Show ContentsAguiar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Aguiar emerged in the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Aguiar, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. Many Spanish local names reflect Arabic words or place-names because the Muslim Moors from the 8th to 12th centuries conquered Spain. The Aguiar family originally lived in a region close to an eagles nest. The surname Aguiar originally derived for the Latin word L'Aquillare which referred to a haunt for eagles.

Early Origins of the Aguiar family

The surname Aguiar was first found in Castile, predominant among the Christian kingdoms of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Aguiar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aguiar research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1238, 1252, 1383, 1492, 1545, 1714, 1837 and 1846 are included under the topic Early Aguiar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aguiar Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Aguilar, Aguilera, Aguiler, Aguiar, Aquilar and others.

Early Notables of the Aguiar family

Prominent among members of the family

  • seventeenth century Spanish painter Tomás de Aguiar, who was a disciple of Velázquez
  • Spanish lawyer Rodrigo Aguiar y Acuña, appointed judge of the Audiencia de México in the early seventeenth century
  • eighteenth century Cuban patriot Luis José de Aguiar

Aguiar Ranking

In the United States, the name Aguiar is the 4,119th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


United States Aguiar migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Aguiar Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Catalina de Aguiar, who immigrated to America in 1512
Aguiar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Catalina De Aguiar, who landed in America in 1812 2
  • Bernardo Eleuterio Aguiar, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1837 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Aguiar (post 1700) +

  • José Aguiar, Spanish painter
  • Ernani Aguiar (b. 1950), Brazilian composer, choral conductor, and musicologist
  • Bruno Aguiar (b. 1981), Portuguese footballer
  • José Aguiar, Uruguayan historian and geographer
  • Enoch Domingo Aguiar, Argentine lawyer, professor and publicist


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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