Show ContentsAguirre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original bearer of the name Aguirre, 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 Aguirre family originally lived in a noble or reputable place in a village. The surname Aguirre originally derived from the Basque word Ager which meant visible or prominent.

Early Origins of the Aguirre family

The surname Aguirre was first found in the Basque region of Spain, , especially Gipuzkoa and Navarre, along the north-central coast of the Peninsula. The name literally means 'prominence/clearing exposed to the wind.'

Early History of the Aguirre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aguirre research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1248, 1340 and 1492 are included under the topic Early Aguirre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aguirre Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Aguirre, Aguirra, Aguirri, Izaguirre, Yzaguirre and many more.

Early Notables of the Aguirre family

Prominent among members of the family

  • were eighteenth century Ecuadoran poet Juan Bautista Aguirre
  • nineteenth century Uruguayan President Atanasio Aguirre
  • nineteenth century Bolivian economist and politician Miguel María Aguirre

Aguirre World Ranking

In the United States, the name Aguirre is the 833rd most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Aguirre is ranked the 6,933rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Aguirre is the 44th popular surname with an estimated 91 people with that name. 3


Aguirre migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Aguirre Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Lope de Aguirre (1518-1561), who voyaged to Peru with Pizarro. Later he traveled the entire length of the Amazon River in a small boat
  • Hurtado de Aguirre, who sailed to America in 1528
  • Francisco Aguirre, who sailed to New Granada in 1552
  • Juan Aguirre, who sailed to New Spain in 1576
  • Francisco de Aguirre, a Spanish captain who fought with Pizarro in Peru and with Valdivia in Chile, where he died in 1580
Aguirre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francisco Antonio Aguirre, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 4
  • Francisco's son Hernando de Aguirre, who also fought as a conquistador in Chile
  • Domingo Aguirre, who journeyed to America with Jiménez de Quesada and was one of the founders of the city of Bogotá, Colombia
  • Hurtado De Aguirre, who arrived in America in 1828 4
  • Ignacio Aguirre, aged 66, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Aguirre (post 1700) +

  • Henry John Aguirre (1931-1994), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Edward Aguirre, American educational administrator
  • Edmundo Soto Aguirre, American civil engineer
  • Emiliano Aguirre Enríquez (1925-2021), Spanish paleontologist and member of the Academy of Fine Arts and History 'Institución Fernán González'
  • Javier Aguirre Fernández (1935-2019), Spanish film director, writer and producer
  • Luis María "Koldo" Aguirre Vidaurrázaga (1939-2019), Spanish football midfielder and manager
  • Jose Louis de Aresti Aguirre (1919-2003), Spanish pilot and member of the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Hall of Fame
  • Noel Aguirre Ledezma (1960-2024), Bolivian politician, Minister of Development Planning (2010-2015)
  • Rubén Aguirre Fuentes (1934-2016), Mexican actor
  • Alfonso Anda Aguirre (b. 1919), Spanish philosopher and lawyer
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Reyner Aceves Aguirre, American Seaman Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 5


  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. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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