Arellanes
Origin Displayed: Spanish

Distinguished surnames, such as Arellanes, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Arellanes, 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 reflected Arabic words or place-names, because the Muslim Moors from the 8th to 12th centuries conquered Spain. The Arellanes family originally lived in Navarre. The surname Arellanes originally derived from Aurelianus which referred to the farm or estate of Aurelius.

Spelling variations include: Arellano, de Arellano, Arellana, de Arellana, Arellanes, Orellano, de Orellano, Orellana, de Orellana and many more.

First found in Navarre, one of the medieval Christian kingdoms of northern Spain.

Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Among the early explorers of the New World was Francisco Orellana, who accompanied Gonzalo Pizarro on his expedition to Peru, and was one of the founders of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Orellana then set off to seek spices in 1540-41.