Show ContentsSamaniego History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The noble Spanish surname Samaniego is of local origin, derived from the name of the place where a man once lived or where he once owned land. In Medieval Spain, many families adopted the name of the estate or town where they lived as a means of identification. These names then became hereditary, and many modern surnames can be traced back to a small village or town.

Early Origins of the Samaniego family

The surname Samaniego was first found in the province of Alava in the northern Basque country. The family originated in the town of Samaniego, situated between the two cities of Vitorio and Logrono in northern Spain.

Early History of the Samaniego family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Samaniego research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1653, 1656, 1670, 1688, 1737, 1744, 1745, 1761, 1767 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Samaniego History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Samaniego Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sameniego, Samengo, Samaniago and others.

Early Notables of the Samaniego family

Prominent among bearers of the family name at this time was

  • Joseph Ruiz Samaniego (fl. 1563-1670), maestro de capilla at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza
  • Juan de Samaniego y Díez de Ulzurrun Xaca ("Jaca") y Roncal, better known just as Juan Samaniego y Jaca, a prominent Spanish military officer, 16th Governor of New Mexico (1653-1656)
  • José Antonio Manso de Velasco y Sánchez de Samaniego (1688-1767), a Spanish soldier and politician who served as governor of Chile (1737-1744) and 30th Viceroy of Peru (1745-1761)

Samaniego Ranking

In the United States, the name Samaniego is the 5,387th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


United States Samaniego migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Samaniego Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Manuel De Samaniego, aged 50, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
  • Ramon De Samaniego, aged 44, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
  • Antonio Samaniego, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1880 2
  • Pedro De Samaniego, who arrived in Peru in 1892 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Samaniego (post 1700) +

  • Félix María de Samaniego (1745-1801), Spanish neoclassical fabulist
  • Roberto Durán Samaniego (b. 1951), Panamanian former professional boxer
  • Filoteo Samaniego Salazar (1928-2013), Ecuadorian novelist, poet, historian, translator, and diplomat, awarded the Premio Eugenio Espejo (2001)
  • Andrés Antonio Romero Samaniego (b. 1967), retired Chilean football defender
  • Santiago Ryce Samaniego (b. 1974), nicknamed "El Herrero," Panamanian super welterweight professional boxer, NABO Welterweight Champion (1996-1997), WBA Fedelatin Light Middleweight Champion (2001-2002), WBA Light Middleweight Interim Champion in 2002, WBA Light Middleweight Champion (2002-2003)
  • Jose Ramón Gil Samaniego (1899-1968), known as Ramón Novarro, Mexican film, stage and television actor who began his career in silent films in 1917 and became known as a sex symbol after the death of Rudolph Valentino
  • Adriano Samaniego Giménez (b. 1963), Paraguay former football striker who played from 1981 to 1998, member of the Paraguay National Team (1985-1995)
  • Antenor Samaniego (b. 1919), Peruvian poet
  • Carlos Samaniego Molineros (b. 1916), medical surgeon from Ecuador

St. Francis Dam
  • Mr. Santana Samaniego, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
  • Mrs. Matilde S. Samaniego, Mexican born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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