Show ContentsLoyola History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished Spanish surname Loyola is of local origin, being one of those surnames based on the name of a place where a man once lived or where he once owned land. During the Middle Ages, feudal lords adopted the name of their estates or lands as a family name, which they then passed on, along with the property, to their sons and heirs.

Early Origins of the Loyola family

The surname Loyola was first found in the mountainous Basque region in the province of Guipúzcoa.

Early History of the Loyola family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loyola research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1491 and 1614 are included under the topic Early Loyola History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loyola Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Loyola, Loiola, Loila, Lola, Lolita, Loya, Loyo and others.

Early Notables of the Loyola family

Prominent among bearers of the family name at this time was

  • Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, sainted St...
  • Also notable was Doña Ana Maria de Inca y Loyola, descended from the Incas in Peru and the niece of Saint Ignatius, who was made Marquees of Santiago de Oropesa y Adelantada del Valle de Yupangui in 1...

Loyola Ranking

In the United States, the name Loyola is the 15,431st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Loyola migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Loyola Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Francisco De Loyola, who settled in New Spain in 1567
  • Isabel de Loyola, who arrived in New Spain in 1570
  • Juan de Loyola, who settled in Peru in 1592
  • Martin Ignacio de Loyola, who arrived in Rio de la Plata in 1594
Loyola Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Juan De Loyola, who landed in Peru in 1892 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Loyola (post 1700) +

  • Margot Loyola (b. 1918), Chilean musician
  • Juan Loyola (1952-1999), Venezuelan artist
  • Ignacio Loyola Vera (b. 1954), Mexican politician, Governor of Querétaro (1997 to 2003)
  • Carlos Díaz Loyola (1894-1968), Chilean poet, known as Pablo de Rokha
  • Ángel Custodio Loyola (1926-1985), Venezuelan singer and composer
  • Carlos Loyola (1859-1933), Mexican governor
  • John Loyola Murray (1943-2023), Irish jurist, Chief Justice of Ireland from 2004 to 2011, a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1999 to 2015, a Judge of the European Court of Justice from 1992 to 1999 and as Attorney General of Ireland from August 1982 to December 1982 and 1987 to 1991
  • Gustavo Loyola Vásquez (b. 1904), member of Parliament in Chile
  • Rabindranath Loyola Contreras (b. 1933), Chilean veterinarian
  • Loyola Hearn PC (b. 1943), Newfoundland-born, Canadian 28th Ambassador to Ireland (2010-), former Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (2006-2008)


  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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