A DICTIONARY of SPANISH PLACE NAMES Luis de Orueta A dictionary of reference focusing on the meaning of Place Names in Spain cannot be found. Perhaps this is due to the difficulty of establishing single etymologies with a high degree of probability for a large portion of Spanish names, including those of large cities. The Iberian Peninsula has had every possible Mediterranean linguistic influence, before and after periods of Celtic, Gothic and Germanic predominance, all of them superimposed on an Iberian semantic foundation. Hence, often, the meaning of a given toponym ranges from descriptive to anthroponym, which appear to be mutually exclusive, though both may be acceptable, depending on the year of reference. This dictionary offers the possibility of distinguishing the larger portion of names with clear meanings from those that can be branded “obscure” or “uncertain”. For the last group, the present work, rather than selecting the most probable, retains more than one published option. While being interesting in the context of each interpretation, this is less than satisfactory from a dictionary viewpoint. The author expects that new linguistic research, rather than widening the number of alternatives, will reduce the level of uncertainty. A Dictionary of Spanish Place Names A Dictionary of Spanish Place Names © Luis de Orueta 1992 Private edition May 1992 printed by Rank Xerox Spain La Imprenta CG, Paterna, Valencia. Legal deposit M-22591-2022 ISBN 978-84-09-43762-7 Cover: Cádiz, oldest city in Spain, founded circa 1100 b. C. Photo: Cathedral. One of the spires. Web page Ayuntamiento de Cádiz. https://turismo.cadiz.es/es/rutas-y-visitas-en-cadiz/catedral Madrid 2022 Luis de Orueta A Dictionary of Spanish Place Names Madrid 1992 Foreword The Spanish language originated in Cantabria, expanded to the Middle regions of the Iberian Peninsula, known as Castilla, and, naturally, received the name of Castellano. Benefitting from its central position, it favoured communication and transactions and became the lingua franca. In the coastal regions of Spain, four other languages were spoken. The phonetic impact on placenames was negligible. Most of them were taken for granted as used by the inhabitants. Thus, names like Poblet didn’t become Pueblito, nor Creus became Cruces. Others, like Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Malaga always had a unique morphology. But there were differences when written down. One was due to cultural backgrounds in each territory. Another derived from the fact that the letters C, F, H, and Q don’t exist in Basque, while the X is preferred in some provinces to soften the harder sound of Castilian G’s and J’s. Examples of this can be found in placenames like Gijón, renamed Xixón in Asturias, or Jijona, written Xixona in Eastern Spain. As for the letter Ñ it remains in Galician and Basque, but in Catalan is replaced with N’s, and Cataluña is spelt Catalonia. Nowadays, the process of bilingual expressivity in official documents is favoured by Community authorities, though still incomplete. It is difficult to do justice to all placenames from this point of view. Rather than presenting them in two forms, only major cities (the capitals of provinces) are shown with a second version in brackets, when applicable. The rest appear in their Spanish language, as found not only in Spain, but also in their homonyms of America Just as important to the reader as is the matter of correct spelling, may be the criterium used for the selection of names. Barely five thousand have been chosen from a universe of almost 200.000 place names, listed down in the Postal Dictionary of Spain (Bibliogr. page 19). Obviously, size is determinant. All names branded ciudad (city), or villa (town,) have been included. In addition, a selected number of smaller villages, lugares, and hamlets, caseríos, did get in when sufficiently numerous or have popularity as family names. Finally, names of major rivers and mountains have found their place along those of inhabited locations. The small villages keep becoming smaller, but it is not unthinkable that, in the long run, the inverse movement may occur. Most place names are simple enough to be expressed in one word, but, when repeated, they tend to require more words to secure 5 differentiation. Such secondary parts of place names also offer etymologic interest and explanations have been included. To facilitate geographic identification, each name is followed by a reference to the province of Spain where it belongs. Concerning the credibility of the etymologies given in the text, one must confess that, at times, they leave something to be desired. At least one hundred of the findings are more curious than credible. For those readers who are less familiar with the difficulties surrounding the origin of place names all over the world, the following ranking may throw a bit of light: a) The ‘Obvious type’ Place names that only require translation. To belong to this group, a name must meet the requirement of appearing obvious to the population that speaks the language of its region in Spain. None of these names are evident to people who do not understand each of these languages. Therefore, the translation into English is justified, and the credibility is, of course very high. It cannot be complete because there are instances when the present name, obvious as it seems, is misleading. An example of an obvious place name in Spanish would be Casablanca ‘white house’. One instance of simple but misleading placenames could be Matamoros. Rather than apparent ‘killer of Moors’, its correct etymology should be ‘underground granary’ from Arabic matmurah. b) The ‘Historical’ type These are place names that are derived from languages which are no longer spoken in Spain, mostly Arabic, Latin, Germanic, Greek, and Hebrew. They have historical roots that can be identified. Such is the case of Zaragoza and Pamplona, so named after Roman emperors Caesar Augustus and Pompey Magnus. With the passing of Time, historical names tend to undergo mutations and not always a sense can be assigned to them with certainty. c) The ‘Obscure’ type Names, whose origin cannot be linked to any modern or classical language. Such names are often branded as preRoman and are the subject of repetitive speculation by etymologists. 6 Many Spanish place names are explained assuming Basque to be identical with the language of Iberian and Celtic tribes before the Roman conquest of Spain. Other sources of explanations for ‘pre-Roman’ names are the Gaelic and Celtic elements which coexisted with Greek, Phoenician, and Hebrew populations, especially in the coastal areas. It is in this third category where the credibility is most wanting. A good example of this category would be the very name España (Spain) with no less than 15 explanations offered. Certainly, by investigating the successive transformations, one can get nearer to the original meaning, but, too often, the findings are more apt as a tool for rejecting available etymologies than for providing a definitive answer. In other words, the more one knows about certain difficult names, the more elusive they seem to become. Since all Spanish place names may fall in one of the three categories just mentioned, I have tried to suggest which one applies in random cases, without going any further into the subject of credibility, preferring to list plural viewpoints to the reader. 7 8 Bibliography A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES Bibliography ASTURIAS 1. Actes de les Xornaes de Toponimia Asturiana ACADEMIA DE LA LLINGUA ASTURIANA,1987 2. Antiguos pobladores de Asturias GONZÁLEZ, JOSÉ MANUEL; Colección Popular Asturiana,1976 3. Conveyos y Parroquies d’Asturies COMISIÓN DE TOPONIMIA ASTURIANA, Oviedo,.1985 4. Diccionario Bable RATO, APOLINAR, Editorial Flores,1985-1991 5. Diccionariu Xeneral de la Llingua Asturiana NOVO, LORENZO, Asturlibros,1979 6. Prehistoria de Asturias GÓMEZ TABANERA, Universidad de Oviedo, 1974 7. Pueblos asturianos: el porqué de sus nombres GARCÍA ARIAS, JOSÉ LUIS; Ayalga Ediciones,1977 8. Roma contra Cantabros y Astures MARTINO, EUTIMIO; Sal Terrae, 1982 9. Toponimia de Origen Indoeuropeo Prelatino en Asturias SEVILLA RODRÍGUEZ, MARTÍN; Instituto de Estudios Asturianos, 1980 10. Toponimia de una Parroquia Asturiana CANO, ANA MARÍA; Instituto de Estudios Asturianos,1982 11. Vocabulario Bable de Somiedo CANO, ANA MARÍA; Instituto de Estudios Asturianos,1982 11 Bibliography A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES BASQUE COUNTRY 1. Apellidos Vasco-Colombianos KEREXETA Y ABRISQUETA, Ed. Printer Colombiana, 1985, 2 vol. 2. Antiguos pobladores de Asturias MICHELENA, LUIS; Ed. Txertoa,1989-1993 3. Diccionario de Apellidos Vascos NABARTE, N, Ed. Txertoa,1989 4. Diccionario Vasco-Castellano LÓPEZ MENDIZÁBAL, Ed. Auñamendi, 1976 5. Diccionario Vasco-Castellano; Castellano-Vasco ARBELAITZ, Ed. Gran Enciclopedia Vasca, 1978 6. El Habla y la Toponimia de la Puebla de Arganzón y el Condado de Treviño SÁNCHEZ, MARÍA NIEVES; Diputación de Álava, 1986 7. Toponima Navarra de la Edad Media CORONA, CARLOS; Imprenta Provincial Huesca, 1947 8. Los Vascones y sus Vecinos CARO BAROJA, JULIO; Ed. Txertoa, 1958 9. Voces de Origen Vasco en la Geografía Asturiana HERRERO, ABELARDO; Ed. Gran Enciclopedia Vasca, 1977 12 A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES Bibliography CATALAN INFLUENCE 1. Ells Llinatges Cataláns (Catalunya, País Valencià, Isles Baleares) MOLL, FRANCESC B. Ed. Moll, Mallorca, 1982. 2. Entre dos Llengatges COROMINES, JEAN; Curial, Barcelona,1977, 3 vol. 3. Estudios de Toponimia Catalana COROMINES, JEAN; Biblioteca Folológica Barcino, 1965, 2 vol. 4. Diccionario Aragonés ANDOLZ, RAFAEL; Librería General, Zaragoza, 1984 5. Diccionari Castellá-Catalá; Catalá-Castellá ARIMANYS, DICCIONARIS, Barcelona, 1983 6. Diccionari Castellá-Valenciá; Valenciá-Castellá GALMAR; Ed. Río Turia, Valencia, 1983 7. Diccionari Català-Castellà MOLL, FRANCESC, B; Ed. Moll, Palma, 1977 8. Les Noms Populaires des Plants dans les Pyrenées SEGUÍ CENTRALES, JEAN; C.S.I.C. – I.E.P. Barcelona, 1953 9. Toponimia Antiga de les Illes Balears COROMINES, JEAN Y PASSARIUS, M; ABELARDO; Curial Edicions, Barcelona 1989. 10. Toponimia del Valle de Tena GUILLÉN CALVO, JUAN JOSÉ; Instituto Fernando el Católico, 1981 13 Bibliography A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES GALICIA 1. Diccionario Galego-Castellan FRANCO, X.L.;. Galaxia, Vigo,1983-1988 2. FRAMPAS (Contribución al Diccionario Galego) RIVAS, ELIGIO; Ed. CEME Salamanca, 1978 3. Toponimia de Marín RIVAS, ELIGIO; Universidad de Santiago, 1978 4. Toponimia Gallega y Leonesa MORALEJO, A: Pico Sacro, Santiago, 1977 5. Vocabulario Galego-Castelán-Castelán-Galego FERNÁNDEZ DEL RIEGO, F, Y FRANCO X. L Galaxia, Vigo, 1984, 2 vol. SOUTH AND WEST 1. Diccionario Extremeño VIUDAS, ANTONIO; A. Viudas, Cáceres, 1988 2. Toponimia de la Sierra del Norte de Sevilla GORDON, MARÍA DOLORES; Universidad de Sevilla, 1988 3. Toponimia de la Zona de Jerez de la Frontera GRACÍA DIEGO, VICENTE; Gráficas del Exportador, Jerez, 1972 14 A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES Bibliography ARAB SPAIN 1. Al-Andalus en el Muyam Al-Buldan de Taqut ABD-AL-KRIM, AMAL Universidad de Sevilla, 1977-1972 2. Crónica del Moro Rasis (circa 930) RASIS; Gredos, 1974 3. Descripción de España (circa 1150) ALEDRIS, XERIF; Ed. Atlas, 1989. 4. Descripción del Reino de Granada SIMONET, FRANCISCO JAVIER; Imprenta Nacional, Madrid, 1860 5. Dialectología Mozárabe GALMES, ÁLVARO; Gredos, Madrid, 1983 6. Glosario de Voces Ibéricas y Latinas usadas entre los Mozárabes SIMONET, FRANCISCO JAVIER; Establecimiento Fortanet, Madrid, 1888 7. Glosario etimológico de las palabras españolas (castellanas, catalanas, gallegas, mallorquinas, portuguesas, valencianas y vascas) de origen oriental (árabe, hebreo, malayo, persa, y turco) EGUILAZ, LEOPOLDO DE;; Granada, 1886 8. La División Territorial de la España Musulmana VALLUE, JOAQUÍN; C.S.I.C. Madrid, 1986 9. El reino de Córdoba durante la Dominación Musulmana ARJONA, ANTONIO; Diputación de Córdoba, 1982 10. Historia de Al Ándalus IBN AL-KARDABUS; Ed. Akal, Madrid, 1986 15 Bibliography A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES 11. Materiales para el Estudio de la Toponimia Hispano Árabe. Nómina Fluvial TERES, ELÍAS; C.S.I.C. Madrid, 1986, 1st.vol. 12.La Onomástica de los Moriscos Valencianos LABARTA, ANA; C.S.I.C. Madrid, 1987 13. Toponimia Arábiga del país Valencia BARCELO, CARME; Gráficas Castillo, Valencia, 1983 14.Toponimia Alicantina en la Nobiliaria Española MÁS GIL, LUIS; Diputación Provincial de Alicante, 1976 15. Toponimia y Antroponimia de WADI-AS ASENJO, CARLOS; Diputación de Granada, 1950 16.Toponimia Árabe de España PALACIOS, ASÍN; Ed. Maestre, Madrid, 1940 17. Toponimia Arábigo-Española ABDULLA ENAN, MOHAMED; Instituto Egipcio, 1976 CANARY ISLANDS 1. Historia de las Islas Canarias (De la Prehistoria al Descubrimiento) CASTRO, DEMETRIO; Editora Nacional, 1983 2. Léxico Guanche PANDO, JOSÉ LUIS; Pando, 1985 3. Las Islas Canarias en el Mundo Clásico CABRERA, ANTONIO; Gobierno de Canarias, 1988 16 A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES Bibliography CENTRAL SPAIN 1. Avance de un Estudio Geográfico-Histórico del Campo de Montiel CORCHADO SORIANO, MANUEL; Publicaciones del Instituto de Estudios Manchegos, 1971 2. El Cerrato Castellano VALLEJO, MANUEL; Imprenta Provincial, Palencia, 1987 3. Ciudades y Vías Romanas de la Cuenca del Duero MAÑANES Y SOLANA; Universidad de Valladolid, 1980 4. Crónica y Guía de la Provincia de Madrid SÁINZ DE ROBLES, CARLOS; Espasa Calpe,1966 5. Descripción de la Provincia de Madrid (1763) LÓPEZ THOMAS; Graficas El Atazar, 1988 6. Diccionario de Toponimia Actual de La Rioja GONZÁLEZ BLANCO, A; Universidad de Murcia 7. Guía Espiritual de La Mancha BAUTISTA, PEDRO; Ed. Nueva Situación, 1980 8. Toponimia de Ávila TEJERO ROBLEDO, EDUARDO; Institución Gran Duque de Alba, 1983 9. Toponimia del Campo de Borja Institución Fernando el Católico, 1980 10. Toponimia de una Zona del Esla MORALA, JOSÉ LUIS; Universidad de Murcia 17 Bibliography A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES GENERAL 1. Atlas Geográfico de España INDICE GENEAL DE TOPÓNIMOS, Aguilar, 1980 2. Breve Diccionario Etimológico de la Lengua Castellana COROMINAS, JOAN; Gredos, 1983,1961 3. Censo de la Corona de Castilla de 1591. Vecindarios INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA, Publicaciones, Madrid 1984 4. Censo de la Corona de Castilla en el siglo XVI INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA, Publicaciones, Madrid 1829,1982 5. Del Origen y Principio de la Lengua Castellana o Romance que oi se usa en España (1606) ALDERETE, BERNARDO, C.S.I.C.1972 6. Dialectología Hispánica y Geografía Lingüística VIUDAS CAMARASA, ANTONIO, C.S.I.C. Institución Cultural El Brocense, Cáceres, 1986 7. Diccionario de Autoridades (1726) REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA; Gredos, 1984, 3 vol. 8. Diccionario de Gentilicios y Topónimos SANTANO, DANIEL; Ed. Paraninfo, 1981 9. Diccionario de Nombres de Personas ALBAIGES, J.M; Universidad de Barcelona, 1984 10. Diccionario Etimológico Comparado de los Apellidos Españoles, Hispano Americanos, y Filipinos TIBON, GUTIERRE; Ed. Diana, México, 1988 11. Diccionario Etimológico General de la Lengua Castellana CORRIDIO, FERNANDO; Ed. Brugera, 1984 18 A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES Bibliography 12. Diccionario Geográfico-Estadístico-Histórico (1845) PASCUAL MADOZ; Madrid, 13. Diccionario Geográfico Postal de España MINISTERIO DE LA GOBERNACIÓN; S. Calleja, Madrid, 1942, 2 vol. 14. Diccionario Ilustrado de los nombres vernáculos de las plantas en España CEBALLOS, ANDRÉS, Icona,986 15. Diccionario Universal de Historia y Geografía (1847) DE PAULA FRANCISCO, Madrid 1847, 2. vol. 16. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography SMITH WILLIAM, Walton and Maberly, 2 vol. 17. Ensayo Histórico Etimológico sobre Apellidos Castellanos DE LOS RÍOS, ÁNGEL, Asturlibros,1979 18. La España en el Siglo Primero (Según Mela y Plinio) GARCÍA BELLIDO, ANTONIO, Austral. nº 744 19. España, hace dos mil años (según Estrabón) GARCÍA BELLIDO, ANTONIO; Austral, nº 515 20. Historia de la Lengua Española LAPESA, RAFAEL; Escelicer, 1959 21. Las Antigüedades de las Ciudades de España (1792) MORALES, AMBROSIO DE; Oficina Benito Cano, 1792 22. Las Lenguas de España ENTWISTLE, WILLIAM; Ed. Istmo, 1973 23. Manual de Gramática Histórica Española MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, RAMÓN, Espasa Calpe, 1973 19 Bibliography A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES 24. Nomenclatura Geográfica de España (1834) CABALLERO, FERMÍN; Ed. El Albir, 1978 25. Orígenes del Español MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, RAMÓN; Espasa Calpe, 1980,1926 26. Primer Diccionario Etimológico de la Lengua Española BARCIA, ROQUE; Madrid, 1880,5 vol. 27. Pueblos de España NOMENCLÁTOR COMERCIAL; Hijos de Minuesa, Madrid 28. Sumario de las Antigüedades que hay en España (1832) CEÁN BERMÚDEZ, JUAN AGUSTÍN; Librería Paris-Valencia, 1987 29. Tesoro de la Lengua Castellana o Española (1611) COROMINAS, JOAN; Turner, 1979 30. Tópica Hespérica COROMINAS, JOAN; Gredos. 1972, 2 vol. 31. Topónimos de Apellidos Hispanos ÁLVAREZ, GRACE J.; Ed. Castalia, 1968 20 A DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PLACE NAMES Bibliography NON SPANISH 1. A Concise Dictionary of American Place Names STEWART, GEORGE R.; Oxford University Press, 1986,1970 2. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Pace Names EKWALL, EILERT; Oxford University Press, 1977,1935 3. Dicionario Onomástico da Lingua Portugesa MACHADO, J. P.; Ed. Confluencia Lisboa 3 vol. 4. Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms Geographiques CHERPILLOD A.; Masson-Barcelone, 1986 5. Discovering London Street Names WITTICH, JOHN; Shire Publication Ltd. 6. A Gardeners’s Dictionary of Plant Names SMITH AND STERN; Cassell, London, 1972,1963 7. Larousse Étymologique et Historique DAUZAT, DUBOIS, MITTERAND; Larousse, 1971 8. Les noms des Villes et Villages VIAL, ERIC; Euguene Belin, 1983 9. Noms et Prénoms de France DAYZAT. A.; Lib. Larousse, 1987,1980 10. The origin of English Surnames REANEY, P.H.; Rontledge-Kegan Paul, 1987,1968 11. Place Names of the World ROOM, ADRIAN; Angus-Robertson, 1987,1974 12.Trésors des Noms de Famille CELLARD, JACQUES; Belin, Paris,1983 21 Dictionary ABADES ABIA DE LAS TORRES with reference to commercial activity’ A Abejar Soria 1.‘Apiary’ from Spanish abeja 2.‘Place with apifera flowers’ from Bot. ophirys apifera, hence ‘place with twoleaved flowers frequented by bees’ Abades Several locations ‘Village of the abbotts’ Spanish. It indicates ownership as in LOMA DE LOS ABADES ‘Hill of the abbots’ A parallel in feminine form can be found in SAN JUAN DE LAS ABADESAS ‘of the abbesses’ in the province of Gerona. Abelaria Lugo, Orense ‘Apiary’ identical with ABEJAR and other variants such as ABELEIRA, ABELEDO, ABELLEIRA Abena, Huesca Abalacisqueta Guipúzcoa ‘Place of Abenia’ matronymic from Latin Abenia, formerly known also as Aculia ‘Houses built under the shadow’ from Basque abaro ‘shady place’ and middle term itxe ‘house’ with the locative suffix -eta. Ábalos Logroño Prob. ‘Place of Abelio’ from the Latin surname Abeluis ‘able’ pointing at early settler or owner. Abenfigo Teruel Uncertain 1.‘Place with fig-trees’ compound name with Arab Ibn and Latin ficus ‘fig’ 2. ‘Place of Ben’ Arabic patronymic with unexplained second element. Abamia Asturias Abengibre Albacete 1.‘Place with ginger plants’ originally agengibre 2. ‘Place of Yabr’ Arabic personal name. Uncertain 1.‘Abelard’s place’ from Germanic personal name Abelard 2.‘Abelius’s place’ from Latin Abelius ‘able’ Formerly Belapnis and Abelania Abenójar Ciudad Real ‘Aben Ocaxa’s town’ named after its Arab conqueror. Abanilla Murcia Aberasturi Álava, 1.‘Place of Albanelo’ from a Latin personal name ‘native of Alba’ 2. ‘White’ from Arabic al-bayada ‘Rich village’ from Basque aberatz ‘rich’ and second element -uri ‘village’ Abaran Murcia Abia de la Obispalia Cuenca, ‘Oakwood’ from Basque locative suffix -an ‘near’ albar 1.‘Place with blueberries belonging to the Bishopric’ from abia Bot. vaccinium myrtillus 2.‘Abbey of the Bishopric’ if abia corruption of Spanish abadía Formerly Sarzola and Abarca de Campos Palencia ‘Pool surrounded by stones’ DE CAMPOS which means ‘in the fields’, refers to a territory documented Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ also known as Campus Gallaeiciae ‘fields of Galicians’ Abia de las Torres Palencia, 1.‘Place with blueberries belonging to the Bishopric’ from abia Bot. vaccinium myrtillus 2. ‘Abbey with towers’ from Latin abadia DE LAS TORRES ‘of the towers’ for differentiation from previous village. Abastas Palencia in Castille-León ‘Market place’ from Latin adjective bastus ‘enough’ ‘sufficient’, probably 25 AGOST ABLA Adanero Ávila Abla Almería. 1.‘Place with plums’ Basque. 2.