809 4
  • Pero Guzman, who landed in America in 1813 4
  • Francisco De Guzman, who arrived in America in 1813 4
  • Alonso De Guzman, who landed in America in 1815 4
  • Juan De Guzman, who landed in America in 1817 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Guzman migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Guzman Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Garcia De Guzman, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1834 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Guzman (post 1700) +

  • Isabella Casillas Guzman (b. 1970), American government official and business advocate, Administrator of the Small Business Administration Nominee
  • José-Manuel Garrido Guzmán (b. 1945), Spanish biologist
  • José Florencio Guzmán Correa (1929-2017), Chilean politician, Minister of Defence (1998-1999)
  • María Magdalena "Magda" Guzmán Garza (1931-2015), Mexican two-time TVyNovelas Award winning actress
  • Braulio Luna Guzmán (b. 1974), Mexican footballer
  • Jacobo Arbenz Guzman (1913-1971), President of Guatemala (1951 to 1954)
  • Vanessa Guzman Neibla (b. 1976), Mexican actress and model
  • Luis Guzmán (b. 1956), Puerto Rican actor
  • Juan Guzmán Correa (b. 1966), Dominican professional baseball player
  • Alejandra Gabriela Guzmán Pinal (b. 1968), award-winning Mexican rock singer and actress
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
  4. 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)
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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