Show ContentsAyala History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Ayala

What does the name Ayala mean?

Noble surnames, such as Ayala, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Ayala, 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 Spain was conquered by the Muslim Moors from the 8th to 12th centuries. The Ayala family originally derived its name from the name of the province of Ayala in Vascongadas.

Early Origins of the Ayala family

The surname Ayala was first found in the Basque region of north central Spain.

Early History of the Ayala family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayala research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1353, 1407, 1555 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Ayala History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayala Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ayala, Ayalla, Aya and others.

Early Notables of the Ayala family

Prominent among members of the family

  • Don Pero (Pedro) López de Ayala (1332-1407), a Castilian statesman, historian, poet, chronicler, chancellor, and courtier, remembered for his satirical and didactic Libro Rimado de Palacio
  • were sixteenth century Navarrese nobleman Juan de Ayala
  • Matías de Ayala, made a Knight of the Order of St. John in 1555
  • seventeenth century Spanish painter Bernabé de Ayala, a disciple of Zurbarán
  • eighteenth century officers of the Spanish Marine Guard Tomás, Bruno and Juan de Ayala y Aranza
  • nineteenth century Cuban law professor and administrator Pedro Antonio de Ayala y del Olmo
  • Antonio de Ayala, husband of Spanish novelist Cecilia Böhl de Faber (Fernán Caballero) in 1837

Ayala Ranking

In the United States, the name Ayala is the 513rd most popular surname with an estimated 57,201 people with that name. 1


Ayala migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ayala Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Diego de Ayala, who immigrated to America in 1510
  • Pedro de Ayala, who settled in America in 1512
  • Alonso de Ayala, who settled in America in 1513
  • Pedro de Ayala, who went to Peru in 1534
  • Isabel de Ayala, who went to Peru in 1560
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Ayala Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Captain Juan de Ayala y Escobar of Cordoba became Governor and Captain-General of Florida in the 1670s. He eventually settled in Cuba and established a distinguished branch of the family in Havana

Contemporary Notables of the name Ayala (post 1700) +

  • Francisco José Ayala Pereda (1934-2023), Spanish-American evolutionary biologist, philosopher, and Catholic priest
  • Marco Rizo Ayala (1920-1998), Cuban-born pianist, composer, and arranger, best known as the pianist, arranger and orchestrator for the American television sitcom I Love Lucy
  • Antonio Ayala Jr. (1963-2015), American light middleweight boxer who compiled a record of 22 wins and no losses, with 19 knockouts
  • Arthur Angel Ayala, American photographer
  • Sonia Ayala, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2004, 2008 2
  • Sal Ayala, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 2012 2
  • Phillip Ayala, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 2
  • Kay Ayala, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Pleasanton, California, 2004 2
  • Juan Ayala, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2004 2
  • Inés Ayala Sender (1957-2024), Spanish politician
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Julian de Ayala, Cuban 1st Class Passenger from Liverpool, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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