‘Place of Adan’ personal name Adam with suffix-ero indicating ownership. Prob. “White town’ from Latin albus ‘white’ The town name has been assumed to experience variations from original Alba to Abtula and Abla. The Arabs called it Ratba Adra Almería ‘Fortress’ from Phoenician Abdera which became Alazdra with the Arabs, and later Adzra Ablanedo, Asturias ‘Hazel wood’ the term is found in the Asturian idiom. Adrada Ávila ‘Town quarter’ ‘neighbourhood’ Arabic from ad-dara ‘the turn’, a village tax to be paid jointly by neighbours Aboño, Asturias 1.Prob. ‘River’ from English abona ‘river’. 2.‘Place of Abonio’ from Latin personal name Aponius Adzaneta Valencia and Castellon 1.‘Place belonging to the Zaneta family’ from Arabic Ad-Saneta 2.‘Place on the hills’ also Arabic but from sanad with Basque suffix -eta Abrucena Almería ‘Town of Lorenz’ from its original Latin Lauricena Suffix of ownership -ena is present in other places, like LUCENA and MARCHENA. Aedo Cantabria ‘Beechwood’ also written ahedo from Spanish haya ‘beech tree’. Agar Several locations in Galicia Acebeda (La) Madrid 1.‘Place for treating seaweed to obtain useful substances’ from Malayan eigar ‘gel’ 2.‘Cave’ from Arabic hadchara ‘to escape’ ‘to hide’ ‘The holly wood’ from Spanish acebo ‘holly’ Acebuche Cáceres, 1.Prob. ‘Bitter olive grove’ from Latin acerbus ‘bitter’. 2.‘Black’ from Arabic azabach. Ages Burgos ‘Land belonging to a settler named Hagegge’ of Arabic origin, from Haggag. Aceña Salamanca, Caceres ‘Mill powered by water’ from Arabic assaniya. Agra in Galicia ‘Extension of cultivated land which belongs to several farmers’ Same meaning applies to AGRAÑA, AGRELO, AGRAMAYOR, AGRES AND AGRO. Acered Zaragoza, ‘The path’ Arabic origin from al-zirat ‘way ‘road’ Acevedo Madrid Agoncillo Logroño ‘Holly wood’ as in ACEBEDA. Probably derived from personal name Gontino ‘fighter’ from Germanic Guntha Adalia Valladolid ‘Water channel’ from Arabic ad-dala Agost Valencia Adamuz Córdoba 1.‘Cistern or cave’ from Arabic ad-daymus 2.‘Common field’ from Greek demosion ‘field belonging to commoners’ Unknown Proposed ‘summer pastures’ in Spanish but unlikely. 26 AGRAMUNT AHEDO abundance -ar. Ancient Intercatia DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ with reference to a natural plain which was conquered after the Romans by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Agramunt Lérida ‘Mountain offering gram plants’ Spanish grama and Catalan agram of Occitan origin which stands for ‘conch grass’. Bot. cynodon dactylonpersoon Agreda Soria Aguilar de la Frontera Unknown Site of ancient town Gracurris mentioned by Latin geographers. Later known as Augustobriga in honour of Caesar Augustus ‘Place frequented by eagles’ eagles’ DE LA FRONTERA ‘near the frontier’ with reference to the Arab border. Aguadulce Sevilla Aguilar del Río Alhama Aguarón Zaragoza Logroño ‘Eagle’s burg by the river Alhama’ DE ALHAMA is Arabic meaning ‘bath’. ‘Sweet (drinking) water’ Spanish ‘Large granary’ Spanish Águilas Aguaviva Teruel ‘Eagle’s village’ Spanish. ‘Running water’ Spanish Aguilera La Burgos 1.‘The place with eagles’ Aguayo (San Miguel de) Cantabria ‘Place with heron’s bill’ Bot. erodium chrysanthum from Latin acutum ‘sharp’ 2.‘Place with columbine herbs’ from Latin acquilegia referring to the shape of its petals. Agudo Ciudad Real Aguinaga Navarra 1.Poss. ‘Angled’ Spanish 2.‘Palce of Acud’ from Arabic personal name Acud ‘Place rich in yew’ aguin is Basque for the plant taxus baccata a berry-like evergreen tree -tejo in Spanish- and second element -aga a Basque locative. Aquilafuente Segovia ‘Eagle’s fountain’ Spanish Aguirre Various locations ‘Open ground’ Basque from agiri ‘clear’ ‘open’ Aguilar Various locations ‘Place with eagles’ Agullana Gerona Aguilar de Bureba Burgos 1.‘Place with heron’s bill’ from Catalan agullots 2.‘Place of Aculio’ meaning ‘sharp’. Formerly named Aculia ‘Eagle’s place’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from old Borovia and assumed original Virobia of unknown meaning Agullent Valencia Aguilar de Campoo 1.‘Place with heron’s bill’ from Catalan agullots 2. ‘Place of Aculio’ assumed owner ‘Place with eagles’ ancient Vellica DE CAMPOO ‘in the region of Campoo’ of obscure origin. Poss. ‘small field’ from Galician Campolo with loss of the l which does occur in Galician and Portuguese. Agulló Lérida Identical with AGULLENT. Aguilar de Campos Ahedo Several locations ‘Place frequented by eagles’ from Spanish agila ‘eagle’ and suffix of ‘Beechwood’ ‘bramble patch’ Spanish 27 AHIGAL ALAMEDA region of ‘undulated’ aspect from HinduEuropean kamp ‘curved’ and Spanish suffix of propriety -ero, in plural for covering two Cameros: camero alto ‘high’ and camero bajo ‘low’ Ahigal Northern region ‘The fig tree’ from Spanish higo ‘fig’ and locative suffix -al. Ahin Valencia ‘Fountain’ from Arabic Ajofrin Toledo Ahillones Badajoz Prob. ‘Place of Yafar’ Arabic family name meaning ‘brook’ 1. Apparently ‘Garlic merchants’ Spanish 2.’Place with where heron’s bill grew’ Alacuas Valencia Aibar Navarra 1.‘The waters’ from Latin acquas and Arabic article al 2.‘The arches which support water’ same origin ‘The pastures’ Basque from ai ‘pastures’ and -bar locative suffix Ainsa Huesca Aladrén Zaragoza ‘Place rich in elder’ from Basque inza Bot. sambucus ebulus ‘Place of Aratrio’ personal name of Oriental origin, from the Aratrii people of Erythrea Ainzón Zaragoza Prob. ‘Place with elder plants’ as in AINSA Alaejos Valladolid ‘Small camping sites’ Arabic al ahela Aireje in Galicia Alagon Zaragoza ‘Church’ from Galician vernacular eirexa Airoa in Galicia ‘Riverside where eels abound’ Galician ‘Stronghold’ from Basque spelling of ancient town Allabona mentioned by Ptolemy as Alavona Aisa Huesca Alaior Balearic Islands Perhaps ‘*Alaro’s place’ assumed personal name related to Hillary from Greek ‘cheerful’ Appears as Yhalor in the Middle Ages ‘Place with elder’ see AINSA Aitona Lérida 1.‘Rocky borough’ from Basque aitz ‘stone’ and suffix of location -on ‘just here’ 2.‘Aitano’s stead’ from Basque personal name meaning ‘father’ Alternative spelling AYTONA ‘Camping site’ Arabic alahea ‘temporary home’ -ar is Spanish locative suffix Ajalvir Madrid Alaje in Galicia Alajar Huelva Perhaps ‘Alvar’s field’ from agrum Alvaris Gothic name derivative of all ward ‘all protection’ ‘Camp’ ‘pilgrim’s dwelling’ from Arabic alajar Ajamil de Cameros Logroño 1.‘*Pardalo’s place’ from Germanic personal name Leuba Hard ‘beloved and strong’ 2. From Greek name Leo Pardalos ‘lion panther’ Alalpardo Madrid Uncertain 1.‘Falling stone’ from Basque arri ‘stone’ and amil ‘free’ 2.‘The muleteer’ from Arabic al-hammal DE CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ with reference to a natural Alameda Various locations ‘Place with poplar’ from Spanish alamo ‘poplar’ and suffix of plurality -eda 28 ALAMINOS ALBAIDA 2.‘Brook’ from Basque from lats and second element gorri ‘red’ Alaminos Guadalajara ‘Place of Ahmi’ from Arabic patronymic Fahmi Alastney Huesca Alamo El Madrid ‘The poplar’ Spanish ‘Oakwood’ Basque with same origin as ALASQUER. Alanje Badajoz Alatoz Murcia Prob. from Arabic alanxer town tax consisting of ‘one tenth’. Ancient names were Controsolia and Castrum Colisbri ‘the snake’s fort’ ‘Fields with feather grass’ from Arabic alat-taucha used extensively in shoe industry, Bot. stipa juncea Alanis de la Sierra Seville ‘Chambers’ from Arabic alania or alhania DE LA SIERRA means ‘by the mountains’ Unknown 1. Old English alvots ‘fountain’ 2. Celtic origin meaning ’pine wood’ 3. ‘Arabia’ being the northernmost town of Arabian territory Alaraz Salamanca Alba de Cerrato Palencia Alava in the Basque country ‘White village’ from Latin city of Alba DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ ‘The parish’ from Arabic al-hara ‘parish’ ‘village’ Alarba Zaragoza Unknown Poss. ‘Wednesday’ from Arabic alarb with prob. reference to a market day in the town. Alba de los Cardaños Palencia ‘White’’ from Latin albus ‘white’ or roman city Alba CARDAÑOS prob. means ‘field with thistle’ Alarcón Cuenca 1.‘The battlefield’ from Arabic alaaraqun 2.‘The turning point’ if from Arabic alurqub Alba de Tormes Salamanca ‘White (village)’ DE TORMES ‘by the river Tormes’ the name contains the Celtic root ar ‘water which flows’ Alternatively, by contraction from Latin Interamnes ‘between rivers’ Alar del Rey Palencia 1.‘Village belonging to Alar personal name 2.‘Village with mosque’ from Arabic alar DEL REY ‘directly dependent from the King’ Albacete Albacete 1.‘The plain’ from Arabic al-basit 2.Unknown, if derived from an Arabized transcription of its Iberian name Alaba, mentioned by Pliny Alarilla Guadalajara 1.‘Small village’ from Arabic alhar ‘village’ and diminutive suffix -illa 2.‘Village of potter makers’ doc. Alfarilla Albaida Valencia Alaro Balearic Islands 1. ‘The white one’ from Arabized al- bayda 2.‘Place where albaida (vulnerary) plants grow’ Bot. anthyllis cystoides. 3.‘The abbey’ if from Spanish abadía. ‘Hillary’s stead’ Arabic prefix article al‘the’ and Greek personal name Hilaria Originally was named Hilario ‘cheerful’ Alasquer Valencia 1. ‘The camp’ Arabic 29 ALBADALEJO ALBERITE Albadalejo de los Freieres Albaredo in Galicia Ciudad Real ‘The small burg’ from Arabic al balad ‘burg’ with Spanish pejorative suffix -ejo ‘small’ DE LOS FREIRES ‘of the friars’ in Old Spanish. Same as ALBAR Albal Valencia Albatana Murcia Albarracín Teruel ‘Aben Razzin’s burg’ Arabic personal name of ruler and governor of the AlCartami province Albalat Valencia ‘By the stone paved road’ from Arabic al-balat ‘the way ‘Fulling type mill’ From the Arabic battan ‘to pad’ Those mills were hydraulic devices with wooden hammers which fell on materials such as leather or clothes Albalate de Cinca Teruel Albatera Valencia ‘Dry stead’ from Arabic al-bal Prob. ‘Place with wine jars’ from its preRoman name in Latin baccea ‘boat-like vase’ Same origin as Spanish bota ‘wine bottle made of leather’ DE CINCA ‘by the river Cinca’ preRoman with Basque root sing ‘sinuous’ Albalate del Arzobispo Teruel ‘Town with stone trail’ DEL ARZOBISPO ‘under the governance of the Bishopric’ Albelda Huesca from Arabic al-bala-da ‘ Albalate de las Nogueras Albelda de Iregua Logroño Cuenca ‘Town with stone trail’ DE LAS NOGUERAS ‘by the walnut trees’ ‘The homestead’ DE IREGUA is Basque, meaning ‘place with fern’ Albalate de Zorita Guadalajara Albeniz Álava ‘Alban’s homestead’ A town Alba existed in this area prob. reminiscent of famous Italian city. Suffix -iz is patronymic like -ez ‘Stone paved road’ DE ZORITA could be 1). Arabic ‘blue dove’ 2) ‘place by the bridge’ from Basque zubi-a 3) ‘wood trail’ from Basque zur ‘wood’ and ibi ‘path’ ‘way’. Alberique Valencia Albanchez de Ubeda Jaén 1.‘Hostal’ from Arabic al-barid 2.‘Alberic’s place’ from Germanic name Alberic derived from Nordic mythology involving ‘elfs’‘and ‘forest demons’ ‘Place of Albano’ personal name derived from Latin Albanus ‘native from the city of Alba’ with suffix -ez, the most frequent in Spanish surnames DE UBEDA ‘near the city of Úbeda’ ancient pre-Roman with poss. Basque etymology ‘oxen trail’ from compound idi-bide. Alberca La in La Rioja ‘Water deposit for irrigation purpose’ Spanish from Arabic al-birka ‘the puddle’ Albar in Galicia Alberite Logroño 1.‘Inn’ identical with ALBERIQUE 2.‘Wood’ from Latin arboretum 3.‘Water well’ from Arabic al-beir 1. ‘White’ From Latin albus 2.‘Oakwood’ a kind of oak remarkable for its white colour from late Latin albar 3.‘Mill stone’ Galician 4.‘Place wherein juniper plant grows’ Galician 30 ALBESA ALBURQUERQUE Alboraya Valencia Albesa Lérida Unknown Perhaps related to Latin albus ‘White’ ‘Small tower’ Arabic alborch Mozarabic diminutive illa, aya Albillos Burgos Alborea Murcia and ‘Hay fields’ from Basque albi and Spanish diminutive suffix -illos meaning here ‘few’ and ‘small’ 1.‘Fallow land’ from Arabic al-bor ‘the uncultivated’. 2.‘Small tower’ from Arabic alborch Albiol Tarragona Alboreca Albacete ‘Pool built up for irrigation’ identical with ALBERCA ‘Albius’s place’ from Latin personal name of an assumed owner Albiolus expressed in diminutive form. Alboret Valencia Albires León ‘Inn (small)’ Arabic second meaning from alborch ‘Place of Álvaro’ from Germanic personal name Alvar which means ‘full defence’ from Germanic alla ‘all’ and warja ‘ward’ ‘guard’ With ownership suffix -es Alborge Zaragoza ‘The tower’ Arabic al borch Albornos Ávila Albistur Guipúzcoa ‘Place of Alborno’ Berber tribe whose name persists in the Spanish surname Albornoz 1.‘Village rich in hay’ from Basque albitz ‘hay’ and uri ‘village’ 2.‘Tower of the Albi family’ from Latin Albi Turris Albox Almería 1.‘Tower’ from Arabic al borch 2.‘Wood’ from Latin bustus and Spanish bosque Albite in Galicia ‘Albite’s place’ Albite is the name of a Catalan saint. Albudeite Murcia Albocabe Soria Prob. ‘Place of Abu-l-Kab’ personal name of ruler. ‘Small olive mill’ from Persian buddud transferred in Arabic as al budayd Arabic Albuera Cáceres and Badajoz Albocasser Valencia ‘The lagoon’ from Arabic al-buhaira ‘Place of Abu-l-Kassir’ Arabic personal name of assumed settler or owner Albufera La ‘The lagoon’ from Arabic al-buhaira Alboloduy Almería Albuñán Granada 1.‘Place of Abu-l-Adwl’ Arabic personal name ‘father of the African’ 2.‘Place with holm oaks’ from Arabic alboluth ‘holm-oak (wood)’ ‘The building’ from Arabic al-bunyan Albuñol Granada 1.‘Burg with a castle on the banks of a river’ 2.‘Small spa’ from Latin balneolus 3.‘Small bath’ same origin with Arabic prefix- al it is known that the Arabs named it Albonyul Ancient name was Greek Soukron Albolote ‘Place with holm oaks’ from Arabic alboluth Botanic querqus ilex or from its fruit bellota in Spanish. Alborache Valencia ‘Small tower’ from Arabic alborch Alburquerque Badajoz 1.‘The holm oak’ from Latin quercus ilex and Arabic prefix article added. 31 ALCABON ALCAÑIZ 2.Derivative of an old Latin name Xerea Alcalá de los Gazules Cádiz ‘Town with castle or fortress’ DE LOS GAZULES ‘of the Gazules pirates’ Related to the Gazzi (brave ones) warriors of Berber origin who crossed the channel in sporadic Greek expeditions. Recently it has been suggested that GAZULES were simply the Yazula tribe of outlaws searching refuge in Southern Spain. Alcabon Toledo Poss. ‘Vaulted roofs’ from Arabic al-cabo Alcacer Several locations ‘Palace’ as in Arabic ALCAZAR from Latin carcer Alcadozo Several locations ‘Water pipe, water channel’ Arabic Alcalá del Río Sevilla Alcaine Teruel ‘Town with castle or fortress’ Previous names were Greek Ollipo, and Latin Ilipa Magna DEL RIO means ‘of the river’ in this case referred to the Guadalquivir. ‘Place where water source emerges to the surface’ from Arabic al-erq-ain Alcalá Several Locations ‘Town with castle or fortress’ usually near the Christian border, from Arabic al-kala Alcalá del Valle Cádiz ‘Village with castle or fortress’ DEL VALLE means ‘of the valley’ for disambiguation Alcalá de Chisvert Valencia ‘Town with castle or fortress’ DE CHISVERT ‘belonging to Gispert’ documented Exivert poss. Germanic ‘brilliant arrow’ Alcalá la Real Jaén ‘Village with castle or fortress’ Previous denominations: 1. Arabic Calaa ben Yashob ‘Castle of Yasof’ 2. Later Calaa ben Zaid ‘Castle of Ben Said’ 3. Alcala Assaida ‘castle of happiness’ LA REAL ‘in honour of king Alfonso XI’ Alcalá de Guadaira Sevilla ‘Town with castle or fortress’ Once was Hienipa. Pliny located it near Orippo DE GUADAIRA means ‘’on the banks of river Ira’ a pre-Roman name containing the Nordic root -r- ‘running water’ ‘river’ Alacanadre Logroño 1.‘The bridges’ ‘The arches’ from Arabic al-cana-dre 2.Poss. ‘Place rich in privet plants’ Spanish aligustre is Bot. ligustrum vulgare Alcalá de Henares Guadalajara ‘Town with castle or fortress’ Its name was Complutum before it being conquered by the Arabs. DE HENARES means ‘piles of hay’ from Spanish heno ‘hay’ Alcántara Cáceres ‘The brige’ from Arabic al-kantara Was Norba Caesarea (Ptolemy) and Norbensis Colonia (Pliny) Alcalá de la Vega Cuenca ‘Town with castle or fortress’ DE LA VEGA ‘on the valley of the river Cabriel’ which means ‘frequented by goats’ from Spanish cabra ‘goat’ ‘Small bridge’ Arabic al-kantara and Spanish diminutive suffix -illa Alcalá de Júcar Albacete Alcañices Zamora Alcantarilla Murcia 1.Prob. ‘Fields of reef’ from Latin canna Mozarabic cannetum 2. ‘Churches’ from Mozarabic al-kañisa ‘Town with castle or fortress’ DE JUCAR ‘on the banks of the river Jucar’ the name comes from Greek Soukron, Sucro and Arabic Ssuqr of unknown meaning. Alcañiz Teruel 1.‘Reef field’ from Latin canna 32 ALCOLEA ALCARECEJOS Alcázar Several locations 2.‘Cane field’ same origin 3.‘The treasury’ also Arabic 4.‘Place whereby hidden water emerges’ if identical with ALCAINE. 5.‘Churches’ Mozarabic kañisa as with ALCAÑICES. ‘The palace’ the origin of this common toponym in Spain may be the Latin word Caesar, made to sound in Arabic caysar and with the prefix al- ‘the’. Alcaracejos Córdoba ‘The palace’ g with a palace’ (see above) Alcázar del Rey Cuenca ‘Small shelters’ from Arabic al-garaz ‘the shelter’ ‘the cave’ -ejos is Spanish derogatory for ‘small’ DEL REY ‘directly dependent from to the King’ Alcaráz Albacete Ciudad Real ‘The palace’ DE SAN JUAN ‘under the rule of the Knights of Saint John’ also known as the Order of Malta. Alcázar de San Juan 1.‘The shelter’ from Arabic al-garaz ‘the shelter’. 2.Less prob. from al-qasr ‘the fort’ Its ancient name was Orgia, named by Ptolemy when describing the cities of the Ilergeti nation. Alcazarén León ‘The two palaces’ al-kazsarym Arabic Alcardetes Toledo Alcira Valencia Poss. ‘Place with thistle plants’ from Latin cardetum ‘The island’ from Arabic al-gezirat as it might be thought to be an island in the middle of river Jucar One of three cities poss. site of Soucron a Greek settlement. Alcarria La Guadalajara ‘Country of the Olcade nation’ Original name Olcadia was rearranged by the Arabs to sound like al-kariya ‘country farming homes’ Alcoba de la Torre Soria Prob. ‘The dome’ DE LA TORRE means ‘the one with the tower’ Alcaudete de la Jara Jaén 1.‘Water source’ from Latin caput acqua through Arabic al-gaodat 2.‘Place where a water source emerges to surface’ from Arabic erq-ain (see ALCAINE) 3.‘The jurisdiction’ from Arabic al-caid ‘the judge’ 4.‘The fortress’ from Arabic hisn alcabzac ‘castle, fortress’ Its Roman name was Nuditanum Alcobendas Madrid Prob. ‘White maple’ from Latin arce vindus Alcober Tarragona ‘The weigher’ ‘The operator of the weighting device’ from Arabic al-cobba ‘the balance’ Alcocer Granada Alcaudete de la Jara Toledo ‘Small palace for royal persons’ Arabic al-qusayr ‘Fortress’ Arabic al-kazar like al-casaba or Kasba is derived from Latin castrum ‘fort’ and related to English chester and cester DE LA JARA because of abundance of ‘rock roses’ Bot. cistus Alcolea Córdoba ‘Small castle’ Hisn Alcolia from Arabic hisn alcolay-a ‘castle and small fort’ Alcolea de Calatrava Alcazaba Several Locations Ciudad Real ‘Small castle’ Arabic meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ ‘The fortress surrounding a Castle’ from Arabic al-Casaba 33 ALCORA ALCOLEA DE CALATRAVA ‘belonging to the Order of the Knights of Calatrava’ Arabic compound meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ Alcorches Guadalajara Alcolea de Cinca Huelva Alcover Tarragona ‘Small castle by the river Cinca’ DE CINCA is a pre roman word with same root as Basque sing ‘sinuous’ ‘The weigher’ in places where a town balance housing was available for public use. Identical with ALCOBER. Alcolea de las Peñas Alcoy Valencia Prob. ‘The hillock with rocks’ from a combination of Arabic alcor and Mozarabic roches 1.‘The castle’ from Arabic al-quai 2.‘The hill’ from Latin collis, Spanish collado 3.From Iberian ili-cugi ‘Common field’ ‘people’s field’ Guadalajara ‘Small castle’ DE LAS PEÑAS ‘by the rocks’ Alcolea del Pinar Guadalajara ‘Small castle’ DEL PINAR ‘near a pinewood’ Alcoz Navarra Prob. ‘Water channel’ Mozarabic. Alcolea del Río Sevilla Alcozar Soria ‘Small castle’ Its old name was Arva DEL RIO ‘on the river Guadalquivir’ 1.‘The small castle’ from Arabic alqusayr 2.