Show ContentsBravo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished Spanish surname Bravo is, in fact, of nickname origin. In this instance the adjective "Bravo" was applied as a nickname to a man who had proven himself in battle to be spirited and fearless.

Early Origins of the Bravo family

The surname Bravo was first found in the northern regions of the kingdom of Castile, an important Christian region of medieval Spain. Early records of the name in Spain include Captain D. Alonso Bravo, who was born in 1599 in San Martin de Hoyos in the Santander region of Northern Spain.

Early History of the Bravo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bravo research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bravo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bravo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brave, Brava, Brávo and others.

Early Notables of the Bravo family

Prominent among bearers of the Bravo family name at this time was

  • was Juan Bravo who was an eminent physician in sixteenth century Spain

Bravo Ranking

In the United States, the name Bravo is the 1,767th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Bravo is ranked the 5,432nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


Bravo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bravo Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Alonso Bravo, who arrived in "New Spain" between 1553-1554
  • Gabriel Bravo, who arrived in Peru in 1590 3
Bravo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alvaro Bravo, who landed in America in 1810 3
  • Juan Bravo, who landed in America in 1812 3
  • Pedro Bravo, who arrived in America in 1816 3
  • Francisco Bravo, who landed in America in 1827 3
  • Rodrigo Bravo, who landed in America in 1828 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bravo migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4
Bravo Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Benjamin Bravo, who landed in Jamaica in 1740 3
  • David Bravo, who arrived in Jamaica in 1740 3
Bravo Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Diego Bravo, who landed in Cuba in 1834 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Bravo (post 1700) +

  • Eduard Arranz Bravo (1941-2023), Catalan Spanish painter
  • Antonio Caballero Bravo (b. 1967), Spanish boxer, who represented his country at the 1988 Summer Olympics
  • Charles Delauney Bravo (1845-1876), British lawyer who was fatally poisoned with antimony in 1876
  • Sergio Eduardo Bravo Pemjean (1949-2022), Chilean television writer, screenwriter, playwright and lyricist
  • Douglas Ignacio Bravo Mora (1932-2021), Venezuelan politician and guerrilla fighter
  • Benedicto Bravo (1962-2020), Mexican professional footballer who played for Unión de Curtidores and Club León (1983-1994)
  • Luigi Ferrari Bravo (1933-2016), Italian professor and legal expert, Judge of International Court of Justice (1995-1997)
  • Angel Bravo (b. 1942), Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
  • Felipe Aparicio Bravo (b. 1867), Chilean literary
  • Soledad Bravo (b. 1943), renowned Venezuelan singer
  • ... (Another 2 notables 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/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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