Noble surnames, such as Devalenzuela, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Devalenzuela, 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. The Devalenzuela family originally lived in the place named Valenzuela. This place named is derived from the place-name Valencia, and it means little Valencia. The city of Valencia is situated on the Guadalaviar (now Turia) river. The city was first named Valencia de Campos by the king of Leon in 1150.
The surname Devalenzuela was first found in Castile, and important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Devalenzuela research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1360, 1482, 1564, 1505, 1533, 1630, 1692 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Devalenzuela History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Valenzuela, de Valenzuela, Valensuela, de Valensuela, Valenz, Valens, Valente, Valiente, Valentín, Valentin and many more.
Prominent among members of the family were Alonzo Valiente (1482-1564), Spanish conqueror, cousin and secretary of Hernan Cortés and secretary, one of the first governors of Mexico City; Juan Valiente (ca. 1505-1533), a Spanish black conquistador who participated in the expeditions of Pedro de Almagro in present-day Guatemala and Chile; Fernando de Valenzuela (1630-1692), 1st Marquis of Villasierra, Grandee of Spain, a Spanish royal favourite...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Devalenzuela Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.