‘Cultivated land’ ‘sugar field’ from Arabic al-socar mutated to al-cosar Alcolea de Tajo Toledo ‘Small castle’ near (the river) Tajo’ DE TAJO means ‘near the river Tajo’ named after Roman Tagum from earlier Celtic Taio which could mean ‘cut’ or poss. from its ancient name Sauga mentioned by Pliny. Alcubilla de Avellaneda Soria ‘Small water-deposit near the oakwood’ from Latin cubus with Arabic article aland Spanish diminutive -illa. DE AVELLANEDA is Spanish for ‘hazelnut wood’ Alcolecha Valencia Poss. ‘Small castle’ like ALCOLEA Alcubillla del Marqués Soria Alconchel Badajoz ‘Village with small water-deposit’ DEL MARQUÉS with reference to its lord the marquis of Berlanga ‘The council’ form of Latin concilium Arabized al-concello with corruption to Mozarabic locative suffix -el. Alcubillas Ciudad Real Alconera Badajoz ‘Village with water deposits’ reminiscent of the town in Soria ALCUBILLA DE AVELLANEDA ‘Falcon’s place’ Spanish halcón Alcora Castellón ‘The hillock’ Arabic alcor from Latin coll ‘hillock’ which transfers to Spanish collado. Alcublas Valencia Alcorcón Madrid Islands ‘The hillock’ from Arabic al-kudya Prob. ‘Water-deposits’ as in ALCUBILLAS Alcudia Prob. ‘Holm oak wood’ from Latin querqus with prefix Arabic article alhillocks’ identical and Balearic Alcudia de Carlet Valencia Alcorisa Teruel Prob. ‘The ALCORA Almería ‘Village on a hillock’ DE CARLET ‘belonging to *Carlet’ Catalan name meaning ‘Charles’ with 34 ALCUDIA ALEDO Alcudia de Guadix Granada ‘Village on a hillock’ DE GUADIX refers to river Guadix’ so named after the Iberian town Acci. DE LA RIBERA ‘on the banks of the river’ from Latin rippa here meaning the county of the D’Avila family. Alcuescar Cáceres Zamora ‘Long hamlet’ DE SANABRIA ‘in the territory of Sanabria meaning ‘high’ ‘fortress’ from Celtic sena-brig Aldealuenga de Sanabria ‘The holm oak wood’ from Latin querqus ‘holm oak’ Alcuneza Guadalajara ‘The churh (christian)’ from Mozarabic al-kañisa Aldeamayor de San Martín León ‘Mayor village’ DE SAN MARTIN ‘in honour of Saint Martin of Tours’ Alda Vitoria ‘Slope’ from Basque ald for ‘inclined Aldaya Valencia Aldeanueva de Ebro Logroño ‘The hamlet’ from Arabic al-day-a Spanish aldea Aldea Several locations ‘New hamlet by the (river) Ebro’ DE EBRO prob. from pre-Roman, Celtic root aber ‘water’ and origin of the word IBERIA Alcuescar Cáceres Aldeanueva de la Vera Cáceres ‘New hamlet by the riverside’ Spanish The hamlet’ from Arabic al-deia ‘small village’ ‘The holm oak wood’ from Latin querqus ‘holm oak’ and Mozarabic al- Aldeaquemada Jaén ‘Burnt down hamlet’ Spanish Alcuneza Guadalajara ‘The churh (christian)’ Arabic Aldeahuela de Liestos Alda Vitoria Zaragoza ‘Smallish hamlet’ DE LIESTOS means ‘grain straws’ ‘Slope’ Basque ald for ‘inclined’ Aldaya Valencia Aldeire Granada ‘The house’ ‘The convent’ ‘The hamlet’ Arabic al-daya. Spanish aldea Mozarabic. Formerly was Aldair prob. same root as al-day-a ‘hamlet’ Aldea Several locations ‘The hamlet’ from Arabic al-deia ‘small village’ Aldóvar Lugo ‘The round one’ Arabic from Aldea del Fresno Madrid Aleas Guadalajara ‘Hamlet’ DEL FRESNO ‘by the ash tree’ Spanish 1.‘Hamlets’ 2.‘Sheep skins’ from Arabic as-salija Aldea del Rey Ciudad Real Aledo Murcia ‘Hamlet’ DEL REY ‘of the king’ belonging to the Crown’ Uncertain 1.Poss. ‘The holm oak wood’ containing the Iberian Basque root al ‘holm oak’ uncertainwith suffix of feature -edo 2.‘Near the frontier’ from Arabic al-adna Aldeadávila de la Ribera Salamanca ‘Hamlet’ 35 ALEGRÍA ALGARROBO Alegría Vitoria Alforja Tarragona Uncertain 1.‘Rocky slope’ from pre-Roman alb ordja 2.‘Aperture’ ‘venue’ from Arabic al-furga 3.‘Place with fenugreek plants’ Bot. trigonella. ‘Joy’ Spanish. Before 1337 was known as Dulanci from earlier Tulonium. (Ptolemy) Aleixar Tarragona 1.‘Meadows’ from Arabic al-dixar 2.‘The most fertile’ from Arabic al-aixar Alfoz Several locations 1.‘Narrow path crossing steep hills’ from Arabic al-furga ‘aperture’ ‘venue’ 2. Same meaning from Arabic al-fech Alesanco Logroño 1.‘Alisio’s place’ 2.‘The protected’ derived from Basque alesia 3.‘Place with mustard plants’ from Basque alesia alternative meaning ‘fire grain’ Second element is Hindu-European locative suffix -anco. Algaba La Sevilla ‘Forest’ ‘wood’ from Arabic al-gaida Algadefe León ‘The riverside’ from Arabic al-qadaff Algaida Balearic Islands Aleson Logroño ‘Alisio’s place’ variant ’Low, poor forest’ from Arabic al-gaida of Alesanco with suffix replacing suffix -anco with Basque -on reminiscent of Celtic tun. Algar Several locations ‘The cave’ from Arabic al-gar Alfacar Granada Algarefe León ‘The pottery’ from Arabic al-fajar from Spanish alfarería. ‘Village on a high place’ from Arabic axaraf Alfaguara Granada Algar de Mesa Guadalajara ‘Cave’ from Arabic al-gar DE MESA ‘the one by the plain’ from Latin mensa ‘flat’ ‘altar’ ‘The fountain head’ ‘Fountain by the riverside’ from Arabic al-fauwara Alfajarín Zaragoza ‘The pottery makers’’ from Arabic alfaixar ‘potter’ Algarinejo Granada ‘Small cave’ from Arabic al-gar with mid-element diminutive form -in- and derogatory suffix -ejo. Alfambra Teruel ‘The red one’ from Arabic al-hambra Algarves (Los) In Andalucía Alfaques Tarragona ‘Banks, shoals’ ‘sandbank’ from Arbic Prob. ‘The Western fields’ from Arabic al-garb ‘the East’ al-fach Algarra Cuenca Alfar Several locations 1.‘Place with chickpeas’ Arabic 2.‘Dangerous’ Phoenician 3.‘Small cave’ Arabic al-gar ‘Pottery’ from Arabic al-fahar Alfaraz Asturias, Zamora 1.‘The pottery’ as in ALFAR 2.‘The horse rider’ from Arabic al-faris Algarrobo Málaga ‘Place with carob plants’ from Greek keras ‘horns’ in allusion to its pods. With Arabic prefix al- ‘the’ Alfaro La Rioja ‘The pottery’ Poss. site of Iberian town Gracurris 36 ALGATOCÍN ALHAURÍN Alhama Granada Algatocín Málaga 1.‘Bath’ ‘thermal waters’ from Arabic alhamam 2.‘Congregation of the faithful’ from Arabic al-jama Prob. ancient city of Artigis (Pliny, Ptolemy) ‘*Althusin’s’ place’ from Arabic patronymic Al-Altusiyin, a Berber tribal or family name Algeciras Cádiz ‘The island’ or ‘The peninsula’ from Arabic alp-gezira Poss. site of Carteia the old Phoenician city. Later Roman Portus Albo. Alhama de Almería Almería ‘Bakery’ from Arabic al-jabazzin ‘Bath’ DE ALMERIA ‘in the province of Almería’ which means ‘mirror’ from Arabic al-myraya or ‘open view’ from almaritat Algete Madrid Alhama de Aragón Zaragoza Algemesí Valencia Uncertain 1.‘Riverside’ from Arabic al-satt ‘river banks’ with reference to the proximity of the river Jarama. 2.‘The plasterers’ from Arabic al-chebs derived from Latin gypsum 3.‘Derivative of an unrecorded Iberian name. ‘Baths’ DE ARAGON ‘in the kingdom of Aragón’ from the name of the river Arago Alhama de Murcia Murcia ‘Baths’ DE MURCIA ‘the one in the kingdom of Murcia’ of uncertain meaning poss. ‘land where myrtles grew’ Algimia Valencia, Castellón ‘Mosque’ from Arabic al-jami Alhama La Seca Almería ‘Bath’ LA SECA ‘the dry one’ there was a warm water fountainhead in this town in the XIX century Alginet Valencia 1.‘The orchards’ ‘Irrigated land’ from Arabic al-gannat 2.‘Place of the *Zenete gens’ a Berber tribe. Alhambra Ciudad Real ‘The red one’ from Arabic al-hamrah A major city of the Carpetani nation perhaps the one known by the Romans as Laminium (though some prefer to place Laminium in present town of Fuentellana) This placename ought not to be mistaken with the following Arab fortress and palace of GRANADA Algora Guadalajara 1.‘Top level granary’ from Arabic algurfa 2.‘Raven place’ from Arabic al-gorab 3. ‘Low plain’ Algorfa Valencia ‘Top level granary’ ‘loft’ from Arabic algurfa Alhambra (La) Granada Alguazas Murcia ‘The reddish one’ from Arabic al-hamrah One of its towers is known in Spanish as torre bermeja ‘reddish tower’ 1.‘Place with barberries’’ called in Spanish algueses or agracejos Bot. berberis 2.‘Door hinges’ Old Spanish Alhaurín el Grande Málaga 1.‘Laurus’s place’ from Latin Lauro Nova personal name derived from laurel 2.‘Place of the Havariyin tribe’ from Berber anthroponym Al-Havariyin Alhabia Almería ‘The camp’ from Arabic alajbia 37 ALMALVEZ ALHAURÍN EL GRANDE means ‘The large one’ in Spanish, required for disambiguation. Alija de los Melones León 1.‘Stone (stead)’ from Arabic alhiyar 2.‘Place of *Alisia’’ matronymic of assumed wife of possessor DE LOS MELONES ‘where melons grew’ for differentiation. Alhaurín de la Torre Malaga ‘Alhaurín’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with a tower’ Probably the old Laurus Vetus as opposed to Laurus Nova corresponding to ALHAURÍN EL GRANDE Prob. ‘Stony fields’ from Arabic alhiyar Alhendín Granada Aliseda Cáceres Alihares Los Several locations 1.‘Alder wood’ from Greek alysson 2.‘The castle’ from Arabic al-hisn Identified with Sorores mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. ‘Place of the *Hamdam people’ A tribe of settlers from Yemen, named Al-Hamdan Alhóndiga Guadalajara ‘Public granary’ Spanish from Arabic alfondec derived from Greek pandokheon Aliud Soria 1.‘Jewish’ from Arabic Al-Yahud 2.‘Hud’s place’ from personal name Aben-Hud Alia Cáceres 1.Prob. ‘Place of Ali’ Arabic patronymic recalling the name Allah ‘the high one’ 2.‘Place of Alard’ personal name meaning ‘very strong’ from Germanic alhard Aljabia Almería ‘The tents’ from Arabic al-ajbia Aljaraque Huelva Aliaga Teruel Uncertain 1.‘Town where the tribute was collected’ consisting of one tenth of the products of the land, derived from Arabic al-jarach 2.‘The hill’ from Arabic al-xarat 3.‘The threshed path’ Arabic Uncertain 1.‘Winding valley’ or ’land of grottos’ if from Arab town alulgha, mentioned by geographer Alhedris 2.‘Place with gorse plants’ from Basque ali-aga 3.‘Grain fields’ from Basque ale-aga. Almacén Several locations ‘Warehouse’ is Spanish from Arabic homonym. Aliagilla Cuenca ‘Small Aliaga’ Almachar Málaga Alicante (Alacant) Alicante ‘Pastures’ ‘fields’ from Arabic al-machar ‘White promontory’ from Greek akra leuke In Roman times it was Lucentum ‘luminous’ from Latin adjective and personal name Lucius. Under the Arabs Lucentum became Allekant Almadén de la Plata Sevilla ‘The silver mine’ from Arabic al-madin ‘metal mine’ and Spanish de la plata (of silver). Almadenas were hammers used to extract silver from mines. Almadén del Azogue Alicún de Ortega Granada Ciudad Real ‘The silver mine’ from Arabic al-madin ‘metal mine’ AZOGUE is Spanish for ‘mercury’ Obscure Earlier names were Acatucci and Agatugia, hence Alicun prob. real origin of the name with unknown meaning DE ORTEGA means ‘the one having an orchard’ or ‘belonging to the family Ortega’ Almalvez Soria Poss. 1.’Place with cornel’ from Arabic almahleb 38 ALMADRABA ALMENDRAL 2.‘Army tents’ ‘Royal camp’ from almahalla space which means ‘undulated’ from Hindu-European kamp ‘curved’ and Spanish suffix of propriety -ero, in plural for covering two Cameros: camero nuevo ‘new’ and camero viejo ‘old’’ Almadraba Several locations ‘Brick and tile factory’ Spanish from Arabic al-matraba Almatret Lérida Almadrones Guadalajara Prob. ‘Hunting grounds’ from Arabic almatrad ‘The culverts’ ‘the water channels’ from Arabic al-matrix which is derived from Latin matrix ‘mother’ Almazán Soria ‘The fortress’ from Arabic al-mahsan Almagro Ciudad Real ‘The red one’ from Arabic al-magrat ‘red clay’ Almazara Several locations ‘Place where olives are pressed’ ‘oil mill’ Spanish from Arabic al-masara Almansa Albacete 1.‘The vantage point’ ‘the look out’ from Arabic al-manzah 2.‘The inn’ from Latin mansula and later Arabic al-manzil Almazora Valencia 1.‘Fenced up (village)’ from Arabic almahsura 2.‘The victorious’ from al-mansura Almanza León Almedina Ciudad Real ‘City’ from Arabic al-medina ‘The vantage point’ ‘the look out’ from Arabic al-manzah. Almedinilla Córdoba Almaraz Valladolid and Caceres ‘Smallish city’ as above, with Spanish diminutive -illa 1.‘The bridge’ Arabic al-maraj 2.‘The steps of the stair’ from Arabic almarach Almegijar Granada ‘’Stretch of alluvial soil cultivated for pastures’ from Arabic al-march 1.‘The farm-houses’ from Arabic almachasir 2‘Location for meetings’ ‘congregation’ from al-mahasir Almargen Málaga Almenar Soria Almarcha La Cuenca Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Two marshy meadows’ from Arabic al-mary-ain with second element ain pointing at dualism. 2.‘Soft earth used as fertilizer’ from Latin marga if assumed precedent of Arabized name. 3.‘Measure of land that can be cultivated with one pair of oxen’ from Mozarabic al-marchan 4. Sugg. ‘Coral’ from Latin margella ‘Watch tower’ ‘observation point’ from Arabic al-menara ‘warning torches’ Almenara Castellón ‘Watch tower’ ‘tower for signals’ from Arabic al-menara Earlier was Castrum Altum ‘high fort’ Almendral Badajoz ‘Plantation of almond trees’ Spanish from late Latin amandula and Greek amugdalae. Almarza de Cameros La Rioja Almendral de la Cañada 1.‘Measure of land that can be cultivated with two oxen’ from Arabic al-marchan 2.‘The meadow’ from Arabic al-marja DE CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ with reference to a natural Toledo ‘Almond tree orchard’ Spanish DE LA CAÑADA Spanish for ‘sheep trail’ 39 ALMENDROS ALMORAIMA Almonacid de la Sierra Almendros Cuenca ‘Almond trees’ Spanish Prob.1. ‘The inn’ from al-manzila 2. ‘The flat one’ from Latin mensilla Zaragoza ‘The monastery from Arabic monastir, adaptation of Greek monasteerion ‘alone’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one at the foot of the Sierra’ which refers to the Sierra de Algairén prob. from Arabic algares ‘mountains pits where water can be found’ Almería Almería Almonacid del Marquesado Almendralejo Badajóz ‘Almond tree orchard (small)’ Spanish almendral and pejorative diminutive -ejo Almensilla Sevilla Uncertain 1.‘Mirror’ from Arabic al-miraya 2.‘Watch tower’ from Arabic al-menara 3.‘Coast of the salt’ from assumed Iberian al ‘salt’ and mer ‘coast’ Cuenca ‘The monastery’ ‘ DEL MARQUESADO ‘located within the land which belonged to the marquess of Villena. Almijara mountains in Andalusia Almonacid de Toledo Toledo ‘Oil deposit’ ‘big liquid container’ from Arabic al-machar Almodóvar del Campo ‘The monastery’ DE TOLEDO ‘the one in the `province of Toledo’ to distinguish it from homonyms. Ciudad Real ‘The round one’ Arabic origin from almudabb-ddar DEL CAMPO Spanish for ‘field’ added for differentiation Almonacid de Zorita Guadalajara ‘The monastery’ The name ZORITA is related to the root zur ‘goshawk’ a kind of hawk named falco columnarius Almodóvar del Río Córdoba ‘The round one’ Arabic origin from almudabb-ddar DEL RIO Spanish for ‘river’ meaning the Guadalquivir in this instance Almonaster Tarragona ‘The monastery’ from Arabic almonastir after Greek monasteerion ‘alone’. Is the same as ALMONACID. Almodóvar del Pinar Cuenca Almonaster La Real Huelva ‘The round one’ Arabic origin from almudabb-ddar DEL PINAR Spanish for ‘pinewood’ ‘The monastery’ LA REAL ‘the Royal one’ ‘the one belonging to the Crown’ Almogia Málaga Almonte Huelva 1.Poss. ‘Place for drying out raisins’ from Arabic al-mixar 2.‘The place of Almexi’ a Berber tribe. Original name was Al-mexia, modified to Almoxia and later Almogia ‘The hill’ or ‘woodland’ from Latin mons and Arabic prefix al- ‘the’ Almogera Guadalajara ‘Place with marjoram herbs’ from Arabic al-mardacux after Latin amaracum and Persian mardahcux Almoradi Alicante ‘Closed and guarded place’ from Arabic almagar ‘the cave’ Almoraima Cádiz Almoharín Cuenca Poss. ‘The small field’ from Arabic almurug Prob. ‘Mohacen’s place’ Arabic personal name, which means ‘good person’ from al-mohaxen 40 ALMOROX ALQUERÍA Almorox Toledo Aloños Cantabria Prob. ‘Alonius’s place’ from personal name Allus ‘big toe’ ‘The pastures’ from Arabic almurug Earlier spelling was Almoroyo, closer to the stem murug before Mozarabic rendition with suffix -ox. Latin Alora Málaga Meaning unknown. Metamorphosis of name of ancient city Iluro, after the name of a nearby river. Almudévar Huesca ‘The round one’ homonymous with ALMODOVAR Was the site of the Ilergete city known as Burtina Alosno Huelva 1.‘The small castle’ from Arabic alhosaina 2.‘Place with wormwood herbs’ Bot. artemisia from Arabic alhosna Almunia de Doña Godina (La) Zaragoza ‘The garden’ from Arabic almuniya ‘large garden’ ‘park’ ‘tower surrounded by green field’ GODINA is Germanic personal name from Gaut ‘father of the Gothic nation’ The town was the Celtiberian Belsinum Alozaina Málaga 1.‘The small castle’ from Arabic alhosaina 2.‘Place of Lucio’ from Latin personal name Lucius and frequent suffix of pertinence -ena Almuñécar Granada Alpendeire Málaga ‘The fortified prison’ a compound of Arabic almune ‘fortress’ and Latin carcer ‘prison’ 1.‘The bakery’ equivalent to Spanish panadería with Arabic prefix al2.‘Shed to keep mining implements in’ from Arabized Spanish alpende Almuradiel Ciudad Real ‘The (little) walled town’ from Latin muratus ‘walled place’ with Arabic prefix al- ‘the’ and Mozarabic suffix -iel, Spanish -illo. Alpedrete Madrid ‘Quarry where stones are dug’ from Spanish piedra ‘stone’ with Arabic prefix al- and Mozarabic suffix -ete Almusafes Valencia Alpera Murcia ‘The lake’ from Arabic al-bahera describing a water channel used for irrigation. Uncertain 1.‘The customs post’ from Arabic almazaf 2.‘Midway post’ Arabic al-mansaf 3.‘Walk flanked with trees’ ‘boulevard’ Arabic almuzara Alpuente Valencia ‘The bridge’ from Spanish puente and Latin pons. Almuzara León ‘Walk with trees’ from Arabic almuzara Alpujarras Las Granada Alobras Teruel 1.‘Land of Abrahem *Abuxarra’ son of Moorish governor after the conquest by Arab leader Tariph 2.‘White (snowed in) mountain’ from alba sierra Spanish Its Roman name was Mons Ilipula according to Ptolemy. Poss. ‘The fortress’ compound from a Germanic root bra and Arabic prefix al‘the’ Alocen Guadalajara 1.‘Place of Lucio (or Lucano)’ Arabized Latin personal names meaning ‘luminous’ or ‘native of Lucca’ 2.‘Small fort’ from Arabic aloquin Alquería Several locations ‘Farm-house’ Spanish from Arabic alqariya meaning an isolated farmstead 41 AMEDO ALQUEZAR Alzo Guipuzcoa Alquezar Huesca ‘Place with alder trees’ from Basque altz ‘alder tree’ and Basque ending -o ‘place’ ‘The fortress’ from Arabic al-qasr corruption of Latin castrum vigetum, which was the name of this place before the Arab conquest. Allariz Orense Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘‘The cave’ from Arabic al-kahf 2.‘The lead mine’ from al-quihal 3.‘The village of the Calif’ from al-quifa Uncertain 1.‘Place of Alario’ Romanic personal name Alarius ‘winged’ with patronymic suffix -iz equivalent to surnames in -ez 2.‘Place of Alarico’ Gothic name which means ‘all-rich’. Alquiza Guipuzcoa Allo Navarra Alquife Granada ‘Place of Alio’ Roman personal name Allius meaning ‘big toe’ and Basque dative -o. ‘Place with vetch plants’ from Basque alka ‘vetch’ and suffix of location -za Alsasua Navarra Alloza Teruel 1.‘Place with alder trees’ from Basque altzoi ‘alder wood’ 2.‘The burnt alder wood’ from Basque altz alder’ and eretasun ‘burnt’ 1.‘Place with almond (trees)’ from Arabic al-lwaza 2.‘Place with plumb (trees) alternative from al-lauza Altable Burgos Amaya Burgos 1.Prob. ‘Altius’s place’ Latin personal name meaning lit. ‘higher’ ‘arrogant’ 2.‘River pass’ by the holm oaks’ from Basque art Uncertain 1.‘Frontier’ from Basque amai-a ‘the end’ 2.‘Mother’ Hindu-European am-ma 3.‘Pasture’ also Basque from ama-a In all cases a derivative of ancient town Ammaia, mentioned by Pliny or Ammaea mentioned by Ptolemy Altamira Several Locations Prob. ‘Look out place’ ‘vantage point’ from Spanish alta ‘high’ mira ‘look’ . Altea Alicante Ambel Zaragoza ‘Place with hollyhocks’ from original Greek althaia and Arabized altaya 1.Prob. ‘Place of Anio or Anna’ a Latin personal name in honour of Roman divinity Anna Perea with Mozarabic locative suffix -el 2.'Place with bell plants’ from Latin ambella in Bot. Campanulaceae Alto Several locations ‘High’ Spanish Alustante Guadalajara ‘Place of Lucio’ from Latin personal name Lucius ‘luminous’ and suffix of possession -ante Ambite Alzaga Guipuzcoa Ambroa La Coruña Prob. ‘Place of Anio or Anna’ with location suffix -ite ‘Place with alder trees’ from Basque haltz ‘alder tree’ and -aga locative suffix Prob. ‘Site of the Ambroni’ The Ambroni gens came from Northern Italy. Alzira Valencia ‘The island’ from Arabic al-(ge)-zirat Original name was ‘The island in the river Jucar’ JUCAR comes from Greek name Sukron, a city mentioned by Pliny as being already destroyed in his time. Ambrona Soria Same as AMBROA Amedo in Galicia 42 ‘Field with stacks of wheat piled up in sheaves’ Galician. ANDRAITX AMEYUGO No doubt a derivative of ancient Lebunca Ameyugo Burgos ‘Oak grove by the well’ from Basque ametz Bot. quercus pyrenaica and sec. el. ugoitz ‘well curb’ Anchuelo Madrid Prob. ‘Place of Anzio’ from Latin gens Antia derived from Greek and popular Anti amongst the Berber. Second element is possession suffix -ellus Amezqueta Guipúzcoa ‘Oak grove’ from Basque ametz Bot. quercus pyrenaica with locative suffix eta ‘plural’ Anchuras Ciudad Real Prob. ‘Wide spaces’ from Spanish ancho ‘wide’. Amorebieta Vizcaya ‘Wet pastures’ from Basque amor ‘pasture’ middle element ebi ‘rain’ and plural indicative -eta Andalucía Southern Spain Uncertain 1.‘Land of lots’ given by Gothic conquerors from earlier name Landalauths 2.‘Atlantic’ from Greek Atlantikum 3.‘Land of the Vandals’ from the time of their invasion origin of the popular etymology Vandalia > Andalia Amposta Tarragona Poss. ‘Placed by the river’ from Latin amni ‘river’ imposita ‘placed by’ Ampudia Palencia ‘Rotten fountain’ from Latin fonte ‘fountain’ putida ‘rotten’ Earlier assumed names Fuanputida and Amputida Andilla Valencia ‘Place of Anzio’ repeated Latin personal name Antius with diminutive suffix -illa Ampurias Gerona ‘Emporium’ ‘trading centre’ her Greek name was Emporion and Romans added Emporium Undicia Andoain Guipúzcoa ‘High pastures’ from ‘pasture’ and -ain ‘high’ Ampuero Cantabria Andorra Teruel Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Place of Annio’ same origin as AMBITE 2.Poss. ‘Children’s fountain’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and pueri ‘of the children’ Basque anda Meaning unknown. 1.Poss. ‘Place of arrow grass’ from Basque andura in Bot. viburnum opulus 2.‘Land of the Andosini gens’ compounding the name of such Italian tribe mentioned by Polybius with Basque suffix- erri ‘home’ Amurrio Álava ‘Village with pastures’ from Basque ama ‘pasture’ and uri ‘village’ ‘town’ Andosilla Navarra Poss. ‘Place of Anzio’ from Latin personal name Antius and diminutive suffix -ellus Originally known as Andosella Amusco Leon Obscure 1.