Gonzalo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

The name Gonzalo has two distinct possible origins. First of all, the name could have been derived from the Spanish word "gonzale," meaning "battle" or "elf." The suffix of 'ez' initially indicated descent as it means 'son of.'

In some instances, the surname may derive from the extremely widespread first name Gonzalo, and denoting "son of Gonzalo". Gonzalo is thought to have been derived form the Germanic "Gunz-hard". The two most common variants of this patronym are Gonzalez and Gonzales, which are found throughout the Iberian peninsula.

Alternatively, it is possible that Gonzalo is one of those surnames which underwent a certain degree of change upon arrival in the New World, and since it is of Portuguese rather than Spanish extraction, it may be derived from the exclusively Portuguese surname Goncalves or more accurately Conçalves. This is a patronymic, denoting "son of Goncalo." 1

Early Origins of the Gonzalo family

The surname Gonzalo was first found in Portugal where the noble Portuguese house can be traced back as far as the early 16th century. Antão Gonçalves is listed in a registry of the 'Livro do Armeiro-mor' dating from 1509. 1

Early History of the Gonzalo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gonzalo research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1150, 1159, 1160, 1165, 1182, 1390, 1394, 1425, 1450, 1460, 1471, 1491, 1500, 1554, 1578, 1676, 1685, 1742 and 1754 are included under the topic Early Gonzalo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gonzalo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gonzoles, Gonzolez, Gonzales, Gonzalo, Gonzalvo, Gozalo, Gonzalves, Gosalves, Goncalo, Gonçalves and many more.

Early Notables of the Gonzalo family

Prominent members of the family include João Gonçalves Zarco (c. 1390-1471) was a Portuguese explorer who founded settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands. He was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator (1394-1460.) Antão Gonçalves, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer who was the first European to capture Africans in the Rio do Ouro region. André Gonçalves, was a Portuguese explorer that accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil. Gonçalves was one of Cabral's captains of the fleet c. 1500. Nuno Gonçalves (c. 1425-c. 1491) was a Portuguese artist whose work initiated the Portuguese Renaissance in painting. He was court...
Another 195 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gonzalo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gonzalo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gonzalo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pero Gonzalo, aged 27, who landed in Florida in 1863 2
Alejandro Gonzalo, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1883 2
Alvaro Gonzalo, who landed in Puerta Rico in 1890 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Gonzalo (post 1700) +

Alan Gonzalo Varela (b. 2001), Argentine professional footballer
Mariano Gonzalo Andújar (b. 1983), Argentine professional footballer
Cristian Gonzalo Oviedo (b. 1980), Chilean footballer
Gonzalo Omar Basile (b. 1974), Argentine professional boxer
Gonzalo Gabriel Ritacco (b. 1992), Argentine footballer who plays as a midfielder for Istiklol
Gonzalo Rubalcaba (b. 1963), Cuban jazz pianist and composer
Gonzalo Aguirre Ramírez (1940-2021), Uruguayan politician, lawyer, and newspaper columnist, Vice President of Uruguay from 1990 to 1995
Gonzalo Galván Castillo (1951-2020), Mexican Roman Catholic bishop
Gonzalo Belloso (b. 1974), Argentine former football striker who played from 1993 to 2008
Gonzalo Morales Sáurez (1945-2017), Costa Rican painter

Citations +

De Faria, Antonio Machado. Armorial lusitano: genealogia e heráldica. Lisboa, 1961. Print
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)