Show ContentsPrieto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Prieto

What does the name Prieto mean?

The prestigious Spanish surname Prieto is of local origin, as it is based on the name of a place where a man once lived or owned land. Derived from the word "apretar," meaning "dense, or thick," it may have denoted a place which was densely wooded.

Early Origins of the Prieto family

The surname Prieto was first found in the provinces of Oviedo (Asturias) and Ciudad Real (Castilla). Evidence also show the Prieto family was present in Cordoba as there is record of a Dona Maria Nicolasa Prieto de Palma who was born in Montilla in 1719.

Early History of the Prieto family

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

Prieto Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Preto, Prieta, Priete and others.

Early Notables of the Prieto family

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

  • the Prieto family of Navarre

Prieto World Ranking

In the United States, the name Prieto is the 3,104th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Prieto is ranked the 3,905th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Prieto is the 99th popular surname with an estimated 48 people with that name. 3


Prieto migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Prieto Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Diego Prieto, who landed in America in 1812 4
  • Bernard Prieto, aged 45, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1822 4
  • Jose Prieto, aged 46, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1827 4
  • Salvador Prieto, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1834 4
  • Juan Prieto, who landed in Columbia in 1836 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Prieto 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. 5
Prieto Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Pedro Prieto, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1838 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Prieto (post 1700) +

  • Vincent Prieto (b. 1960), American Democratic Party politician
  • Myrna Prieto, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1984
  • Claudio Prieto (1934-2015), Spanish composer
  • Marta Prieto (b. 1978), Spanish professional golfer
  • Julio Prieto (b. 1960), Spanish footballer
  • Francine Prieto (b. 1981), former Spanish award-winning child star, a fashion model and movie actress
  • Xabier 'Xabi' Prieto (b. 1983), Spanish footballer
  • David Prieto (b. 1983), Spanish footballer
  • Luis Prieto, Spanish association football player
  • Luis Prieto, Spanish film director
  • ... (Another 14 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. "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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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