‘Oak wood’ from Basque ametz 2.‘Place of *Hamusc’ assumed personal name derived from ametz 3.‘Place where musk can be obtained’ from Latin ad muscus Andraitx Balearic Islands Unknown. 1.Poss.‘Place of removed big rocks’ Basque compound of an- ‘big’ mid element -dra- ‘dragged’ and third -aitx ‘stone’ 2.‘Place of the *Andareci’ assumed Iberian tribe. Anca La Coruña Unknown Sugg. ‘Vale’ ‘pit’ assumed Celtic origin 43 ANDUJAR AÑOVER ‘Old village’ from its original name Antiquitate DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ ‘soft’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Andújar Jaén ‘Brown soil’ from Arabic anduxar Was Illiturgi and Iltharaca a town of the Turdetani nation. Angles Gerona ‘Church’ corruption from Latin Ecclesia Antoñana Álava Anglesola Lérida ‘Antonios’s place’ from the Roman gens of the Antoninus and suffix of ownership -ana. ‘Place with a church’ from Latin Ecclesia followed by Basque suffix -ola ‘place with’ Antoñanzas Logroño Angués Huesca 1.‘Antoninus’s place’ from the name of a distinguished Roman gens. 2.‘Place with asphodel pastures’ from Basque ando ‘asphodel’ and suffix -ona ‘place with’ 1.‘Meadow’ ‘pastures’ from Basque root anguio ‘meadow’ and Catalan ending -es 2.‘Place of Angio’ Germanic personal name Angus ‘solitary’ with patronymic -es, identical with-ez Anzuola Guipúzcoa ‘House near the bog’ from Basque antzu ‘bog, marsh’ and suffix -ola ‘home’ Anguiano Logroño 1.‘Meadow’ ‘pastures’ from Basque root anguio ‘meadow’ 2.‘Place of Angio’ Germanic personal name Angus ‘solitary’ with ownership genitive -ianus Añana Álava ‘Fodder’ from Basque aña ‘grass’ and suffix ana ‘at the’ Añastro Burgos Anguita León ‘Meadow’ from Basque anguio ‘meadow’ and diminutive ita prob. reinterpretation of Basque locative of abundance-eta. ‘Fort with fodder’ from Latin castrum and Basque aña ‘grass’ Anoeta Guipúzcoa 1. ‘Fodder’ Basque aña ‘grass’ and suffix -on ‘precisely’ 2. ‘Place of Anio’ from Latin personal name Annius ‘under the spell of goddess Anna Perea’ Anón Zaragoza ‘Place with many pastures’ from Basque ando ‘pasture’ -eta ‘plural’ Anso Huesca ‘Frontier’ from late Latin antium derived from Indo-European anta and Old German enti, related to English ‘end’ Añora Córdoba ‘The high place with herbage’ from Basque aña ‘grass’ middle element-or‘high’ and final article -a. Town created by Christian conquerors in xiv century Antas Almería 1.‘Pillars’ from Latin antae ‘square pillars at each side of a gate’ 2.‘Place of Antio’ personal name Antius meaning ‘old’ Añover de Tajo Toledo 1.‘Place with low grass’ from Basque año ‘grass’ be ‘low’ and Christian Arabic ending -er ‘proper’ 2.‘Dwelling on a high place’ from Greek ano ‘high’ and bios ‘living’ ‘inhabitant’ DE TAJO means ‘near the river Tajo’ named after Roman Tagum from earlier Celtic Taio which could mean ‘cut’ Antequera Jaén ‘Old’ from its original Latin name Antikaria and continued Arabic form Antaquira Antiguedad de Cerrato Palencia 44 AÑOVER ARANAZ Añover de Tormes Salamanca Araduey in Galicia Añoza de Campos Palencia Aragon Aragón 1.‘Place with low grass’ DE TORMES means ‘near the river Tormes’ unknown, perhaps contraction from Latin inter amnes ‘between rivers’ 1.‘Water stream’ from Celtic ar appearing as prefix of river name Aratoi 2.‘Plain’ from Basque ara ‘plain’ and -tos ‘place’ ‘Place with low grass’ from Basque año ‘grass’ and suffix -tza ‘plenty of’ DE CAMPOS refers to the Campos territory in that province, which was named Campus Gallaeciae ‘fields of Galician settlers’ and later Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Unknown. 1.Poss. ‘Place of Arago’ name of a river mentioned by Pliny 2.‘Place of Arago’ an assumed Iberian anthroponym 3.‘Plough land’ from Latin adjective araticus ‘cultivated’, hence arado in Spanish 4.‘Valley on high land’ from Basque ara ‘valley’ and goi ‘elevated place’ Apellaniz Álava ‘Place with many kermes-oak trees’ from Basque apel ‘kermes-oak’ and -anitz ‘plenty’ Araguas Huesca 1.‘Place of Arago’ ancient personal name 2.‘Cold valley’ from Basque ara ‘valley’ and otz ‘cold’ Aperregui Álava ‘Slope with kermes oak trees’ from Basque apel and suffix -egui ‘slope’ ‘hillside’ Aragues del Puerto Huesca 1. ‘Place of Arago’ ancient personal name 2.‘Cold valley’ from Basque ara ‘valley’ and otz ‘cold’ DEL PUERTO means ‘of the mountain pass’ from Latin portus, porta ‘door’ ‘access’ ‘gate’ origin of Spanish puerta. Ara Huesca ‘Stream of water’ from a pre-HinduEuropean root -ar- ‘water stream’ expanded to mean also ‘valley’ Arabi Murcia Arahal (El) Sevilla ‘The Rabbi’ from Arabic ar-rabbi ‘the Rabbi’ after Hebrew in allusion to its Jewish origin 1.‘The shepherd’s cottage’ from Arabic ar-rahal ‘small dwelling built in the vicinity of a country manor’ 2.‘The halfway inn’ same origin. Aracena Huelva Uncertain 1.‘Place of Aretius’ Roman personal name derived from Martius ‘of the god Mars’ with Latin suffix of ownership -ena as is LUCENA and MARCHENA. 2. Repetition of town name ARCENA 3.‘Hill’ from Hebrew arai ‘mountain’ Arama Guipúzcoa ‘The sloe-tree’ from Basque aran ‘sloe tree’ ‘plum-tree’. Arahos Lérida ‘Cold valley’ from Basque ara ‘valley’ and otz ‘cold’ Aradillos Cantabria Aramendia Navarra Prob. ‘Water stream’ from Celtic ar and mid element unknown. Doubtless derived from ancient name Aracillum Iberian city subdued by Roman general Caio Austitio in famous battle fought in Cantabria ‘Mountain valley’ from Basque ara ‘valley’ and mendi ‘mountain’ Aranaz Navarra ‘Near the sloe-tree’ from Basque aran 45 ARBUCIAS ARANDA ‘sloe’ and suffix -az ‘by the’ Aranzueque Guadalajara Place full of hawthorn bushes’ ‘Identical with ARANJUEZ Aranda de Duero Burgos Uncertain. 1.Prob. ‘Near the border’ from Celtic areranda 2.‘Place of the Arandetani tribe’ cited by Ptolemy as being under the protection of the Lusitans 3.‘Place with plum-trees’ from Basque aran. Its ancient name was spelt Arandis (Ptolemy), Aranni (Ravenna Itinerary) and Rauda (Antoninus Itinerary) DE DUERO ‘the one by the river Duero’ unknown. A meaning ‘gift’ derived from Celt-Iberian dy-ero ‘bring-gift’ has been suggested. Arascues Huesca ‘Cold valley’ from Basque aran ‘valley’ and -otz ‘cold’ Was Arascos and Arascose with an ending closer to -otz Aravaca Madrid ‘Place of the Arevaci’ the predominant tribe of the Arevaci were of German origin. Its name is derived from the Vaci nation, and could mean ‘the tribe East of the Vaci’ Aranda de Moncayo Zaragoza Araya Álava ‘Aranda’ as above. DE MONCAYO ‘at the foot of the peak of Moncayo’ which means ‘steep mountain’ in Latin. Prob. ‘The oak-tree’ from Basque araitz Arbancon Guadalajara Prob. ‘The land of Bausonio’ from Latin agra ‘field’ and assumed personal name Bausonius Aranguren Navarra ‘End of the valley’ from Basque aran ‘valley’ and -guren ‘limit’ Arbeca Lérida 1.‘At the top of the field’ from Celtic arebecc-a 2 ‘The hay fields’ from Basque albe ‘hayfield’ and -a ‘the’ Appears to be a derivative from an ancient Urbiaca mentioned in the Antonino’s Itinerary. Aranjuez Madrid Uncertain 1. Prob. ‘Place with abundance of hawthorn bushes’ from Basque arantz and oki equivalent to -ueque which means ‘plenty’. 2.‘Place with plum-trees’ from Basque aran. 3.‘God’s altar’ from supp. Latin earlier name Ara Jovis 4.‘Barren land’ alternative meaning of arantz Arbizu Navarra 1.‘Place with turnips in abundance’ from Basque arbi ‘turnip’ and suffix itzu ‘plenty of’ 2. ‘Hayfield’ from Basque albitz Could be identified with ancient Araceli, mentioned by Pliny. Arano Navarra 1.‘Little valley’ from Basque aran and suffix -o poss. descriptive of small in this instance. 2‘Place with hawthorn bushes’ from Basque arantz and dative suffix -o Arbos Tarragona ‘Place having arbutus trees’ describing the arboc ‘madrone-tree’ in Catalan or the ‘strawberry tree’ with identical etymology. Aranzazu Vizcaya Arbucias Gerona ‘Place full of hawthorn bushes’ from Basque arantz and suffix -azu variant of -aza ‘plenty of’ ‘Place with strawberry trees’ from Latin arbutea precedent of Catalan arboc 46 ARBURUA AREAS Pre-Roman names were Arxilla and Arxilaxis which point at the real origin before changes. Arburua Navarra 1.‘High pastures’ from Basque aram ‘pasture’ and buru ‘head’ ‘top’ 2.‘High rocks’ from Basque arri ‘rock’ and second element buru ‘summit’ Archez Málaga Arca Several locations in Galicia ‘Tomb’ ‘dolmen’ from Latin arca ‘chest’ Prob. ‘Place with stones’ from BasqueIberian arritz ‘place abounding with stone’ and Spanish genitive suffix -ez Arce Several location in Navarra Archidona Málaga Poss. ‘Arches on a hill’ from Latin arci ‘arch’ and collis ‘hill’ 1. Prob. ‘Stone fenced burg’ from Iberian Basque compound arri-egi-dun-a The suffix -dun recalls Old English suffix -don, as in London 2.‘Olive mill’ from Arabic arxi medina made up from original Basque Iberian name Esteleduna, and later Arritzduna Arciniega Álava Archilla Guadalajara ‘Shepherd’s ridge’ from Basque artzai ‘shepherd of sheep’ and egi ‘slope with stones’ Poss. ‘Place frequented by bears’ from Basque artz ‘bear’ and Latin -illa ‘that one’ Arco Cáceres Ardales Málaga 1.‘Stony terrain’ from Basque arri ‘rock’ 2.‘Place of the holm-oak tree’ from Basque arte Arcicollar Toledo ‘Thistle fields’ from its Latin name Cardales, later Hardares Arabic version became Harsafa which means ‘edible thistle’ ‘The arch’ from Latin arcus Arconada León ‘Place with arches’ Spanish from Latin arcus and feature suffix -ada Ardanuy Huesca Arcos Burgos ‘The vineyards’ complimentary from Basque ardao ‘wine’ and suffix -oi ‘good for’ ‘Arches’ Spanish from Latin arcus Arcos de Jalón Soria Ardines León ‘Arches’ DE JALON ‘on the banks of river Jalon’ which could mean ‘Stream with waves’ from pre-Hindu-European stem ar Uncertain 1.‘Place of Ardenio’ Latin personal name derived from adjective ardens ‘burning’ 2.‘Arduino’s place’ from assumed German personal name hard win ‘hard and victorious’ 3. ‘Small stone quarry’ from Basque arriti ‘quarry’ Arcos de la Frontera Cádiz ‘Arches’ DE LA FRONTERA ‘placed on the frontier’ with reference to the border with Arab kingdoms. Ardon León Archena Murcia ‘Burg with water stream’ from Celtic ar ‘water stream’ and dun ‘burg’ 1.‘The spa’ from Latin Acquae, ‘waters’ which was her Roman name. 2.‘Place of Artio’ from Latin personal name Artius which means ‘well formed’ derived from Greek Artus and second element suffix of possession -ena. Areas in Galicia ‘Place with sand’ from Spanish arenas ‘sandy soil’ 47 ARGAMASILLA ARELLANO Arellano Navarra Arenzana de Abajo Logroño Uncertain 1.‘Aurelius place’ from Latin personal name ‘golden’ and ownership suffix -an 2.‘Arid plain’ from Latin Planus Aridus 3.‘Pasture’ from Basque ara ‘grass’ and il ‘round’ with content suffix -ano 4.’Oak grove’ with first element Basque aritz ‘oak’ Uncertain 1.‘Place of Argenteo’ from Celtic personal name Argantos related to Latin Argentus with possession suffix -ana 2.'Village with sloe-trees’ from Basque arentz identical with Bot. prunus espinosa DE ABAJO ‘the lower one’ Arén Huesca Arenzana de Arriba Logroño Arenas de Rey Granada Cfr. Arenzana de Abajo DE ARRIBA ‘the upper one’ to differentiate with previous ARENZANA ‘Sandy ground’ from Latin arenneus ‘Sandy area of the King’ Ares La Coruña Arenas de San Juan 1.‘Sands’ from Latin arena 2.’Water stream’ from Celtic ar ‘running water’ and genitive suffix- is Ciudad Real ‘Sandy area’ DE SAN JUAN ‘under the rule of the knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem’ It was also known as the Orden of Malta. Areso Navarra ‘Place of Areso’ ancient personal name from mythological god Ares Arévalo Ávila Arenas de San Pedro Ávila 1.Poss. ‘Near the wall’ compound of Celtic origin from are ‘near’ and Latin vallum 2. ‘Place of *Arevalo’ assumed personal name. ‘Sandy place’ DE SAN PEDRO ‘in honour of Saint Peter of Alcántara’ Arenillas de Rio Pisuerga Burgos ‘Sandy place’ DE RIO PISUERGA ‘by the river Pisuerga’ the origin of the name could be from personal name Pisaurus after Greek pisos ‘meadow’ and auros ‘golden’ resulting in Pisorica and hence Pisuerga Arfa Lérida Uncertain 1.‘Blackberry grove’ from pre-Roman Iberian asu-a 2. ‘Fishing net’ derived from Arabic arfa Argamasilla de Alba Arens de Lledó Teruel Ciudad Real 1.Poss. ‘The fields of Marsilio’ from Latin agrum, agra meaning ‘cultivated field’ and personal name Marsilius derived from the god Mars or from the city of Marsala, today’s Messina in Sicily 2.‘Place of sand and lime’ from Spanish argamasa, complimentary for its good mortar and plaster’ 3. ‘Place with tansy or chrysanthemum’ from vernacular argamasca DE ALBA’ in the county of Alba’ under the authority of count Diego de Ribera. ‘Sandy place’ DE LLEDÓ ‘by the hackberry-tree’ in Catalan. Arenys de Mar Barcelona ‘Sandy place’ DE MAR ‘by the sea’ in differentiation with precedent. Arenys de Munt Barcelona ‘Sandy place’ DE MUNT means ‘by the mountain’ in Catalan. 48 ARMIÑÓN ARGAMASILLA Arjona Jaen Argamasilla de Calatrava Uncertain 1.‘Golden place’ from its Roman name Aurigona after pre-Roman Urcao, Alba and Vircao 2.‘White place because of its high position’ from Hebrew chur ‘white’ and gao ‘high’, supported by earlier names Albense Urganobense Ciudad Real Cf. ARGAMASILLA DE CALATRAVA ‘belonging to the Order of the Knights of Calatrava’ an Arabic word meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ Arganda Madrid Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Fields cultivated by Antio’ from Latin agra ‘cultivated land’ and ancient personal name Greek Antius ‘frontal’ 2.‘Silver-like’ from Celtic arganto ‘silver’ related to Latin argentea 3.‘Open space within a wood’ from Basque argandune Arjonilla Jaen ‘Small Arjona’ Ancient name Segeda Auguriana Arlanza River Unknown Original names were Aslanza and Alisanta. Poss. from Basque ali ‘food’ and suffix -antzean ‘ with movement’ Argecilla Guadalajara 1.Poss. ‘Place where pure earth can be obtained’ from Latin argilla 2.‘Isolated place’ from Arabic al-gezirat ‘island’ same meaning as Algier which is written ARGELIA in Spanish Arlucea Àlava ‘The large stone’ from Basque arlau ‘big and flat stone’ and suffix -a ‘the’ Armada-Nova La Coruña Argoños Cantabria ‘Place newly armed’ Spanish literal compound 1.’Place of Argenio’ from Greek personal name Argennos ‘white’ 2.‘Pastures on a hill’ from Basque arga ‘pastures’ and oin ‘hill’ Armallones Guadalajara Arguedas Navarra ‘Pastures’ from Basque arga and suffix -eta ‘plural’ 1.‘Still waters’ ‘salty waters’ Arabic origin from ar-mayyan 2.‘Cultivated fields of Malonio’ from Latin agra Malonis personal name of French origin Arguisuelas Cuenca Armallanzas Guadalajara ‘Sunny place’ from Basque argi ‘luminous’ and Spanish diminutive -illa 1.‘Still waters’ identical with ARMALLONES 2.‘By the rocky steps’ from Basque armalla and suffix -antza ‘in the direction of’ Arguijo Zamora ‘Sunny place’ from Basque argi and suffix -ijo ‘small’ Armañanzas Navarra Ariza Zaragoza 1.‘Still waters’ 2.‘By the rocky steps’ from Basque armalla and suffix -antza ‘in the direction of’ Uncertain 1.Poss. ‘Barren soil’ from Latin aridus ‘arid’ with locative suffix -a. Her ancient names Arci, Arei and Harisa seem to confirm the meaning ‘sandy’ 2.‘Oak-wood’ from Basque aritz ‘Oak tree’ 3.‘The property’ from Arabic fariza Armentera León ‘Place reserved for cattle’ from Latin armentum ‘cattle’ 49 ARROYOMOLINOS ARMIÑON Armiñon Álava Arrecife Las Palmas ‘Road paved with stones’ also ‘stone wall’ from Arabic ar-racif 1.‘Place with many stones’ from Basque compound name arri-min-ona 2. ‘The orchard’ from Arabic al-munia Arriate Málaga Armuña Segovia 1.‘The garden’ from Arabic ar-riad 2.’Rocky place’ from Basque arri ‘rock’ and feature suffix -ate ‘The orchard’ from Arabic al-munia Armuña de Almanzora Arriaga Álava ‘Rocky place’ from Basque arri and locative suffix -aga Almería ‘The orchard’ DE ALMANZORA ‘belonging to Almanzor’ from Arabic personal name Almansur ‘victor’’ Arrieta Álava ‘Rocky place’ from Basque arri ‘rock’ and plural suffix -eta ‘many’ Armuña de Tajuña Guadalajara ‘The orchard’ DE TAJUÑA ‘by the river Tajuña’ unknown meaning poss. from Latin name Tagonius. Arroyo León ‘Brook’ Spanish from Iberian pre-Roman arrugio ‘gallery inside a mine’ described by Pliny. Arnedo Logroño Arroyo de la Luz Caceres ‘Place with sloe-trees’ from Basque arn ‘sloe’ combined with Romanic suffix etum ‘place with’ ‘Brook’ DE LA LUZ ‘the one with the light’ a recent renaming based on a legendary apparition of the Virgen surrounded by light. Aroche Huelva 1.‘Town of the Arucci’ name of a tribe who colonized the area. 2.‘Water source’ from Celtic ar ‘water stream’ and locative suffix -che Arroyo de San Servan Badajoz ‘Brook DE SAN SERVAN ‘of Saint Servans’ uncertain saint of French ‘origin. Arosa several locations in Galicia ‘Sandy ground’ from Latin arena with Spanish suffix -osa ‘full of’ Arroyomolinos Madrid ‘Mills by the brook’ Spanish compound of arroyo ‘brook’ and molinos ‘mills’ Arquillos Jaén ‘Small arches’ Spanish Arroyomolinos de León Arrabal Many small locations Huelva ‘Brook with mills’ DE LEON because it was founded by the knights of Santiago, descending from the kingdom of Leon. ‘Neighbourhood’ Spanish word arrabal of Arabic origin from ar-rabad ‘suburb’ Arraya de Oca Burgos ‘Place with many stones from Basque arri ‘rock’. Probably it was a quarry. DE OCA ‘near the small river Oca’ different from the homonym in Vizcaya. Arroyomolinos de Montánchez Caceres ‘Brook with mills’ DE MONTANCHEZ in the territory of Montánchez’ with reference to the nearby Sierra from Latin mons and second element unknown, prob. anthroponym. Arrayán Murcia ‘Myrtle’ from Arabic raihan ‘any aromatic plant’ Poss. from earlier Hebrew rahanan ‘ever green’ 50 ARRUAZU ASTORGA Arruazu Navarra ‘Ravines worn by water’ from Basque arru ‘ravine’ mid element -a- ‘the’ and suffix -zu suffix ‘many’ Artías Lérida Unknown 1.‘Artaud’s place’ French personal name from Germanic Hartwald ‘hard’ ‘governor’ 2.‘Place of Artio’ from Latin Artius ‘able’ 3.‘Cave’ ‘crack’ ‘coombe’ from preRoman root -art Arrubal Rioja ‘Wide open ravine’ from Basque arru ‘ravine’ and adjective zabal ‘wide’ Arruzafa gardens in Córdoba ‘The garden’ from Arabic rusafat These delightful gardens were built by calif Abd-al-Rahman ‘servant of misericord’ Arties Lérida Unknown Identical with ARTÍAS Arzua La Coruña Prob. ‘Small ark’ from Galician sharceia and later arzoia diminutive of Spanish arca ‘coffer’ ‘ark’ Arta Balearic Islands Unknown 1.Poss. ‘Place of Artio’ from Latin personal name Artius ‘able’ 2.‘Place of Artao’ from Germanic Harthold meaning introduced by French Artaud 3.‘Narrow’ from Greek arktos Ascarraga Navarra ‘Place where maple-trees grew’ from Basque asko-ar ‘maple-trees’ and suffix -aga ‘many’ Ascó Tarragona Artajona 1.Prob. ‘Depression’ ‘low place’ from Basque aska ‘wooden bowl’ and suffix -o 2.‘By the rock’ from Basque aitz ‘rock’ and -ko ‘there’ 1. ‘Granary’ from Basque artai ‘corn’ 2.‘Place with holm-oaks’ from Basque arte in Bot. querqus ilex with suffix -ona ‘just there’ Aspe Tarragona Artana Castellón Unknown Derived from ancient name Aspis mentioned in the Roman Itinerary Unknown 1.Poss. ‘Place with water’ from preRoman ar ‘water stream’ and suffix -ana ‘place of the’ as in fontana ‘fountain’ 2.Derivative of name of ancient town Cartalias Asquerosa Granada Prob. ‘On a hill’ from Arabic alkor ‘hill’ after Latin collis later Spanish alcor Its Arabic name became Ascorosa prob. transposition of Alcorosa. Artesa de Segre León Unknown 1.‘Sunken place’ from identical Spanish word meaning ‘wooden bowl’ 2.‘Place of Artio’ personal name Artius ‘able’ 3.‘Cave’ ‘crack’ from Iberian Basque root art DE SEGRE ‘on the banks of river Segre’ ancient pre-Roman Sikoris of unknown meaning, sugg. from Latin root sequor ‘to flow’ ‘to follow’ Astigarraga Guipúzcoa ‘Place with linden trees’ from Basque astigarr ‘linden tree’ and suffix -aga ‘place with’. Astigarreta Guipúzcoa ‘Place with linden trees’ with different suffix -eta ‘many’ ‘plural’ Astorga León ‘City of the Asturi nation’ from Celtic root stur ‘river’ which gave its name to Asturias Arteaga Navarra ‘Place with holm-oaks’ from Basque arte ‘evergreen oak’ and -aga locative suffix 51 AUTOL ASTUDILLO 2.‘Place where tamarisk grew’ from Arabic atarfe ‘tamarisk’ The Romans renamed it as Asturica Augusta in honour of emperor Augustus’s victory over the Asturi Ataun Guipúzcoa Astudillo Palencia Prob ‘The gorge’ ‘the passage’ from Basque ate ‘gate’ ‘pass’ 1. ‘Place of *Asturio’ archaic personal Astúlez name from the tribe of the Asturi 2.‘Place frequented by wild donkeys’ from Basque asto 3.‘Cover within rocks’ from Celtic tud ‘cave’ and prefix atd- ‘rock’ 4.’Village of Roman general Estatilio’ whose full name was Estatilio Tauro Ateca Zaragoza Prob. ‘The enclosure’ from Greek noun theke ‘box’ and Latin adverb ad ‘towards’ and Atienza Guadalajara Obscure Poss. ‘City of the *Attexis people’ tributary of the Turdetan nation Was first Tythia, and became Tulia with the Romans, with reference the Roman gens Tulia Arabs kept it in the form of Al-tyzia and finally Atyncia. Astulez Álava Prob. ‘Place of Astud’ from Germanic personal name Ast ‘point of lance’ and wulf ‘warrior’ Asturias Asturias Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘River’ from Celtic element stur According to Pliny the Astures owed their name to a river named Astura 2.