Show ContentsAquilar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Aquilar

What does the name Aquilar mean?

From the historical and fascinating Italian region of Venice emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Aquilar family. The people of this region were originally known only by a single name, but it became necessary for them to take on a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. The Aquilar surname evolved from a nickname; these usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Aquilar came from a person who had the sight of an eagle. The surname Aquila is derived from the word aquila, which means eagle. Thus, the surname could also be a name for a spot where eagles were often seen or for an owner of an eagle. The surname Aquila is also of local origin, derived from the city of L'Aquila, which is the capital of the region of Abruzzi in the center/south of the peninsula.

Early Origins of the Aquilar family

The surname Aquilar was first found in the 11th century at Benevento, a city north of Naples. Riccardo Aquila was master of much territory in this area in 1090.

Early History of the Aquilar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aquilar research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1105, 1204, 1488, 1560, 1630 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Aquilar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aquilar Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Aquilar include Aquila, Aquilani, Aquilante, Aquilanti, Aquili, Aquilina, Aquilini, Aquilino, Aquilone, Aquiloni, Aquilotti, D'Aquila, dell'Aquila, Aquilar and many more.

Early Notables of the Aquilar family

Prominent among members of the family was Caspar Aquila (1488-1560), birth name Johann Kaspar Adler, a German reformer and the Aquili family of Rome who were famous painters. The Aquilini family of Lesi produced many painters over a two hundred year period ending in the 17th century. Antonio Aquili...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aquilar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aquilar Ranking

In the United States, the name Aquilar is the 8,085th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Aquilar migration to the United States +

Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Aquilar or a variant listed above:

Aquilar Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Adela Aquilar, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
  • Mauro Aquilar, aged 12, who immigrated to the United States from Port Liman, in 1904
  • Thomas T Aquilar, aged 50, who settled in America from Kingston, in 1904
  • Juliano Aquilar, aged 36, who landed in America from Genoa, Italy, in 1909
  • Armando Aquilar, aged 24, who settled in America, in 1919
  • ... (More 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/


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