‘Water in the rocks’ from Basque aitz ‘rock’ and ur ‘water’ Atocha Jaen ‘Feather grass of the kind used to make baskets’ from Arabic taucha ‘stipa’ Audanzas del Valle León Asúa Vizcaya Prob. ‘*Audinus’s hamlet’ from German personal name Ald ‘grey haired’ imported by Latin Aldius and Aldinus DEL VALLE means ‘in the valley’ ‘The place with blackberry bushes’ from Basque asu ‘bramble’ and suffix article -a Atalaya Badajoz Ausejo La Rioja ‘High place suitable for observing’ ‘Vantage point’ from Arabic at-taliya ‘sentinel’ and Spanish atalaya with identical meaning ‘Small neighbourhood’ from Basque auzo ‘quartier’ and Spanish derogatory -ejo Autilla del Pino Palencia Atalaya de Cañavate ‘Small and elevated terrain’ from alt and suffix diminutive -illa DEL PINO ‘where the pine tree grew’ See ATALAYA DE CAÑAVATE means ‘the one by the cane field’ from Latin cannabetum and Arabic al-cannabat Autillo de Campos Palencia ‘Small and elevated terrain’ with suffix diminutive -illo DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a plain which was conquered after the Romans by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Atanzón Guadalajara 1.‘Mill’ Arabic origin 2.‘Place of Tancon’ from Germanic personal name Tancon ‘intelligent’ Ataquines Valladolid Prob ‘Small enclosures’ from vernacular word ataquines of Basque origin ataka ‘sheep cot’ ‘closed place’ Autol La Rioja Poss. ‘Small elevated terrain’ from alt Spanish and diminutive -ol Atarfe Granada 1.‘Outskirts’ from Arabic atarh 52 AZAÑON ÁVILA Ayna Albacete Avila de los Caballeros Ávila 1.‘Fountain’ from Arabic ay 2.‘Place of Ainaro’ from assumed personal name of Germanic origin like Einher ‘one army’ 3.‘Place of Asinario’ personal Latin nickname ‘donkey’ which results in Aznar as family name 4.‘Elevated place’ from Basque ain Unknown 1.‘City of Awilo’ from assumed settler with unknown Germanic name. 2.‘The white town’ from Latin albela 3.‘Exposed to the wind’’ from Greek aella ‘turmoil’ 4.‘High heath’ Phoenician origin 5.‘Frontier’ Hebrew Perhaps simply a derivative of Obila, cited by Ptolemy among the cities of the Vetones people. DE LOS CABALLEROS ‘of the knights’ a title given by king Alfonso XI with gratitude for its support in difficult times. Ayora Valencia 1.‘River’ from Spanish Arabic ayoia derived from pre-Roman abia ‘river’ 2.‘Place frequented by wild donkeys’ from Arabic uyura ‘wild donkey’ Ayoo de Vidriales Zamora Unknown Poss. ‘Cultivated field’ from Latin agio Since its old name was Agio and later Ageo DE VIDRIALES means of ‘glass makers’ which became a surname. Avilés Asturias Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Town of Abilio’ from personal name of assumed ruler Habilis ‘crafty’ 2.‘Town of the Opiloni’ a nation of shepherds Poss. ancient city Argenteola mentioned in the Roman Itinerary Aytona Lérida 1.‘Place with stones’ from Basque aitz ‘stone’ and suffix on-a‘there’ 2.‘Place of Aitano’ from Basque personal name Aitano ‘fatherly’ after aita ‘father’ Ayamonte Huelva Unknown 1.‘Hill’ from aya ‘mountain’ in Basque Iberian language and Spanish repetition from Latin mons. 2.‘Domain of Ayud’ assumed Arab leader 3.‘Fort by the river’ Phoenician origin from Anapote or Greek Anapotema Ayuela de Valdavia Palencia ‘The slope’ from Basque aia and locative suffix -la ‘there’ 1.‘Place with beech-trees’ from Spanish haya ‘beech tree’ derived from Latin fagus and diminutive -ela 2.‘Hillside’ from aia ‘slope’ DE VALDAVIA ‘on the valley of the river Abia’ a pre-Roman name of unknown meaning. Ayerbe Huesca Ayuelas Burgos ‘Terrain with maple-trees’ from Basque ayertza and second element be ‘ground’ ‘Beech tree plantation’ from Spanish haya derived from Latin fagus Ayllón Segovia Azaña Toledo Ayala Álava ‘The water mill’ from Arabic a-zinia which means ‘device’ ‘artefact’ 1.Poss. ‘Place of the son of Alio’ from personal surname Alionis 2.‘Fountain’ from Arabic ayun ‘fountains’ 3.‘Small cultivated field’ from late Latin agellu derived from agra and suffix -on. Azañón Guadalajara Unknown Poss. ‘Place with water pumps’ from Arabic a-zinia ‘device’ and suffix -on ‘place’ 53 AZUTÁN AZCARATE Azcárate Navarra Azpeitia Cantabria Uncertain 1.‘Mountain pass with rocks’ compound Basque of aitz ‘rock’ -gara- ‘elevated’ and -ate ‘door’ 2.‘Passage to a maple-tree grove’ from Basque azkar ‘maple-tree’ and -ate ‘entrance’ 3.‘Highly placed rock’ from Basque aitz ‘rock’ and gara ‘high place’ 4.‘Granary on elevated place’ from Basque aitz ‘highly placed’’ and garate ‘granary’ Azpilicueta Cantabria ‘Heights of the boxwood’ from Basque azpel ‘boxwood’ and adverb goeta ‘upper part’ ‘Below the rocks’ from Basque aitz ‘rock’ and beiti ‘lower’ Possible site of ancient city Vesperies Azuaga Badajoz Poss. ‘Place full of blackberry bushes’ from Basque asu ‘bramble’ and locative suffix aga ‘place of’ Its pre-Roman name Arsa was mentioned by Pliny and by Ptolemy. With the Arabs became Zuwaga Azcoitia Guipúzcoa ‘Over the rocks’ from Basque aitz ‘rock’ and goiti ‘above’ See AZPEITIA for counterpart Azuelo Navarra Aznaitín Jaén 1.Poss. ‘Short space with blackberry bushes’ from Basque asu ‘bramble and Spanish diminutive -elo 2.‘Small cabbage orchard’ from Basque aza ‘cabbage’ ‘Castle of Natin’ poss. from Iberian God Neton and later Arabic Hisn Natin and Asnatin ‘castle of Natin’ Aznalcázar Sevilla Azután Toledo ‘Castle within the fortress’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and alcazar ‘the fortress’ Arabic translation from Latin castrum ‘fort’ identical with chester Unknown 1.Poss.‘Place with blackberry bushes’ from Basque asu ‘bramble’ and suffix ‘there’ 2.‘Water pump’ from Arabic zud ‘sprinkler’ Original ancient names were Azoitan and Acotan Aznalcóllar Sevilla ‘Castle by the hill’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and alcor ‘hill’ derived from Latin collis ‘hill’ origin of Spanish collado. 54 BAILÉN BABIA 2.Prob. ‘Valley of hay-trees’ from Basque pago ‘hay tree’ and aran ‘valley’ B Babia León Prob. ‘Land of the Batavi Germanic origin Its ancient name was Vadabia Badalatosa Sevilla 1.‘Open wide ford’ from Latin vadus ‘ford’ and adjective latus ‘wide’ 2.‘Place with low and muddy ground’ from Latin padule, hence badal people’ Bacares Almería Baena Jaén 1.Poss. ‘Place where sage plants grow’ from Greek bakxaris ‘sage’ Bot. selvia scletera 2.‘Place where cows are kept’ from Arabic baqara derived from Latin vacca ‘Fort of Vinius’ from Latin castra ‘fort’ and Vinianna ‘of Vinius’ Arabic name was Bayyana a modification of the original Vinniana. Baeza Jaén Bacariza in Galicia several locations 1.‘Town with a castle’ Arabic from bahhizan 2.‘The blessed one’ from her old commendatory name Beatia ‘Place where domestic animals are kept’ derived from Latin vacca ’cow’ Bach Gerona Bagur Gerona Obscure 1.‘Shady place’ from Catalan obaga which is derived from Latin opacum ‘opaque’ 2.‘Brook’ identical with German word 3.‘Place of the Desbac family’ from French patronymic Des Bac Unknown Poss. ‘Place of *Becurio’ hypothetical owner. Earlier name was Begur Catalan form of Bagur recently recovered Bahabón de Esgueva Burgos Badajoz Badajoz Unknown Poss. ‘Cow shed’ from Latin vacca and suffix -on ‘place’ DE ESGUEVA ‘in the valley of the river Esgueva’ of obscure meaning poss. Celtic containing the root eiska ‘water’ or Iberian Basque ezki ‘poplar’ or ezk ‘holm oak’ with second element ibai ‘river’, hence 'river of the oak trees’ Obscure 1.‘Place with water’ from awa Celtic ‘wet’ and second element -uacu related to acqua 2.‘City of almonds’ from Arabic balad -al -lauz 3.‘Healthy site’ from Arabic beled-aix 4.‘Place of the Beturi people’ 5.‘Closed ford’ compound from Latin vadum ‘ford’ and clausum ‘closed’ Ancient names were Beturia and later Badalauci and Badalouzo Bahillo León Uncertain Poss. ‘Cow shed’ from Latin bovile Baides Guadalajara Badalona Barcelona ‘Place by the Besos river’ mentioned by Pliny as Baetulo and giving its name to the city Baetula which explains the etymology 1.‘Chapel made of wood’ from Arabic bayt ‘chapel’ ‘wooden house’ 2.‘Houses with pointed roofs’ from Arabic bayde ‘helmet’ Badarán La Rioja Baigorri Navarra ‘Red river’ from Basque ibar ‘river’ and goirri ‘red’ 1.‘Valley of low and watery fields’ from Latin padule and its Basque variant padura with second element aran ‘valley’ Bailén Jaén ‘Town of Vilnius’ from Latin personal 55 BAILIO BALSAÍN name Valius ‘worthy’ Poss. derived from ancient town Baecula, scene of Scipio’s victory over Carthaginian general Hasdrubal. Bailio Huesca ‘Court’ from Latin ‘administrator’ bajulus various places in Galicia and Andalucía often pluralized as los balcones Baleares (Islands) 1.‘The island of the slingers’ from Phoenician compound bale yaro ‘to throw stones’ 2.‘The Baal worshipers’ if derived from the god Baal These islands were also known as Gymnacias from Greek gymnos ‘naked people’ ‘judge’ Bajauri Burgos 1.‘Town in a forest’ from Basque basa ‘forest’ ‘wood’ and uri ‘town’ 2.‘Place of *Basa’ from personal name Basa ‘man of the forest’ and Basque uri ‘village’ Baliño in Galicia ‘Small valley’ from Latin vallis and Galician diminutive suffix -inho Bal Galicia Balneario de Mondariz ‘Valley’ from Latin vallum Pontevedra ‘Spa’ from Latin balneus ‘bath’ DE MONDARIZ ‘Hillock with oak trees’ from Latin mons ‘hill’ ‘mountain’ and Basque aritz ‘oak wood’. Balaguer Lerida Uncertain 1.‘Broomfield’ from Catalan balec broom’ Bot. cytisus purgans 2.‘Fort of olives’ from Latin Oleastrum a city of the Cosetani tribe 3.Poss. site of ancient town Bergusia ‘basin’ Balsa several locations 1.‘Forest’ from Basque balsa ‘small thick forest’ 2.‘Place with ponds’ from Spanish balsa ‘basin’ derived from Hebrew balas ‘to collect’ 3.‘Place for treading grapes’ same origin as 2. 4.‘Fort’ from Celtic balc A city Balsa in Portugal was mentioned by Pliny Balacil Guadalajra ‘Valley of Acilio’ from Latin personal name Acilius with reference to the Roman gens Acilia. Balarrain Guipúzcoa ‘Hawthorn valley’ from Basque arranz ‘hawthorn’ and prefix bal- for Latin vallis ‘valley’ Balsa de Ves Albacete ‘Pool’ from Spanish balsa DE VES ‘in the Ves zone’ a small coin between the rivers Jucar and Cabriel. Its etymology is elusive. Balazote Albacete ‘Valley with a river dam’ from Latin vallis and Arabic azut ‘river dam’ Balbases Los Burgos 1.Poss. ‘Valley dedicated to the god Bacchus’ from Latin valis and Bacchis ‘bacchante’ 2.‘Low valley’ from Spanish valles bajos Balsain Segovia Uncertain 1.‘Sancho’s valley’ from Spanish personal name derived from Latin Satinus giving family name Sainz 2.‘Valley of Sabin’ from Latin adjective Sabin referred to the people who lived near Rome when she was founded. 3.‘Valley where mountains converge’ from Hebrew balas ‘congregation’ and Basque ain ‘mountain’ 4.‘Blackmountain’ from Basque alza-ain Balboa Several locations ‘Good valley’ commendatory from Latin vallis bona Balconete Guadalajara ‘Small balcony’ ‘vantage point’ balcon is Spanish for ‘balcony’ and is found in 56 BALTANAS BARAJAS Baltanas Palencia 3.‘Small baths’ from Latin balneae and suffix diminutive -illas Poss. ancient Baecula mentioned by Ptolemy Baltar Several locations in Galicia ‘Village of crossbow makers’ Spanish derived from Latin ballista Baños de Cerrato León ‘Baths’ from Latin balneum DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Ballesteros Baños de Rioja La Rioja ‘Valley of Atanasio’ from Latin vallis ‘valley’ and Greek personal name Atanathos ‘immortal’ ‘Barren vine stocks’ Galician Ballesteros Southwestern region de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘Crossbowmen’ DE CALATRAVA ‘belonging to the Order of the Knights of Calatrava’ Arabic compound name meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ ‘Baths’ DE RIOJA ‘in the region named Rioja’ because of its river Oja which means ‘abundant in vegetation’ from Basque oian ‘wood’ or perhaps from Latin folia Spanish hoja ‘leave’ Bamba Valladolid Baños del rio Tobia Teruel ‘Baths’ RIO TOBIA ‘on the banks of river Tobia’ prob. from Hebrew personal name meaning ‘God’s kindness’ Prob, ‘Place of Wamba’ a Gothic personal name related to word wahla which means ‘foreign’ Bañal Several locations in Galicia Baños de Bureba Burgos ‘Spa’ from Latin balneum ‘bath’ Bañalbufar Mallorca ‘The house by the lagoon’ from Arabic ben-al-buharia ‘Baths’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from old Borovia and original Virobia of unknown meaning Bañares Alicante Bao Several locations in Galicia Prob. ‘The baths’ from Latin balneae ‘Ford’ from Latin vadum Bandalies Huesca Baqueira de Campos Palencia ‘Milking parlour’ from Latin vacca ‘cow’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a plain which was conquered after the Romans by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ 1.‘Place of Vandelio’ from Latin personal name Vandelinus ‘vandal’ 2.‘Village inhabited by Vandal people’ La Bañeza León 1.‘Creek’ ‘ditch’ from Celtic name of town Baedunia prob. site mentioned in the Roman Itinerary as a city of the Asturi nation 2.‘The walled one’ from Latin Vallata, a city situated between Asturica (Astorga) and Interamnium (Bembibre) Baracaldo Vizcaya ‘Close to the garlic orchard’ from Basque compound barakatz ‘garlic’ and alde ‘in the vicinity’ Barajas Madrid Bañolas Gerona 1.‘Place marked with poles’ from Galician and Portuguese barahla originally Latin varalia ‘fence made with sticks’ 1.‘Houses’ from Arabic banhia ‘house’ ‘building’ 2.‘Place with corncob’ from Mozarabic banuya similar with Spanish panojas 57 BARAONA BARRIOBUSTO 2.‘Common field’ from Arabic baraza ‘land reserved for the town’ combined with and Celtic root bar and with locative suffix -o Baraona Soria Barco de Val de Orras Orense 1.‘Green place’ from Basque bara ‘vegetal’ with locative suffix -ona ‘here’ 2.‘Good valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and Latin commendatory bona ‘Hollow place suitable for inundation from nearby river’ DE VAL DE ORRAS ‘on the valley of Orras’ which owes its name to a tribe of the Cigurri people. Barbadillo Burgos Barco de Avila Avila ‘Field planted with small shoots or branches of grape vines’ from Latin barbutullus ‘Low, hollow land’ cultivated fields benefiting from water of river. DE AVILA ‘in the province of Avila’ of uncertain meaning, poss. from 1) ‘city of *Awlo’ Germanic personal name or 2) ‘frontier’ ‘limit’ in Hebrew. Barbastro Huesca ‘High fort’ from its original ancient name Burtina which contains the element bar pre-Roman meaning ‘high place’ and the suffix -astro derived from Latin castrum ‘fort’ Bargota Navarra Prob.‘High and deep slope’ from Spanish varga derived from Celtic barg and second element alta ‘high’ Barbate Cádiz 1.‘River Barbet’ compound Arabic name from nahr ‘river’ and Barbet a derivative of original Latin name Belon. 2.‘Place with abundance of ‘barbels’ Barja Several locations in Galicia 1.‘Stepest part of a declivity’ from Celtic barg 2.‘Wooded hut’ same origin, alternative meaning Barbeitio Several places in Galicia ‘Fallow’ ‘fence separating two fields’ Galician. Barranco many locations ‘Gull’ ‘ravine’ Spanish barranco from Greek pharanx ‘precipice’ Barbera Various locations 1.‘Field that is cultivated at the beginning of springtime’ from Latin ver vagere 2.‘Fallow ground ploughed in preparation to be sown’ from Latin ver vactum Barrasoain Navarra ‘Orchard on elevated place’ from Basque baratz ‘orchard’ and ain ‘hillock’ Barrax Albacete Barca Several locations in Galicia ‘House with wooded roof’ as in Spanish barraca 1.Prob. ‘High place’ from Germanic berg ‘hill’ ‘mountain’ 2.‘Field near the water of a river’ a shortened form of barcena. Barreira in Galicia ‘Muddy ground’ from Spanish barro and suffix -eira ‘place of’ Barcina de los Montes Burgos Barrio Many location ‘Low placed field that can be cultivated with water from a river’ DE LOS MONTES ‘the one at the foot of the mountains’ Spanish. ‘Neighbourhood’ from Arabic barra with identical meaning Barriobusto Alava Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Red clay’ from Basque gorri ‘red’ and buztin ‘clay’ Barcina del Barco Burgos ‘Low field’ DEL BARCO in this context could mean ‘High place’ from Germanic berg 58 BARRIOPEDRO BAYONA 2.‘Red tomb’ from Basque gorri ‘red’ and Latin bustum ‘crematory’ ‘burnt tomb’ Former name of this place was Gorribusto from batan ‘stomach’ later Mozarabic bat-a-an 'beat’ Batea Tarragona 1.‘Flat ground’ from Arabic batiha with identical meaning 2.‘Wine jar’ from Arabic batiya ‘small boat’ Barriopedro Guadalajara ‘The neighbourhood of Peter’ Spanish Barrios de Bureba Burgos ‘Neighbourhood’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from old Borovia and original Virobia of unknown meaning Baterno Badajoz Barrios de la Colina Burgos ‘Neighbourhood by the hill’ Spanish ‘Place inhabited by friars’ from Latin fratres ‘brothers’ ‘friars’ Barro Many locations Batuecas (Las) Salamanca y León Prob. ‘Belonging to a father’ from Latin Paternus ‘father’s’ Batres Madrid 1.Poss. ‘The estate homes’ from preHindu-European batoki ‘properties’ 2.‘Site of congregation’ from Basque batz ‘reunion’ ‘alliance’ ‘Muddy place’ ‘mire’ Spanish Barruecopardo Salamanca 1.‘Grey uncultivated earth’ from Arabic borca ‘stony, uncultivated earth’ which became barroca and took a diminutive form in barrueco. 2.‘Grey, small mire’ from Spanish barro and diminutive -eco Bayarque Almería ‘Fields on the Eastern land’ containing the Arabic element axarquia descriptive with this meaning. Baya (s) Barzana Asturias, Basque country and Galicia 1.‘Bay’ ‘river dam’ from Old French beir ‘to open’ 2.‘Badius’s place’ from Latin personal name Badius ‘chestnut coloured’ Several locations in Asturias 1.Prob. ‘Fertile earth near a river which serves for irrigation’ from barcena with identical meaning. 2.Poss. ‘Bertius’s place’ from personal name of Greek origin Berekys ‘native of Berekintas’ and suffix of location -ana Bayona Pontevedra ‘Village by the forest’ from Basque baso ‘forest’ and uri ‘hamlet’ ‘village’ 1.‘Agreable bay’ from old French beir ‘to open’ and Latin commendatory bonna. 2.‘The bay’ with locative suffix -ona ‘just here’ ‘this place’ Bascara Gerona Bayona de Tajuña Madrid Basauri Guipúzcoa 1.Poss. ‘Badius’s place’ from Latin personal name Badius 2.‘Bayona’ a repetition in Madrid of the name in Galicia This town was also known as Bayona de Titulcia due to identification with Celtic name Titulcia which appears in the Roman Itinerary DE TAJUÑA ‘by the river Tajuña’ unknown meaning poss. from Latin name Tagonius or simply a diminutive of Tajo. Unknown Poss. ‘Rock by the river’ from Basque ibai ‘river’ and harria ‘stone’ Bascuñana Biurgos ‘Basque village’ from Vasconiana ‘Basconian’ earlier name Batán Many locations ‘Place or building with water mill where cloth is mulled or cleansed from oil or grease’ Spanish with poss. Arabic origin 59 BAZA BEGOÑA Becerril de la Sierra Madrid Baza Granada ‘Cow field’ DE LA SIERRA ‘close to the Mountain’ in allusion to the Sierra de Navacerrada which means ‘enclosed plain surrounded by hills’ ‘City of the Basti people’ coming from Basti ancient pre-Roman city. Its name under the Arabs was Medina Bastha with superimposed meaning ‘prosperous’ Baztán Several locations in Basque country 1.Prob. ‘Place of congregation’ from Basque Bazta ‘reunion’ ‘congregation’ and locative suffix -an 2.‘Place where gorse plants grew’ from Basque baste having the same meaning 1.‘Olive juice’ from Arabic alpechin and Latin al-faecins ‘the left over’ Its ancient name was Betxi 2.‘Owned by a member of the Beja family’ from Arabic patronymic Beja Beas Huelva Bédar Almeria Bechi Castellon ‘Flat fertile riverside land’ from Spanish vegas 1.Prob. ‘Place with strawberry-trees’ from Iberian root bedo 2.‘Marsh’ from Latin vadum ‘ford’ Beasain Guipúzcoa Unknown 1.‘High and fruitful’ from Basque asta ‘fruit’ and ain ‘high’ 2.‘High and fertile’ compound from Spanish vega and Basque ain ‘high’ Bedayo Guipuzcoa Beas de Guadix Guadalajara Bedmar Jaén Poss. ‘Place of Ben Mar’ Arabic personal name. Poss. ‘Place dedicated to the god Bedaius’ From an original name Bedaium and Bedaikon found also in Germany and mentioned in the Antoninus Itinerary ‘Flat fertile riverside land’ from Spanish vegas DE GUADIX ‘by the river Guadix’ an Arabic hydronym meaning ‘river of the alder trees’ Bedoya Several locations in Northern Spain Uncertain 1.Prob.‘Place with strawberry-trees’ from Iberian root bedo and locative suffix -a 2.‘Birch wood’ from Latin Betulla ‘white birch’ Beas de Segura Jaen ‘Flat fertile riverside land’ DE SEGURA ‘by the mountain range of Segura’ Arabized form of assumed Latin castrum Secura Begijar or Bejíjar Jaén Beceite Castellón Unknown Poss. ‘Place of Ibn Gabir’ Arabic personal name. Was prob. Burginatum and became Buxexat with the Arabs ‘Oil houses’ from Arabic bet ‘house’ and zeit ‘oil’ Becerrea Lugo Begis or Bejis Castellón ‘Place frequented by young cows’ from Iberian ibicurri ‘buck of the fallow-deer’ Unknown Prob. from an Iberian name such as Betxi or Bechi Becerril de Campos León ‘Cow field’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a region conquered by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Begoña Location in Basque country ‘Place with the highest hill’ from Basque combination of words beg-oin-a ‘most visible’ ‘hill’ ‘the’ 60 BEINZA BELORADO priest’ from the Hebrew roots bet ‘house’ lelh ‘hillock’ and chon ‘high priest’ 2.‘High priest of god Baal’ similar origin 3.‘Place consecrated to the god Sun’ from Greek Helios 4.‘Place where ephedra-plants grow’ from Spanish belcho Bot. pessulus 5.‘Place of the heron’ from Arabic balchun ‘heron’ Beinza-Labayen Navarra ‘Place in a low terrain where blueberries grow’ from Basque bein ‘low’ and abia ‘blueberries’ Bot. vacinium myrtilus Beire Navarra 1.‘Place of Berio’ a personal Gothic name derived from bairha ‘bear’ 2.‘River shore’ from Basque baria adopted in Galician language as veira and vera. Belmez Córdoba ‘Protected place’ Arabic origin Beizama Guipúzcoa Belmez de la Moraleda Jaén 1.‘The place below’ from Basque beiti ‘low’ and suffix -ana 2.‘The place with a cellar or stable’ same origin 3.‘The place with rush-herbs’ from Basque iz ‘rush’ ‘Protected place’ Arabic origin DE LA MORALEDA ‘of the mulberryorchard’ Spanish. Belmonte Cuenca ‘Beautiful wild land’ Spanish Bejar Salamanca Belmonte de Campos León Unknown Pre-Roman name Bigerra (Ptolemy) was one of the Batistani tribes. Poss. site of ancient Biclara ‘Beautiful uncultivated land’ Spanish DE CAMPOS ‘on the district of Campos’ Originally ‘Fields of the Goths’ from recorded ancient name Campus Gothorum. Belalcazar Córdoba ‘Beautiful castle’ combination of Spanish bello and Arabic alcazar ‘the castle’ proposed by don Alfonso de Sotomayor Before, its Arabic name was Gafiq a family name. The city was the capital of the Usqufa district. ‘Beautiful wild land’ Spanish alternative meaning to ‘mountain’ DE MEZQUIN ‘owned by Mosquin’ Arab personal name Belaunza Guipúzcoa Belmonte de Tajo Madrid ‘Homestead’ ‘generation’ from Basque Belmonte de Mezquin Teruel ‘Beautiful mountain’ Spanish DE TAJO means ‘on the banks of river Tajo’ named after Roman Tagum from earlier Celtic Taio which could mean ‘cut’. Alternatively, derived from ancient river name Sauga mentioned by Pliny. bealaun Beleña de Sorbe Guadalajara 1.‘Place where henbane plants grew’ from Spanish beleño Bot. hyoscamus niger 2.‘Place dedicated to the god Belenos’ Belenus, from Celtic mythology. DE SORBE ‘by the river Sorbe’ of unknown meaning poss. Celtic origin due to its middle element -or- onomatopoeia for ‘murmuring waters’ Belmontejo Cuenca ‘Lesser Belmonte’ showing pejorative diminutive suffix -ejo compared with close town of BELMONTE. Belorado Burgos 1.‘Valley with hollow areas’ from Latin vallis ‘valley foratus ‘with pits’ ‘perforated’ 2.‘Valley with iron’ from Latin ferratus ‘rich in iron’ Belchida o Belgida Valencia Prob. ‘Little village’ from Arabic balda and diminutive suffix Belinchón Cuenca Prob. 1.‘House on a hill belonging to the 61 BELVIS BENALÚA 3.‘Battle’s forum’ after Latin belli forum if from the place where emperor Augustus gathered his troops before attacking the Cantabri people 4.‘Entrance to the pastures’ from Basque belar ‘pasture’ and ao ‘mouth’ Ancient names were Belforato and Belferrado Benafarces Valladolid ‘Place of Ben Afaraj’ From Arabic personal name Ibn-a-Faraces Benagalbón Malaga 1.‘Home of the Galbun family’ from Arabic patronymic Galbun 2.‘Place of the barren hill’ from preRoman Iberian bena-galb-on Belvis de Monroy Cáceres ‘Beautiful sight near Monroy’ Catalan MONROY means ‘king’s mountain’ in Catalan Benageber Valencia 1.‘Place of the family of Yabir’ from Arabic patronymic Yabir 2.‘Place of wild and burnt terrain’ from Iberian Basque pre-Roman bena-ixe-be Bell-lloc Several locations ‘Beautiful place’ Catalan Benalguacil Valencia Bell-puig Lerida ‘The minister homestead’ from Arabic bel-al-Wazir Bellver Lérida ‘Beautiful sight point’ from Spanish and Latin bel ver or bellum videre Benahadus Almeria ‘Place of Banu Abdus’ an Arab tribe mentioned by the geographer Idrisi. Bembibre León Benahavis Malaga ‘Beautiful (mountain) peak’ in Catalan 1.‘Between two rivers,’ from its ancient Gaelic name Paemeiobris with the same meaning 2.‘Place with quince-trees’ from vernacular membibre Bot. cydonia 3.‘Good living’ from bellum vivere Poss. site of ancient city Interamnia ‘between rivers’ 1.‘The hamlet of the Abyssinian’ from Arabic benu-abix 2.‘Place of Ben Havis’ owner of the castle. Benalauria Málaga 1.‘Place of the son of Laurus’ Latin personal name meaning ’laurel from Arabic Ibn-al-Lauria 2.Poss. ‘Hamlet of someone who came from the village of Alhaurín. Benabarre Huesca ‘Town (conquered by) Ben Abarre’ from Arabic personal name Ibn Awarre Perhaps adopted after phonetic similarity with earlier Germanic name Bergidum ‘mountain fort’ from German berg and Latin opidum Benalmádena Málaga 1.‘Homestead by the mine’ from Arabic al-mihdana ‘hammer to break up stones used un mining industry’ 2.‘Place of miners people’ from Arabic ibn-al-madin ‘sons of the mines’ 3.‘Place of the *Madina family’ an Arabic patronymic Benacazón Sevilla ‘Place of Ben Quasun’ Arab personal name Ibn Qassum Benalúa de las Villas Granada Benadalid Málaga ‘Place of Ben Lup’ from Arabic personal name derived from Latin lupus or lupa ‘she-wolf’ DE LAS VILLAS ‘the one with villas’ only for differentiation ‘Place of Ben Adalid’ from Arabic personal name Ibn al-Jalid, a Berber tribe 62 BENAMAUREL BENIGANIM Benamaurel Granada Benialfaqui Alicante ‘The home of Maurus’ Latin personal name meaning ‘Moor’ from Arabic Ibnal-Maure1. ‘Place of Ben Alfaquí’ from Arabic Ibn alFaqui ‘wiseman’ ‘lawyer’ Beniarres Alicante Benamejí Córdoba Prob. ‘Place of Ben Arras’ from Arabic personal name Ibn-Harras Poss. ‘Home of the Bashir family’ from Hisn-Bani-Bashir Was Benamexir and Benamexi Beniatjar Valencia Benamocarra Malaga Poss. ‘Flat area on a rocky wild terrain’ from Iberian pre-Roman beni-atx-ara Benaocaz Cádiz Beniaya Alicante 1.Prob. ‘Place of Bani-Nayah’ name of Arab possessor. 2.Poss. ‘Top of the slope’ from Iberian Pre-Roman beni-ai-a 1.‘Place of Ben Moccara’ from Arabic personal name Ibn-Mukarram 2.‘High plateau of thick earth’ from Iberian pre-Roman bena-mok-arra 1.‘Hamlet with a market’ Arabic origin related to word zoco ‘market’ 2.‘Rock on top of the hill’ from Iberian pre-Roman bena-oka-aiz. Benarraba Málaga ‘Place of Ben Araba’ from personal name Ibn-al-Rabh Benicarlo Valencia ‘Hamlet of Ben Gazlun’ from Arabic personal name Ibn Gaztlum Benicasim Valencia ‘Place of Ben Cassim’ from Arabic personal name Ibn Cassim ‘the son of the deliverer’ Arabic Benasal Castellón Benidorm Alicante Poss. ‘Hay field’ derived from French Limousin fenas-la later converted into benas-la and hence benasal Uncertain 1.‘Place of Ben Darhim’ from Arabic personal name Ibn-Idihrahim 2.‘Hill with a dry slope’ from Iberian preRoman eni-idor-orm 3.‘The rock’ from pre-Roman element torm ‘rock’ added to redundant Latin penna Benasque Huesca Unknown Its Roman name was Vascelia from the Ligurian word asque. Benatae Jaén Benifairo Valencia ‘Place of Ben Ata’ from Arabic personal name Ibn-Ata ‘Place of the Hayyun family’ from Arabic family name Ibn-Hayyun Benavente Zamora Prob. ‘Welcome’ identical with Italian ben venuto This place name seems to have been derived from a family surname. Its ancient name was Brigecum Benifallim Valencia ‘Place of Ben Kahlim’ Arabic clan name Benifayó Valencia ‘Place of the Hayyun family’ from Arabic family name Ibn-Hayyun Bernavides León ‘Place of Ben Vidas’ from Hebrew personal name Vidas with Arabic prefix ibn ‘son of’ Beniganim Valencia ‘Place of Ben Ganim’ from Arabic personal name Ibn-Ganim Benejama Alicante Benilloba Alicante Place of Ben Lup’ from Arabic beni ’son of’ and Latin surname Lupa ‘she-wolf’ ‘Place of Ben Yama’ personal name of Arabic origin Ibn-Yama 63 BERGENDA BENILLOBA Benatrique Almería Benimamet Valencia ‘Place of Ben Mohamed’ from Arabic personal name Bani-Muhamet ‘Place of Ben Tarik’ from Arabic Ibn Tariq Benimasot Valencia Bentratea Burgos Benisa Alicante 1.‘Place having obtained a favourable treatment of its Lord’ from the medieval institution behetria identical with bene factoria. 2.‘Peters’s place’ from Basque Betri ‘Peter’ and suffix ate-a ‘the place’ 1.Place of Ben Masud’ from Arabic personal name Bani-Mas-e-Ud 2.‘Pit of the main channel’ from Iberian pre-Roman ben-ima-sot. ‘Place of Sam’ Arabic origin Bani Isa related to Hebrew personal name Berantevilla Álava 1.‘Village of Brandt’ from personal name of Germanic origin 2.‘Downtown’ from Basque prefix bera‘down’ and Spanish villa ‘village’ Benisanet Tarragona ‘Place of Ben Zanet’ from personal name of Arabic origin pointing at the powerful Zanete gens. Berastegui Guipúzcoa Benitachell Alicante 1.‘House property of Beraxa’ a documented personal name. 2.‘House surrounded by grass and herbage’ from Basque beraza ‘a place covered with herbs’ and tegi ‘house, place’ ‘Unknown. Poss. ‘Place of Ben Taher’ which means ‘valley of hens’ Benitagla Almería ‘Place of Ben Tagla’ from Arabic personal name Bani Taglab Berbejal Huesca 1.‘Well frequented by mules’ from Arabic bir ‘well’ and bigaal ‘mules’ 2.‘Well of the shop-keepers’ from bir and biqal ‘shop keeper’ Ancient name was Caum Benzalon Almería Prob. ‘Place of Ben Salún’ could be from either one of two Arabic family names Ibn-Sahlun or Ibn-Dzinum Benlloc Castellón ‘Welcoming place’ commendatory Berga Barcelona 1.‘The hill’ from Germanic berg ‘mountain’ 2.‘Soft rock’ from pre-Roman ber with identical meaning Its old name was Vergneum reminiscent of Roman castrum Bergium from Latin bene ‘well’ and locus ‘place’ Benquerencia Caceres 1.‘Heritage of *Ben Quairan’ hypothetical patronymic of Arab or Berber tribe 2.‘Well appreciated’ from Spanish bien querer ‘to love well’ is popular but unlikely etymology Berganzo Álava ‘High place’ from Ligurian ber ‘high’ and Basque suffix antz ‘looking like’ Benquerencia de la Serena Bergasa La Rioja Badajoz Same as town in Caceres. DE LA SERENA ‘a region of pastures and wild land’ It has been suggested that the name represents a district requiring a cannon to be paid by farming serfs. . ‘’High place’ with second element asa ‘further away’ Bergenda Alava ‘Quiet place’ with second element gentza ‘quiet, tranquil’ Its ancient name was Vergonda 64 BERJA BERZOSA Berja Almería Prob. ‘The high place’ from Germanic berg ‘mountain’ and locative suffix -a Poss. ‘Place with sloe-trees’ from Basque prefix bere ‘his’ and arn ‘sloe-tree’ with Lain suffix -etum, Spanish -edo Berlanga Badajoz Berninches Guadalajara 1.‘Hillock between rivers’ from Ligurian ber 'hill’' and Celtic langa ‘river-bed’ 2.‘Place of Valerian’ from Latin personal name Valerianus, origin of toponym Valerianica 3.‘Fertile valley’ from Basque iber ‘valley’ and Celtic lanka ‘flat, fertile land’ Uncertain 1.‘Hill’ from Celtic berg and Mozarabic locative suffix chez with unknown middle element 2.‘Place of Ben Ibn Said’ from Arabic personal name. Berlanga de Duero Soria Uncertain 1.‘Earth with enough wetness to be cultivated twice a year’ from Basque berro 2.‘Place where water-cress grow’ from Spanish berro Berrobi Guipuzcoa Uncertain 1.‘Hillock between rivers’ 2.‘Place of Valerian’ 3.‘Fertile valley’ DE DUERO ‘the one by the river Duero’ Was Durius before the Romans who referred to it as Dorius poss. implying Doric. A meaning ‘gift’ derived from Celtic-Iberian dy-ero ‘bring-gift’ has been suggested. Berrocal Huelva 1.‘Place of water-cress plants’ from Spanish berro Bot. nasturtium officinale and locative suffix -al 2.‘Ondulated and rough land’ from Latin verrucam ’roughness’ Berlanga del Bierzo León 1.‘Hillock between rivers’ 2.‘Place of Valerian’ 3.‘Fertile valley’ Known as Bergidum Flavium in Roman times. DEL BIERZO is an old regional name prob. derived from Hindu-European berg ‘mountain’ or ‘elevated place’ Berrueces Valladolid Prob. ‘Rocky place’ from pre-Roman bere ‘a large rock’ Berzocana Cáceres 1.Prob. ‘Field with white heath’ from Spanish adjective cana ‘white’ and brezo ‘heath’ 2.‘Cabbage orchard’ from Spanish berza ‘cabbage’ and locative suffix -ana Bermeo Vizacaya Unknown Poss. ‘Reddish’ from Spanish bermejo with identical meaning from verm ‘worm’ applied to colour clothes Berzosa Soria ‘Cabbage fields’ from Spanish berza ‘cabbage’ and locative suffix -osa Bermillo de Sayago Zamora Berzosa de Bureba Burgos 1.‘Place quince-trees’ from Latin melimelum 'quince-tree’ membrillo in Spanish 2.‘Place with red vermin used in dyers shop’ from Latin vermeculus ‘small worm’ DE SAYAGO ‘in the Sayago region’ which probably means Santiago ‘Saint Jacques’ ‘Cabbage fields’ from Spanish berza ‘cabbage’ and locative suffix -osa DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ once known as Borovia. Berzosa de Lozoya Madrid ‘Cabbage fields’ from Spanish berza ‘cabbage’ and locative suffix -osa DE LOZOYA ‘by the river Lozoya’ which means ‘marshy’ Bernedo Álava Unknown. 65 BESALÚ BOADA 2.‘The truss’ from Basque bilbatua due to the peculiar arrangement of the fields. 3.‘Beautiful ford’ from Latin bel ‘beautiful’ and vadus ‘ford’ Was Amanus Portus initially and then renamed Flaviobriga Besalú Gerona Unknown A derivative of its ancient Latin name bisoldunum which contains the Celtic element dunum ‘fortress’ Betancuria Las Palmas ‘In honour of Betancourt’ surname of the conqueror of Canary Islands and lord of the island of Fuerteventura. Binefar Huesca Betelu Navarra Binisalem Balearic Islands ‘Place of Ben Salem’ from Arabic personal name Ibn Salam which means ‘salvation’ ‘peace’ ‘Place of Ben Afar’ from Arabic personal name Ibn Affar or Effar Unknown. 1.Perhaps ‘Birch fort’ from betelus ‘birch tree’ and suffix -dun fort’ 2.‘Fortress’ from hypothetical ancient name Beteldunum where betel is preRoman with identical meaning ‘fort’ Biosca Lérida Unknown of Ligurian origin Bezares Logroño Biota Zaragoza ‘Birch tree wood’ from vernacular biezo ‘birch tree’ Unknown Also known as Botia of Ligurian origin Biar Alicante Bisbal La Gerona 1.‘Water wells’ ‘pits’ from Arabic bi-ar of identical meaning. 2.‘Beehive’ from Latin apiarium ‘The episcopal’ a village assigned to the nearby Diocese. Biel Zaragoza Meaning unknown Prob. Derived from name of city blanda mentioned by geographers in Roman documents. Blanes Gerona Prob. ‘Field’ from Celtic Belsa Bielsa Huesca ‘Field’ Celtic origin Belsa, shared with French Beauce. Blázquez Los Córdoba ‘Well served’ Spanish ‘Place of the sons of Blasco’ personal name identical with Velasco which means ‘ravenous’ from pre HundoEuropean belz ‘black’ or bela ‘crow’ ‘ Bienvenida Badajoz Boada de Campos Palencia Bienservida Albacete ‘Oxen field’ from Latin bos and locative suffix -ada DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ plain which was conquered after the Romans by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ ‘Place of welcome’ from Spanish bien venida Biescas Huesca 1.‘Cultivated field’ from Latin versum ‘turned up’ ‘ploughed’ 2.‘Hillock’ from pre-Hindu-European bizka ‘hillock’ Boada de Roa Burgos Bilbao (Bilbo) Vizcaya ‘Oxen field’ DE ROA ‘by the Roman track Rauda’ documented Rauda Vaccea ‘road of the Vaccei tribe’ Unknown 1.Prob.‘Round ford’ from bil pre-Roman ‘round’ and contraction of Latin vadum ‘ford’ 66 BOADILLA BOLLULOS Boadilla del Monte Madrid Boecillo Valladolid ‘Small oxen field’ DEL MONTE ‘by the mountain’ with reference to the area around not being cultivated but ‘mountainous’ ‘Small field pastured by oxen’ from Latin bos and Spanish diminutive suffix -illo Bogarra Albacete Unknown Prob. Iberian containing the element gara ‘elevation’ or ‘Hilltop’ from garr ‘bitter’ Boadilla de Rioseco Palencia ‘Small oxen field’ DE RIO SECO a regional place name meaning ‘dry river’ Bohoyo Avila Boal Oviedo ‘Ox field’ from Latin bos ‘ox’ and locative suffix -al Unknown Prob from Frank idiom bihordan ‘to arrange a walled place’ Boalo (El) Madrid Bolaños de Calatrava Bobadilla La Rioja Ciudad Real ‘Quarry of stone-shells’ from Spanish bola ‘ball’ and movement suffix -aneo which becomes bolaños DE CALATRAVA ‘belonging to the Order of the Knights of Calatrava’ Arabic compound name meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ ‘The oxen field’ from Latin bos ‘ox’ and locative suffix -o, and preceded with article el ‘the’. ‘Small oxen field’ from Latin genitive bovis and locative suffix -ada with diminutive -illa. Bobadilla del Campo Bolaños de Campos Valladolid ‘Quarry of stone-shells’ from Spanish bola ‘ball’ and movement suffix -aneo which becomes bolaños DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ documented Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Valladolid ‘Small field pastured by oxen’ DEL CAMPO ‘in the Campo district’ from Spanish campo here generic ‘fields’ Bobastro Málaga 1.‘Place of Ben Bobaster’ from Arabic family name Ibn-Bobaster 2.‘Oxen fort’ from Latin bos ‘ox’ and castrum ‘fort’ Bolea Huesca Unknown 1.Poss. ‘Bowling field’ Spanish bolera. 2.‘The mill’ from Basque bolu-a Boca de Huergano León ‘Marjoram’s mouth’ from Latin origanum ‘wild marjoram’, oregano in Spanish Boleries Alicante Bocairente Valencia Bollullos de la Mitacion Boceguillas Segovia Sevilla ‘Small towers’ from Arabic bol and diminutive -illos DE LA MITACIÖN ‘resulting from an agreed upon demarcation of limits with the Bishopric’ Bodegas Many locations Bollullos del Condado Huelva Poss. ‘Place of *Bolerus’ from hypothetical personal name Bolerius Prob. ‘Place of Bucario’ personal name derived from a hypothetical Bucca tribe. ‘Little store places’ from bodeguillas ‘small bodegas’ BODEGAS comes from Greek apothekca. a ‘Small towers’ from Arabic bol and diminutive -illos ‘Store places’ from Greek apothekas 67 BONARES BREA DEL CONDADO ‘within the County’ with reference to the Condado de Niebla an ancient city not far from Bollullos. Cf. NIEBLA. Bosque (El) Cádiz ‘The wood’ in Spanish Bot Tarragona Unknown 1.‘Ox’ from Catalan bou 2.‘Wine leather container’ from Spanish bota Bonares Huelva 1.‘Place enjoying good air’ identical with Buenos Aires 2.‘Muddy grounds’ from Spanish bodonales Botarell Tarragonaa 1.‘Pillars’ ‘wall supports’ from botarel in Spanish 2.‘Small wine leather container’ from Spanish bota and diminutive -el Bonete Albacete Unknown Prob. ‘Small fort’ from Latin abonnis ‘protection’ ‘cap Botija Cáceres Bonete Albacete ‘Earthen jug’ ‘oil or wine jar’ Spanish Unknown Prob. ‘Small fort’ from Latin abonnis ‘protection’ ‘cap’ Bouza Many locations in Galicia ‘Field full of brambles’ ‘A thicket’ from pre-Romanic balsa modified to Bausa and Bousa Bordón EL Albacete ‘Straw field’ from vernacular word borda ‘ground where piles of straw are kept after recollection’ Brafim Tarragona 1.‘Place of Abrafim’ Hebrew origin from Abraham 2.‘Place of Ibrahim’ Arabic origin from Ibrahim Borja Zaragoza ‘Tower’ from Arabic borch ‘tower’ but also ‘cottage’ Prob. mutation of original names such as Belsinon (Ptolemy) Belsinum, Bursaona and Bursao Braña Many locations in Asturias ‘Evergreen pastures on highland’ from late Latin veranea and Spanish verano ‘summer’ Bormujos Sevilla ‘Hot’ ‘sulphurous waters’ from Gothic bormio, borm hence warm and genitive suffix – ios. Braojos Madrid Unknown Prob. ‘Thicket’ ‘brush wood’ since it appears to contain Celtic element bra ‘brush’ Bornos Cádiz Unknown. Poss. ‘Place dedicated to the god Bormanico’ a divinity related to the activity in thermal waters. Brazacorta Burgos Prob. ‘Short water channel’ from Spanish brazal ‘water channel’ and corta ‘short’ Remote origin of brazal poss. Basque ibar-az ‘river-side’ Borox Toledo ‘Flat top tower’ from Arabic borch which means ‘tower’ but also ‘cottage’ Brazatortas Ciudad Real ‘Meanders’ ‘twisted riverside’ from Basque ibar-az and Latin tortus ‘angled’ Borrenes León ‘Saddle clothes’ from Spanish borrén with the same meaning Brea de Aragón Zaragoza ‘Narrow way’ from Latin veredus ‘path’ DE ARAGON ‘the one in the kingdom of Aragón’ which owes its name to the river Arago. Bosost Lérida Unknown. Pre-Roman 68 BREA BUJALANCE Brea de Tajo Madrid Buenache de la Sierra Cuenca ‘Narrow way’ from Latin veredus ‘path’ DE TAJO means ‘near the river Tajo’ named after Roman Tagum from earlier Celtic Taio which could mean ‘cut’. Alternatively, derived from an ancient river named Sauga mentioned by Pliny. ‘Small humid and muddy place’ from Spanish bodonal with identical meaning. DE LA SIERRA ‘the one in the district of the mountains of Cuenca’ Buenafuente Guadalajara ‘The spa’s water source’ from Latin balneum ‘bath’ and Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ Brenes Sevilla 1.‘River basin’ from Arabic barani 2.‘Place of the Baranis’ the Barani were people from North Africa Benamadre Salamanca ‘The spa’s water source’ from Latin balneum ‘bath’ and matrem ‘origin’ ‘source’ Brihuega Guadalajara ‘The illustrious one’ from Celtic brigos ‘honourable’ and Iberian locative suffix -eca Buenaventura Toledo Briones La Rioja ‘Good fortune’ Spanish commendatory buena ‘good’ and ventura ‘luck’ Briviesca Burgos Buenavista Many locations ‘Good view’ Spanish from buena ‘good’ and vista ‘view’ ‘Stronghold’ from Celtic Iberian briga and Latin suffix -onis Unknow. Current name is derived from old preRoman Virovesca, probably Iberian. Buendia Cuenca ‘Good day’ from Spanish encomiastic buen ‘good’ and día ‘day’ name given after the day of Corpus Christi when recaptured from the Arabs. Broto Huesca Unknow Poss. ‘Bud shoots’ from Gothic brut and Germanic brozzen Originally Greek sporas ‘disperse’ Buenos Aires Many locations ‘Good airs’ Spanish commendatory Buger Balearic Islands Brozas Cáceres ‘Dead wood’ from late Latin brustia same meaning ‘dead wood’ Poss. site of Norba cited in the Roman Itinerary 1.‘Farm’ from Arabic bujar ‘farm’ Arab name was Bujar-Rahal-Algabel 2.‘Sail’ from pre-Romanic bujia ‘sail’ Brunete Madrid ‘Place frequented by vultures from Latin vultur ‘vulture’ Spanish buitre and locative suffix -ago. Roman name was Vulturiacum DE LOZOYA ’in the valley of the river Lozoya’ of uncertain meaning prob. from Latin Lutea ‘marsh’ and derivative Spanish lodo with second form oya ‘place’ as in Savoy. Documented Lozohia descriptive of ‘marshy valley’ Buitrago de Lozoya Madrid ‘Rough cloth of black-grey colour’ from Gaelic brun ‘brown’ The ‘bataneros’ occupational from Segovia established themselves in BRUNETE with fulling mills Buenache de Alarcón Cuenca ‘Small humid and muddy place’ from Spanish bodonal with identical meaning DE ALARCON ‘the one with the slaughterhouse’ from Arabic al-aaraqun also meaning ‘the battlefield’ Bujalance Córdoba Prob. ’Tower of the snake’ from Arabic bury ‘stronghold’ and al-hansh ‘snake’ 69 BUSTO BUJALAGO Burgui Navarra Roman names were Colonia Betis and later became Bursavolense ‘Stronghold’ from late Latin burgus ‘protected place’ Bujalago Guadalajara Burguillos Sevilla ‘Stroghold’ from Arabic bury identical with Gothic burg Second element lago is unlikely to be ‘lake’ but rather locative -ago found in Spanish place names. ‘Small and protected places’ from late Latin burgus ‘protected village’ Burguillos del Cerro Badajoz ‘Small and protected’ DEL CERRO ‘the one by the hillock’ Bujalaroz Zaragoza ‘Tower of the bride’ from Arabic Burj-alarus ‘stronghold’ ‘bridge’ and burj derived from late Latin burgus Burguillos de Toledo Toledo ‘Small protected’ from late Latin burgus ‘protected village’ and diminutive -illos. DE TOLEDO ‘in the province of Toledo’ Buniel Burgos ‘Small spa’ from Latin balnellu in Spanish balneario and diminutive suffix -el. Burriana Castellon ‘The tower’ from Arabic buri ‘tower’ and locative suffix -ana Buñol Valencia ‘Small spa’ from Latin balnellu in Spanish balneario and diminutive suffix -ol Burujón Toledo ‘Big tower’ from Arabic buri ‘tower’ and superlative suffix -on Bustarviejo Madrid Buñuel Navarra ‘Old pastures for oxen’ from preRomanic bustum ‘place with pastures for oxen’ and Spanish viejo ‘old’ ‘Small spa’ from Latin balnellu in Spanish balneario and diminutive suffix -el. Bustelo Several locations in Galicia Bureva region in Burgos ‘Small place with pastures for oxen’ from pre-Romanic bustum ‘pastures for oxen’ and diminutive Galician suffix -elo. It has been suggested that these pastures had to be burned beforehand in which case the etymology is bustellum related to combustio Obscure An extensive and fertile district previously known as Borovia from an original Virobia of unknown meaning. Sugg. ‘High’ derived from Basque buru ‘head’ Burgo de Osma (El) Soria Busto de Bureva Burgos ‘The town protected’ DE OSMA is derived from its ancient name Uxama one of the six major cities of the Arevacci people (Pliny) ‘Pastures for oxen’ from pre-Romanic bustum ‘pastures for oxen’ DE BUREVA ‘in the region of Bureva’ with reference to a fertile plain of obscure pre-Roman etymology from hypothetical Celtic Virovia and later documented Burueba Burgos Burgos ‘Protected town’ from Gothic baurgs ‘barricade of wagons’ used on resisting against the Arab invasion in year 884. Burguete Navarra ‘Small and protected place near a river’ from Spanish burgo with identical meaning and diminutive suffix -ete 70 CABEZUELA CABADA Cabeza la Vaca Badajoz C ‘Head’ ‘prominent section of a mountain’ LA VACA ‘like that of a cow’ Spanish from Latin vacca. Cabada Several locations in Galicia Cabeza Mesada Toledo ‘Property’ ‘country estate’ Galician from Latin caveata ‘protected’ meant by a green fence. ‘Head’ MESADA adjective of mesa ‘table’ ‘flat surface’ Cabana Several locations in Galicia Cabezarados Ciudad Real ‘Hut’ ‘cottage’ in Galician with reference to cattle protection. ‘Prominent place’ compound name with second element poss. contracted and unexplained. Poss. ‘cultivated’ Cabañas Caceres ‘Huts’ ‘cottages’ Spanish from Latin cabanna which means: ‘tent’ derived from capere ‘to collect’ and from HinduEuropean kap ‘to grab’ Cabezas de San Juan (Las) Sevilla ‘Prominent places in the mountains’ DE SAN JUAN ‘administered by the military Order of the knights of Saint John’ Identical with the Order of Malta. Cabañas de Castilla (Las) Palencia ‘The huts’ DE CASTILLA ‘the ones in Castille’ which means ‘land of castles’ Cabezarubias del Puerto Ciudad Real ‘Prominent yellow rocks’ DEL PUERTO means ‘of the mountain pass’ from Latin portus, porta ‘door’ ‘access’ ‘gate’ origin of Spanish puerta. Cabañas de la Sagra Toledo ‘Huts’ DE LA SAGRA ‘in the region of La Sagra’ from Arabic Al-Saqra ‘cultivated land’ Cabezón de Cameros La Rioja ‘Most prominent place’ CAMEROS ‘curved’ is derived from Hindu-European kamb ‘curved’ in this case ‘mountainous’ ‘hilly’ Cabañas del Castillo Cáceres ‘Huts’ DEL CASTILLO ‘the ones by a castle’ ruins of a castle built by the Arabs and destroyed by king Afonso X. Cabezón de la Sierra Burgos ‘Most prominent place’ DE LA SIERRA ‘on the mountain range’ in this case referred to the Sierra de la Demanda named after a long process concerning the right to use its pastures Cabaña de Yepes Toledo ‘Huts’ DE YEPES ‘the one near the town of Yepes’ so named poss. from Hebrew Ieppi ‘clean’ ‘ornate’ Cabezon de la Sal Cantabria ‘Prominent space of a mountain’ DE LA SAL prob. ‘place where the salt tax was collected’ or ‘place with saltworks’ Cabañas Raras León ‘Huts’ RARAS ‘scarce’ ‘isolated’ Spanish. Cabeza del Buey Badajoz ‘Head’ oronym applied to a prominent section of a mountain range. DEL BUEY ‘like an ox’ Spanish from Latin genitive bovis Cabezuela Segovia ‘Prominent part of a hill’ with pejorative diminutive -uela. 71 CABEZUELA CALAMONTE Cabezuela del Valle Cáceres Cadaques Gerona ‘Prominent part of a hill’ with pejorative diminutive -uela. DEL VALLE ‘the one in the valley’ referred to the river Jerte’ from Arabic Xerit ‘clean’ Meaning uncertain 1.‘Head of waters’ from cap and acquas Latin 2.‘Cape in rocky area’ from Catalan cap ‘cape’ and second form quers ‘rocks’ Cabo Several locations Cadiñanos Burgos ‘Cape’ Spanish from Latin caput ‘head’ 1.Prob.‘Place with thrum’ from Spanish cadillos Bot. caucalis latifolia 2.‘Place of Cadino’ assumed name of settler or owner Cabra Jaén 1.‘The fort’ from Phoenician agabra or gabira 2.‘The goat’ Spanish from its ancient name Algabros ‘wild goat’ Other names of CABRA were Agabro, Baebro, Egabro, Licabro and Qabra under the Arabs Cadiz Cadiz ‘Place of the goat’’ DEL SANTO CRISTO ‘of Holy Christ’' with reference to an image donated from the city of Burgos. 1.‘Walled city’ from Phoenician gadir ‘circled place’ derived from Hebrew gader ‘enclosure’ 2.‘City resembling a cup’ from Greek kados ‘cup’ ‘recipient’ Ancient names were Gadir, Gadeira Erythia, Aphrodisia, and prob. Tartesssos. Mentioned by Greek geographers Herodotus and Eratosthenes Cabredo Navarra Cadreita Navarra Cabra del Santo Cristo Jaen ‘Place frequented by goats’ Spanish from cabra ‘goat’ Poss. ‘Straight’ from Latin recta and Spanish derecha with prefix locative ca- Cabreros del Monte Valladolid Cal in Galicia ‘Water channel’ from Latin callis. ‘Village of goat shepherds’ DEL MONTE ‘on uncultivated ground’ there are no hills or mountains around, thus the meaning is descriptive of wilderness. Cala Huelva 1.‘Cove’ from Iberian pre-Roman cala ‘raised slope’ 2.‘Cove’ from Latin callis ‘straight path’ Cabrillas Salamanca ‘Small village with goats’ diminutive of other places with the name CABRAS for the purpose of differentiation. Calaceite Teruel Caceres Cáceres Calamocha Teruel ‘Castle of Zeid’ from Arabic qual-al-Zeyd where Zeyd is personal name. ‘Caesar’s fortress’ from its Roman name Castra Caesaris Also known as Castra Julia and Castra Caecilia ‘Truncated castle’ from Arabic qual ‘castle’ and Spanish adjective mocha ‘truncated’ ‘splashed’ Cadalso de los Vidrios Madrid 1.‘Castle on the hill’ from Arabic qual ‘castle’ and Spanish monte ‘mountain’ 2.‘Elevated terrain on uncultivated land’ from Latin collis ‘hill’ and Spanish monte ‘uncultivated’ Calamonte Badajoz ‘Wooden fort’ from Latin catafalcum which means ‘scaffold’ but also ‘fortification’ ‘built in the same manner’ DE LOS VIDRIOS because of the existence of ‘glass makers’ occupational name from Spanish vidrio ‘glass’ 72 CALANDA CALONGE Calcena Zaragoza Calanda Teruel ‘Calcio’s place’ from Latin personal name of gens Calcia and possession locative suffix -ena Unknown Its ancient name was Kolenda. Calañas Huelva ‘Cottages’ Cabañas from its original name Caldas de Montbuy Barcelona ‘Warm waters’ from Latin calda ‘warm’ referred to acqua ‘water’ All names with first element caldas mean ‘balneary’ ‘place frequented for its thermal waters’ Mentioned by Pliny as Acquae Calidae DE MONTBUY ‘mount of the Boii people’ also poss. ‘mountain frequented by oxen’ from Catalan bou Calasparra Murcia ‘Low and rocky grounds’ from preRoman cala ‘rock’ and Iberian Basque suffix -barren ‘low’ Calatañazor Soria 1. ‘Watchtower in a castle’ from from Arabic kalat-an-nazur 2.‘Goshawk’s castle’ from Arabic kalatel-nosur based on Latin voluce ‘vulture’ mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. The first element qual is derived from Phoenician kala. Caldas de Reyes Pontevedra ‘Warm waters’ DE LOS REYES ‘of the kings’ Ancient names were Acquae Celenae, Celinae and Cilenae Calatayud Zaragoza Calella Barcelona 1.‘Castle of Ayud’ from Arabic kalat ‘castle’ Ayoub personal name of Jewish origin ‘Job’ 2. ‘Castle of the Jews’ from Arabic kalat and Yahud ‘Jew’ In Celtiberian times was Bilbilis, birthplace of poet Martial. The city was renowned for its manufacturing of weapons. ‘Small cove’ from Spanish cala ‘cove’ and diminutive suffix -ella. Calera de León Leon 1.‘The lime furnace’ from Spanish calera 2.‘The lime quarry’ from the same origin 3.‘The white one’ from Arabic al-qaxera DE LEON ‘in the kingdom of Leon’ for disambiguation. Legio was so named to honour the 7th Roman Legion. Calatorao Zaragoza 1. ‘Castle of Turab’ from Arabic kalat and assumed Arabic personal name 2. ‘Gold castle’ from Arabic kalat ‘castle’ and Latin aureus ‘golden’ 3. ‘Earthen fort’ from Arabic kalat ‘castle’ ‘fort’ and turab ‘earth’ ‘brick not burnt’ 4. ‘Tower castle’ compound from Arabic kalat ‘castle’ and Latin turris ‘tower’ Spanish torre. Caleruega Burgos ‘Small lime quarry’ from Spanish calera ‘place where lime can be obtained’ and diminutive suffix -uega Calig Castellón Poss. ‘Misty’ from Latin caligo ‘fume’ ‘dark’ ‘cloudy’ Calmarza Zaragoza ‘Martius’s fort’ from Arabic qual ‘castle’ ‘fort’ and Latin personal name Martius ‘dedicated to the god Mars’ Calatrava Jaen 1.‘Castle of Rabah’ from Arabic kalat-alrabah ‘gain’ but could be a name of owner. 2. ‘Four tower castle’ from Arabic kalatarba ‘castle-four’ Calonge Gerona ‘Long cove’ from late Latin cala ‘cove’ ‘bay’ and longa. 73 CAMBIL CALPE Calpe Alicante Callosa de Ensarriá Alicante 1.‘High rock’ from Hindu-European alp ‘high rock’ with the same root as The Alps mountains. Uncertain 1.‘Place of Caio’ Latin personal name of owner which means ‘joyful’ from gaudere ‘to enjoy’. 2. ‘Hard terrain’ from Latin callous 3. ‘Place with small water-channels’ from late Latin canalosa ‘having channels’ ENSARRIÁ is identical with En-Sarriá a place name poss. derived from old French sar ‘water stream’ or from Basque indicating that it was ‘inhabited by the Arri people’ Calvario Many locations 1.‘Bare hillock’ from Latin Calvarium ‘bare head’ ‘barren place’. 2.‘Place with crosses for devotional ceremonies’ Calviá Balearic Islands Prob. ‘Place of Calvino’ from hypothetical Latin personal name Calvianus or Calvinus ‘bald’ Callosa de Segura Alicante Same meaning options as previous name. Calzada de Bureba (La) Burgos ‘The cobbled road’ Spanish calzada from late Latin calciata ‘stone way’ DE BUREBA owes its name to ancient Celtiberian city Borovia of obscure etymology suggesting an unrecorded Vorovia DE SEGURA ‘the one near the river Segura’ might be a mutation of Phoenician name Tavara, a close mountain range. Camarena Toledo ‘Place of Camaro’ Latin personal name Camarus from Greek ‘Camerian’ and locative possession suffix -ena. Calzada de Calatrava (La) Camarena de la Sierra Teruel Ciudad Real ‘By the cobbled road’ from Spanish calzada DE CALATRAVA ‘under the rule of the knights of Calatrava’ from Arabic QalaAt-Rabt ‘fortress on flat land’ ‘Place of Camaro’ DE LA SIERRA ‘close to the mountains’ pointing at the close mountains of Javalambre, from Arabic Djebal ‘hill’ and personal name Amir Calzada de Oropesa Toledo Camariñas La Coruña ‘Terrain with heath’ from vernacular ‘heath field’ ‘Cobbled road’ from Spanish calzada. DE OROPESA is unknown and could be derived from 1) pre-Romanic orp and Basque orots ‘path of goats’ with Celtic locative suffix -essa. 2) ‘place of Orospe’ from personal name of early settler 3) ‘at the foot of the mountain’ compound from Greek oros ‘mountain’ and Latin pedis ‘foot’ Galician Camarma de Esteruelas Madrid Prob. ‘Camaro’s place’ from late Latin personal name ‘native of Cameria’ a city in Italy’s Lazio. Camas Sevilla ‘Curved ground’ from Celtic cambas ‘crooked’ ‘curved’ ‘bent’. Calzadilla de los Barros Badajoz ‘Small calzada’ DE LOS BARROS ‘in the region of Barros’ from Spanish barro ‘mud’ ‘marsh’ Cambados Pontevedra ‘Curved fields’ ‘crooked.’ Cambil Jaen from Celtic cambas ‘Curved field’ from Celtic camb ‘curved’ and Mozarabic suffix -iel ‘place’ 74 CAMBRILS CAMPROVIN Earlier spelling was Cambiel and Arabic Quanbil Campillos Málaga ‘Small field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ and diminutive suffix -illos. Cambrils Tarragona Prob. ‘Goat pastures or stalls’ from Latin capriles. Ancient name was Olegastrum ‘oil fort’. Campmany Gerona ‘Large field’ from Latin campus magnus Campo Many locations Cameno Burgos ‘Field’ Spanish. Poss. ‘Pleasant field’ commendatory from Latin amoenos ‘pleasant’ ‘and campus ‘field’ Campo de Criptana Ciudad Real 1.‘The field near Chitrana’ from its ancient Celtiberian name Certina transformed into Chitrana by the Arabs 2.‘Field of the Crypt’ from Spanish cripta is assimilation. Campanario Badajoz ‘Belfry’ Spanish. Campaspero Valladolid ‘Rough field’ from Spanish campo and aspero ‘rough’ rugged’ Cam po de San Pedro Segovia Campillo de Alto Buey Cuenca Campodrón Gerona ‘Saint Peter’s field’ Spanish. ‘Small field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ and diminutive suffix -illo DE ALTO BUEY from pre-Roman Altaboy ‘low mountains’ Arabized to mean ‘mountain pass with a tax collection post’ from al-caballa buwayg 1.‘Round field’ from Latin campus rotundus 2.Derived from its ancient name camb-rdon ‘round town’ Identified with pre-Roman city Engosa Campotéjar Granada Campillo de Aragón Zaragoza ‘Yew tree grove’ from Spanish tejo ‘yew tree’. ‘Small field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ and diminutive suffix -illo. DE ARAGÓN ‘in the kingdom of Aragon’ so called after the river Arago. Campo Real Madrid ‘Royal field’ Spanish meaning that it was directly dependent from the Crown. Campillo de Aranda Burgos ‘Small field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ and diminutive suffix -illo. DE ARANDA ‘near the town Aranda’ which means ‘near the frontier’ from Celtic are-randa Campo Redondo de Alba Palencia ‘Round field in the vicinity of the town Alba’ Spanish. Camporobles Valencia Campillo de Arenas Jaén ‘Field with oak-trees’ compound of Spanish campo and robles ‘Small field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ and diminutive suffix -illo. DE ARENAS ‘Sandy’ Campos del Puerto Balearic Islands ‘Fields near the harbour’ Spanish. Campillo de Llerena Badajoz ‘Small field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ and possession suffix -ena. DE LLERENA ‘near the town of Llerena’ in Arab times Ellerina transposition from the Latin root glarea ‘place with stones’, and derivative Spanish llera. Camprovin Logroño 1.‘Field near the vineyard’ from Latin campus pro vinea 2.‘Field of reddish aspect’ from Latin campus rubignis ‘red from fire’ 75 CAMPUZANO CANTILLANA Campuzano Cantabria Candelario Salamanca Uncertain 1.‘Holy field’ from Latin campus sanctus 2.‘Healthy field’ from Latin campus sanus 3.‘Field of *Anio’ from Latin personal name referred to the Roman goddess Anna Perea Canena Jaen ‘Place with mullein plants’ from Spanish candelaria Bot. Verbascum 1.‘Place of the Kinana’ an Arab tribe 2.‘Place of Caneno’ from Latin personal name Canenus ‘dog-like’ a derivative from Hindu-European kwon ‘dog’. Camuñas Toledo Canencia de la Sierra Madrid ‘Seeds of herbal plants’ generic name given by the Arabs to all kind seeds excluding those of cereals Poss. ‘Place keeping hunting dogs’ from close Latin canis ‘dog’ and remote Hindu-European kwon. DE LA SIERRA means ‘near the mountain ridge’ here referred the Guadarrama mountains, named after the river Guadarrama from Arabic wadar-ramal ‘river carrying sand’ Canal Various locations ‘Channel’ Spanish Ca’n Many locations ‘The house of___’ contraction of casa ‘house’ and suffix -en Cantabra Burgos Canalejas de Peñafiel ‘Village inhabited by Cantabri people’ Valladolid ‘Small water channels’ DE PEÑAFIEL ‘located by the hill of Peñafiel’ which means ‘rock of the faithful’ documented Penna Fidele Cantabria Northern Region ‘Rocky homeland’ from Celtic kant ‘rock’ and suffix -abr ‘cover’ later adopted by Greek Kantabeia and Latin Cantabria Canales de la Sierra La Rioja ‘Water conduits’ DE LA SIERRA is Spanish for ‘ridge of mountains’ in this case referred to the Sierra de la Demanda, so named after a legal controversy concerning the right to use its pastures. Cantalapiedra Salamanca 1.‘House of the stone’ compound ca’n de la piedra. 2.‘Stone house of stone’ redundancy from a first element canto ‘stone’ and second piedra ‘stone’ Canarias (Islas) Canary Islands ‘Small village with stone houses’ from French chantal and Mozarabic suffix -ejo ‘small’ ‘unimportant’. Cantalejo Segovia ‘Islands of wild dogs’ from Latin canis since wild dogs were found in abondance by Christian invaders. Cantavieja Teruel Cancela Several locations Prob. ‘Old Carthage’ ‘from Latin Cartago with second element vetusta ‘old’ in Spanish vieja. 1.‘House surrounded by a wooden fence’ from Latin cancelli 2.‘Isolated dwelling’ same origin Cantillana Sevilla Candás Asturias 1.Prob. ‘House of Cantilo’ from Latin name Cantilus ‘from a stony place’ 2. ‘House of Juliano’ from Latin personal name Julianus after the Roman gens Julia Its Latin name was inspired by earlier Phoenician Illia and Hipalia, true origin. 1.‘Wood showing white branches’ from Celtic candanu 2.‘White coloured resulting from ashes’ from Latin candere ‘to burn’ 76 CANTIVEROS CAPELLADES LA REAL ‘the royal one’ used for disambiguation and meaning that it was dependent directly from the authority of the Crown. Cantiveros Ávila ‘Stone house of Tiberio’ from French chantal ‘stony’ and second element derived from Latin name Tiberius ‘of the river Tiber’ Cañiza La Pontevedra ‘The place with cane plants’ from Latin canna ‘cane’ and suffix- iza ‘place abundant in’. Cantoria Almería 1.‘Bright water’ from Basque Iberian kant ‘bright’ and ur ‘water’ 2.‘White town’ from Hindu-European band ‘white’ and Basque uri ‘town’ 3.‘House near the tower’ from can ‘house’ and Latin turris ‘tower’. Cañizal Zamora ‘Place with cane’ from Latin canna ‘cane’ and suffix -izal ‘place having’ Cañizar Guadalajara Canzobre La Coruña ‘Place with cane’ from Latin canna ‘cane’ and suffix -zar ‘having’. Prob. ‘Friendly hill’ from Celtic karants ‘friend’ and second element brixs ‘hill’ 2.‘Place of Cantio’ from Latin personal name Cantius and location suffix -bre. Capafons Tarragona ‘Fountain head’ from Latin caput ‘head,’ and second part fons ‘fountain’. Cañada de Benataduz Teruel ‘Cattle track of *Ben Ataduz’ from Spanish cañada ‘cattle track’ with an Arabic personal name Ibn-at-Aduz Caparacena Granada 1.‘Place with larkspur plant’ from Arabic hab-ar-ras ‘a bitter grape with flowers in the shape of dolphins’. Bot. delphinium staphysagria. 2.‘Place of Caparo’ from Latinized personal name and ownership suffix -ena. Cañada del Hoyo Cuenca ‘Sheep road of the pit’ Spanish. Cañamero Cáceres 1.‘Place with hemp’ from Spanish cañamo ‘hemp’ 2.‘Tax exempt village’ from paying the cañamas, a kind of tax. Caparroso Navarra ‘Place with oak-tree bushes’ from Basque art ‘oak-tree’ and Spanish locative suffix -oso ‘abundant’ Cañas Logroño ‘Cane field’ Spanish. Capdepera Balearic Islands ‘Cape of stone’ from Catalan combination of cap ‘cape’ and pera ‘stone’ derived from Latin caput and petram. Cañavate Cuenca ‘House made of reeds’ from Arabic alcanavate with first element canna ‘cane’ and Celtic beth or bat ‘house’ Capella Huesca ‘Chapel’ in Catalan. Cañaveral de León Huelva ‘Sugar cane plantation of Leon’ poss. anthroponym Capellades Barcelona Uncertain 1.‘Under the rock’ from Catalan capello ‘big hat’ 2.‘Place of clergy’ from Catalan capelladas 3.‘Place with common-cress’ from Catalan capellá, Bot. lapinium satavini Cañaveras Cuenca ‘Cane fields’ Spanish. Cañete Cuenca ‘Cane field’ from Latin canna ‘cane’ and place name suffix -ete. Cañete la Real Málaga ‘Cane field’. 77 CAPILLAS CARDEDEU Capillas Palencia Caranca Álava ‘Chapels’ in Spanish. ‘Stone place’ from Celtic kar-au ‘stone’ ‘home’ Carabanchel Madrid Carataunas Granada Uncertain 1.‘Place of Antio’ from pre-Roman carab ‘property’ and Latin personal name Antius with locative suffix -el. 2.‘Place where chick-peas grow in abundance’ from Germanic word meaning ‘chick-pea’ derived into Latin cicer. ‘Home of Amuz’ from Arabic karab ‘house’ and personal name Amuz. Under Arabic rule was Caratamuz. Carbajales de Alba Zamora ‘Oak-wood’ DE ALBA ‘in the county of Alba de Aliste’ for disambiguation. Carabaña Madrid Carballeira 1. ‘Place of *Carbanio’ from Latin hypothetical personal name Carbanius. 2.‘Thermal baths’ from calda ‘hot water’ balnea ‘balneary’ 3.‘Baths in the rock’ from Celtic kara ‘rock’ and Latin balnea ‘balneary’ Poss. site of ancient Caraca meaning ‘the rock’ Many locations in Galicia ‘Oak-wood’ from Pre Hindu-European kar ‘rock’ and Iberian Basque arri ‘stone’. Carballo plants are a type of oak called ‘‘oak-wood’ which grows easily in rocky ground. -eira suffix of abundance. Carabias Guadalajara Carballo Locations in Galicia Prob. ‘The rocks’ from pre-Roman kara ‘rock’ and plural suffix -as. ‘Oak tree’ Caracena Soria ‘Holm-tree area’ from Latin quercus ‘holm-tree’ derived from Celtic kar ‘rock’. DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from old Borovia and original Virobia of unknown meaning Carcedo de Bureba Burgos ‘City of the Caraceni people’ the Caraceni were a Samnite tribe with its origin in Samnium Italy. Carcar Navarra Carcelén Albacete ‘Rocky area’ from pre-Roman kar ‘stone’ 1.‘Place of Carcilo’ from Latin personal name Carcilius 2.‘Place with thistle’ from Latin cardus. Was before Carcilliacus. ‘rock’ Carcastillo Navarra ‘Castle of stone’ from pre-Roman kar ‘stone’ and Spanish castillo ‘castle’. Carchel Jaen Caracenilla Cuenca ‘Little Caracena’ with diminutive suffix illa 1.‘Place of Cartio’ from Latin personal name Cartius and location suffix -el. 2.‘Place with thistle’ from Latin cardus or carduetum. Caracuel Ciudad Real Carchelejo Jaen ‘Rocky hill’ from pre-Roman kar ‘rock’ and Latin collis ‘hill’ with Spanish diminutive suffix -ello. ‘Little Carchel’ same as prior name with the addition of -ejo meaning ‘small compared’ Caramiñal La Coruña Cardedeu Barcelona ‘The rock in the middle’ from pre-Roman kar ‘rock’ and Galician miñal identical with Catalan mitjiana ‘median’. 1. Prob. ‘Rock by the fountain’ from preRoman kar ‘rock’ genitive de and eau ‘water’ from Latin acquas. 78 CARDELA CARRASCOSA 2. ‘Small oak-wood’ from quercitulum. Carmona Sevilla ‘Place with thistle’ from Latin cardus or carduus ‘thistle’ and locative suffix -ela. 1.‘City of Carmo’ from assumed Punic anthroponym. 2.‘City with a wall’ from Phoenician charmon ‘wall’. Cárdenas La Rioja Carolina La Jaén Cardela Granada ‘Place with thistle’ and locative suffix -ena. ‘The village of Charles’ Spanish. In recognition to its founder by Charles the III, king of Spain Cardenete Cuenca ‘Place with thistle’ and locative suffix -ete. Cardeñosa Ávila ‘Place with thistle’ ‘abundant in’. and suffix Carpio Valladolid 1.‘Carpinus place’ from Latin personal name Carpinus 2.‘Fruit orchard’ Spanish element derived from Greek karpos ‘inside’ or kardia ‘heart’ 3.‘Big rock’ from Celtic kar ‘stone’. osa Cardeñosa de Volpejera Palencia ‘Place with thistle’ DE VOLPEJERA contains the Germanic element wolf and Latin vulpis ‘wolf’. ‘Place with stones’ from Celtic kar ‘stone’ and suffix -anque ‘abounding with stones’ Cardona Barcelona Carrascalejo Badajoz Carranque Toledo ‘Place with thistle’ and location suffix ona. ‘Place with holm-oaks’ from Spanish carrascal and pejorative suffix -ejo. Contains pre-Roman elements karr ‘stone’ and Basque aritz ‘holm-oak’. Carenas Zaragoza ‘Unknown. Derivative of ancient name Carengena and Carenis Carrascosa de Haro Cuenca ‘Place with holm-oaks’ from Spanish carrascal and suffix of abundance -osa. DE HARO poss. somewhat related to a person from Haro in La Rioja or with that surname. Cariñena Zaragoza ‘Unknown Was Caraea, mentioned by Pliny. Carlet Valencia Poss. ‘Small fort’ from Arabic al-qualat. Carrascosa de Henares Guadalajara ‘Place with holm-oaks’ from Spanish carrascal and suffix of abundance -osa. DE HENARES is ‘by the river Henares’ which means ‘hay fields’ Carlota (La) Córdoba ‘The village of Charles’ Spanish. Founded by king Charles the III aiming to attract settlers Carmena Toledo Carrascosa de la Sierra Soria Uncertain 1.Poss. ‘Hill’ from Ligurian carmo ‘hill’ and locative suffix -ena. 2.Place where sheep wool is combed’ from Latin carminare ‘to combe the wool’. 3.‘Vineyard’ from Hebrew karmel. ‘Place with holm-oaks’ from Spanish carrascal and suffix of abundance -osa. DE LA SIERRA is Spanish of ‘near the mountains’ in allusion to the Sierra de Rodadero which means ‘where the stones are likely to roll down’ 79 CARRASCOSA CASAVIEJA Carrascosa del Campo Cuenca Other names for this city were Cartago Nova, Cartachada, and Carthago Spartaria. Its original name was Phoenician from quart ‘city’ and hadasht ‘new’. ‘Place with holm-oaks’ DEL CAMPO is Spanish for ‘in the fields’ for disambiguation. Carrascosa de Tajo Guadalajara ‘Place with holm-oaks’ DE TAJO means ‘near the river Tajo’ named after Roman Tagum from earlier Celtic Taio which could mean ‘cut’ or poss. from its ancient name Sauga mentioned by Pliny. ‘Moorish castle and farm-house’ from Arabic karia ‘castle of a Moorish style’ and Spanish from Arabic alquería ‘farmhouse’. Carreira Many locations in Galicia Unknown Prob ‘Place with stones’ from pre-Roman element kar ‘stone’ ‘rock’. Cartajima Málagaa Cartes Santander ‘Cart place or cart road’ from Latin carrus ‘car’. Casa Many locations Carriches Toledo ‘House’ ‘home’ Spanish from Latin casa ‘hut’ ‘cottage’ The word casa can be found often as prefix, like in Casablanca. 1.‘Land full of reed grass’ from Mozarabic carrizal. 2.‘Wodden engine for working on removing earth’ from Latin carrus ‘car’. Carrión de Calatrava Casares Málaga Ciudad ‘Place with houses’ Spanish. See CASA. Real ‘Place abounding with rocks’ from preRoman karr ‘rock and location suffix -on DE CALATRAVA ‘administered by the knights of the Order of Calatrava’. Casariche Sevilla 1.‘Rich house’ compound from Spanish casa ‘house’ and rica ‘rich’ with location suffix -che. 2. ‘Place with houses’ from Spanish casar and second element a form of pejorative suffix. This town was Ventippo and poss. Carruca. Carrión de los Cespedes Sevilla ‘Place with rocks’ DE LOS CÉSPEDES descriptive of ‘parts of the rind of vines that have been pruned’ Casas de la Reina Badajoz Carrion de los Condes ‘Houses of the Queen’ Spanish. Original name was Regina ‘queen’. Palencia ‘Place with rocks’ DE LOS CONDES ‘belonging to the counts’ with reference to owner Gómez Díaz. Castajeda Cuenca 1.‘House with a tiled roof’ from Latin casa and tectum ‘roof’ in its adjective feminine tactata. 2 ‘House with a flat roof’ from Latin casa and Catalan adjective of Spanish tallada. Carrizosa Ciudad Real ‘Place with reed grass’ Spanish carrizo equivalent to Bot. arundo phragmites Casavieja Ávila Cartagena Murcia ‘Old house’ Spanish from Latin casa ‘house’ and vieja old’ derivative of Latin vetusta and vetula ‘ancient’ ‘New Carthage’ from Greek Caratago and Nea ‘new’ 80 CASACANTE CASTELLON Cascante Navarra Castañares de las Cuevas 1.‘Place with stones’ from Celtic kas ‘stone’ and suffix -ante describing location 2.‘Place where objects are hit with utensils’ from Latin quasicare ‘to hit’ La Rioja Chestnut grove’ DE LAS CUEVAS ‘near some caves’. Castañares de Rioja La Rioja ‘Chestnut grove’ DE RIOJA ‘in the region named Rioja’ because of its river Oja which means ‘abundant in vegetation’ from Basque oian ‘wood’ or from Latin folia and Spanish hoja ‘leave’ Cascajares de Bureba Burgos ‘Place abounding in little stones’ Spanish casacajos ‘gravel’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from old Borovia and original Virobia of unknown meaning Castaño de Robledo Huelva Caserío Many locations ‘Chestnut tree’ DE ROBLEDO Spanish for ‘of the oak grove’ an apparent oxymoron ‘Small Hamlet’ Spanish from Latin casa ‘house’ and Basque uri ‘place’ or Latin eru with identical meaning. Castejon de Monegros Huesca Ca’s in Balearic Islands ‘Small camp’ from Latin castrelum diminutive of castrum ‘fortress’ DE MONEGROS a wide district meaning ‘black mountains ridge’ ‘The house of’ a common Catalan prefix alluding to place possession. Caspe Zaragoza Castelar de Santiago Unknown Poss. ‘Under the rock’ from Iberian Basque aitz ‘rock’ and suffix -pe ‘below’ ‘under’ ‘in the lower part’. Ciudad Real ‘Protected garrison’ from Latin castellum ‘castle’ with location suffix -ar. Other names for this site were Castelar de la Mata and Mencaliz. DE SANTIAGO ‘under the authority of the knights of the Order of Saint James’ Cassa de la Selva Gerona 1.‘Place of Casiano da Silva’, patronymic name of owner, Cassisanus de Silav from Latin Catius, documented. 2. Literally ‘Green house in the wilds’ from Catalan cassa ‘construction meant to house plants inside’ DE LA SELVA ‘by the wild forest’. ‘Protected garrison’ DE SANTISTEBAN Santisteban’ Castalla Alicante Castelbó León Castelar de Santisteban Jaen ‘Castle’ from Latin castellum ‘castle’. ‘near the town ‘Handsome fortified camp’ from Latin castellum and French commendatory beau ‘beautiful’. Castanesa Huesca ‘Place with chestnut trees’ from Greek kastanon ‘and Latin castanea. Castellón de Ampurias Gerona Castañares Burgos ‘Chestnut grove’ from Greek kastanon ‘Small fort’ DE AMPURIAS ‘near Ampurias’ derived from Greek Emporium. Castañares de Ibor Cáceres Castellón de la Plana Castellón ‘Chestnut grove’ DE IBOR is word that means ‘water stream’ from the same pre-HinduEuropean root of Iberia and Ebro. ‘Military position well protected in the Plain’ from Latin castellum, diminutive of castrum. DE LA PLANA ‘the one in the plain region’ Spanish for disambiguation. 81 CASTELLON CASTILLO Castellón de Rugat Valencia Castilmimbre Guadalajara Castellote Teruel Castilleja de Guzmán Sevilla ‘Small fort in the Rugat area’ DE RUGAT ‘undulated terrain’ from Catalan ruga ‘wrinkle’. Prob. ‘Yellow fort’ from castelum ‘small and fortified post’ and ambarelum ‘yellow’. ‘Small fort’ from Latin castelum and Spanish diminutive suffix -eja. DE GUZMÁN is an illustrious family name, Guzmán, Spanish from Germanic ‘man of god’. ‘Fortified camp’ from Latin castelum diminutive of castrum ‘small fort’ with suffix of location -otis. Castell de Castells Alicante ‘Fort of Castles’ from Latin castelum ‘military post’ ‘castle’. Before its incorporation to the dominions of the Order of Calatrava, its name was Castillo de Serella. Castilleja de la Cuesta Sevilla ‘Small fort’. DE LA CUESTA ‘the one uphill’ Spanish. Castilleja del Campo Sevilla Castelvell Tarragona ‘Small fort’ from Latin Spanish diminutive suffix -eja. DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the field’ Spanish for disambiguation. ‘Old fort’ from Latin castelum ‘fort’ and castrum ‘military post’ and Catalan vellard ‘ancient’ Ancient name was Castri Veteri. Castillejar Granada Castelserás Teruel Small fort’ with Spanish location suffix -ejar. Once was Castilleja and Al-Quaiyat, Arabic identical with Alcalá ‘castle’ ‘fortress’. 1.‘Stronghold of Caesar’ from Latin castellum ‘fort’ and assumed Caesar. 2.‘Tower of seroons’ from Spanish Serôn and adjective serona ‘panier used for transport of earthen fruits and minerals’ 3.‘Castle of *Sarius’ poss. from Latin personal name Sarius. Castillejo de Iniesta Valladolid ‘Small fort’ and Spanish pejorative -ejo. DE INIESTA is derived from Latin genesta ‘feather grass’ Castil de Lences Burgos ‘Fortified place near Lences’ from Castellum ‘small fort’ LENCES is pre-Roman of unknown origin. 1.Poss. ‘Lances’ from Spanish lanzas. 2.Poss. ‘Clothes’ from Spanish lienzos Castillejo del Romeral Cuenca Small fort’ ROMERAL Spanish for ‘place abounding with rosemary’. Castillejo de Albaráñez Cuenca ‘Small fort’. DE ALBARAÑEZ is family name of Germanic origin all-war ‘all protected’ and genitive patronymic -añez. Castildelgado Burgos ‘Small fort of Delgado’ family name of possessor bishop Delgado ‘thin.’ Castil de Peones Burgos Poss. ‘Small and protected place of daylabourers’ in Spanish. Castillo de Bayuela Toledo ‘Castle of Bayuela’ Spanish castillo ‘castle’. BAYUELA is Arabic bal-ala for ‘valley of the blessing’. Castil de Vela Palencia ‘Protected observation place’ from Latin castelum and Spanish vela ‘watch’. 82 CASTILLO CASTROVIEJO Castillo de Guardas Sevilla Castrogonzalo Zamora ‘Fort of Gonzalo’ a personal name of Germanic origin from gundis ‘battel’ and alv ‘elf’. ‘Castle of guards’ Spanish. Castillo de Locubin Jaén 1.‘Castle of eagles’ from Arabic hisn alhicibin. 2.‘Castle of Ben Curba’ from Arab possessor Aben-Curba. Castromocho Palencia ‘Truncated fort’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ ‘caster’ and Spanish mocho ‘lopped’ ‘smashed’. Castralvo Teruel Castromonte Valladolid ‘White fort’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ and albus ‘white.’ ‘Fort on a hill’ from Spanish castro and monte ‘mountain’ ‘hill’. Castril Granada Castronuño Valladolid ‘Small fort’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ and diminutive suffix -il. ‘Fort of Nuño’ family name from Latin Nonnius ‘(born) ninth.’ Castrillo de Duero Valladolid Castropol Asturias ‘Small fort’ with diminutive -illo. DE DUERO ‘the one by the river Duero’ from Celtic Durius of unknown meaning, Latinized as Dorius ‘Doric’ ‘Fortified place’ from castrum ‘fort’ and second element probably 1. ‘village’ from pola ‘village’ a derivative of Latin populus. 2. ‘place of Pablo’ from Latin personal name Paulus. Castrillo de la Reina Burgos ‘Small fort’ DE LA REINA ‘reporting directly to the Queen’ Castroserna Segovia ‘Fort by the serna’ from Latin castrum and Spanish serna ‘a territorial division for cultivating purposes’ from Celtic senara. Castrillo de Villavega Palencia ‘Small fort’ DE VILLAVEGA ‘village on the district of Vega’ which means ‘riverbank’ 1.’The fort of Obarto’ hypothetical personal name of possessor. Was once Castrodevarto and Castro de Obarto. 2. ‘Old fort’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ and veterus ‘veteran’. Castrourdiales Cantabria 1.‘Fort near some pasture’ from Basque urba ‘pasture’ and Spanish plural suffix -ales. 2.‘Fort containing barley plant’ from Latin castrum and hordeum ‘barley’ 3.‘Fort of Vardal people’ a tribe who poss. inhabited the area. Castro del Río Córdoba Castro Verde Lugo Castrobarto Burgos ‘Fort’ DEL RIO ‘on the river’ meaning the river Guadajoz ‘Salted’ from Mozarabic Guadaxo ‘Green fort’ Spanish. Castro Verde de Cerrato León ‘Green fort’ Spanish DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Castrojeriz Burgos ‘Fort of Sigerico’ a personal name of Germanic origin from sig ‘powerful’ and rik ‘victor’ Castroviejo La Rioja ‘Old fort’ from Spanish viejo ‘old’ vetus in Latin. 83 CEDEIRA CATALUÑA Cataluña Cataluña DE LA SIERRA means here ‘at the foot of the Northern Mountains near Sevilla’ Uncertain 1.‘Land of the castle’ from Catalan castell ‘castle’ and second element derived from land. 2.‘Land of Goths’ from a hypothetical Goth-landia. 3. ‘Land of the Goths and Alan peoples’ from a longer name goth-alan-landia. 4.‘Land of the Lacetani people’ an Iberian tribe. 5.‘Land of castle dwellers’ from Spanish castellanos ‘inhabitants of castles’ Cazlona Jaen Obscure 1.‘Small fort’ derived from its prob. ancient name Castulo. 2.‘Elevated place’ from Hindu-European kast ‘high’ and suffix -ul ‘place’ 3.‘Water container’ from late Latin casula or cazula ‘capsule’. Cazorla Jaen Poss. ‘Fort Aurelia’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ and Latin personal name Aurelia ‘golden’ Catarroja Valencia ‘The red portion of land’ from Arabic quat-a ‘plot’ and Spanish roja ‘red’. Cea Orense Cati Castellón 1.Poss. ‘Rough soil’ from Celtic ceart. 2.Shortened form of its ancient name Arasacia. Poss. 1.‘The place of the judge’ from Arabic caid ‘judge’. 2.’Water pool’ from Latin catinus ‘recipient’. Cea León 1.Poss. ‘Rough soil’ from Celtic ceart. Catllar Tarragona Cebreros Ávila ‘Place protected by a castle’ from late Latin casteliar. Uncertain 1.‘Place frequented by wild donkeys’ from Spanish cebro derived from Latin equi ‘horse’ and ferus ‘fiery’ 2.‘Place of holly-trees’ from cebros identical with acebos ‘holly-tree’ Bot. ilex acquifolium Caudete Albacete ‘Fountain’ from Arabic al-qabda derived from Latin acqua. Was once caput aquae ‘fountain head’ Caudete de las Fuentes Valencia ‘Source of the fountains’ from Arabic alqabda ‘fountain’ and Spanish fuente. Cebrones del Río Leon Uncertain Meaning options as in CEBREROS. DEL RIO is Spanish for ‘by the river’ in this instance the river Orbigo of Nordic origin containing the onomatopoeic root orw ‘sound of the water flowing’ Caudiel Castellón ‘Place with a fountain’ from Arabic alqabda and Mozarabic locative suffix -iel, ‘place’. Ceclavín Caceres Cazalilla Jaen Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Wine cellar’ from Latin cellavini 2.‘Place inhabited by slaves’ from Mozarabic siklabin ‘slaves’ ‘Small hamlet a diminutive of Spanish casal ‘hamlet’ with suffix -illa. Cazalla de la Sierra Sevilla 'The castle near the Sierra’ from Arabic element kasar ‘palace’ ‘castle’ derived from Latin castella. Was ancient Calentum a city of the Callensis tribe mentioned by Pliny. Cedeira La Coruña Unclear Prob.1. ‘Fish tank’ from Latin cetarea. 2.‘Ceddar grove’ from Spanish cedro derived from Latin cedrus ‘cedar’ 84 CEDILLO CERCEDA Cedillo de la Torre Segovia 1.‘Small property’ from Arabic caid ‘lord’ and suffix-illo ‘small’. 2.‘Field’ from Latin caelicio ‘field’. DE LA TORRE ‘the one with a tower’ which can be seen in the main square, to provide disambiguation. Celra Gerona ‘Place of Celerano’ a personal Latin name meaning ‘quick’. Was Celerano in the x century. Cendejas de la Torre Guadalajara ‘Grey terrain’ from late Latin cinisia ‘ash’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with a tower’ addition of the type required for differentiation. Cedillo del Condado Toledo 1.‘Small property’ from Arabic caid ‘lord’ and suffix-illo ‘small’. 2.‘Field’ from Latin Caelicio ‘field’. DEL CONDADO ‘property of the count of Cedillo Hernando Álvarez de Toledo’ Cenia Tarragona ‘Flour mill’ from Arabic saniya ‘mill powered by water’. Cegama Guipúzcoa Cenicero La Rioja Poss. ‘Large meadow’ from Celtic zeg ‘valley by the river’ and Basque ama ‘mother’ ‘big’. ‘Place with ashes’ from its ancient Latin name Cinnesario ‘deposit of ashes after burning for useful purposes’. Ceheguín Murcia Cenicientos Madrid ‘Place of the Zenehegi’ an Arab family who settled in the village in the VIII century. ‘Grey fields’ Spanish from Latin cinis ‘ash’. Cenzano La Rioja Ceinos de Campos Valladolid Poss. ‘Mills in the Campos district’ from muiño ‘mill’ in Galician DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a natural territory occupying parts of three provinces. ‘Grey terrain’ from late Latin cenizano derived from cinis and location suffix -no ‘looking like’. Cepeda Salamanca ‘Place defended with trunks of trees’ from Latin cippus. Celada del Camino Burgos 1.‘Protected place’ from Latin celata ‘hidden’. in the Way of St. James’ DEL CAMINO ‘in the pilgrim’s Way of St. James’ Cepeda de la Mora Ávila Cela locations in Galicia ‘Sawing workshop in elevated site’ from Basque sera ‘saw’ and -ain ‘high place’. ‘Wooden for in the Mora district’ DE LA MORA means ‘of the Moor’ or ‘Moorish’. Ceraín Guipúzcoa 1. ‘Cell’ ‘Cellar’ from Latin cella ‘cell’ 2. ‘Chapel’ shortening from Latin capela. Cercadillo Guadalajara ‘Place small and protected’ from cercado ‘enclosed’ and diminutive suffix -illo. Celanova Orense ‘New monastery’ from Latin cella ‘cell’ synecdoche for ‘monastery’. Cerceda Guadalajara ‘Cherry tree orchard’ from late Latin cerasia derived from Greek kerasos ‘cherry’ Cellorigo La Rioja ‘Granary’ from Latin cell ‘cell’ and horreum ‘granary’ derived from Greek oreion. 85 CEREZOS CEVICO Cerezos de Arriba Segovia Cervera del Río Alama ‘Cherry tree plantation’ from late Latin cerasios ‘cherry trees’ DE ARRIBA ‘the one high above’ for disambiguation. La Rioja ‘Place with deer’ DEL RÍO ALAMA ‘on the banks of the river Alama’ from Arabic alhama ‘warm waters’ Cerezo de Rio Tiron Burgos Cervera del Rio Pisuerga ‘Cherry tree plantation’ DE TIRON ‘on the banks of the river Tiron’ hydronym of Nordic origin from hypothetical Tirgo in the territory of the Autrigoni tribe. León ‘Place with deer’ DEL RIO PISUERGA ‘by the river Pisuerga’ the origin of the name could be from Pisaurus after Greek pisos ‘meadow’ and auros ‘golden’ resulting in Pisorica and hence Pisuerga Cerollera Teruel ‘Field with waxy corn’ from cera ‘wax’ and cerollo from Latin sericulus ‘corn harvested before time’ Cervillego de la Cruz Valladolid ‘Place with deer’ with derogatory suffix -ejo. DE LA CRUZ is commemorative of a religious celebration taking place once a year in the village. Cerro Multiple locations ‘Hill’ Spanish Cervantes Lugo 1.‘Place of Servantio’ from Latin personal name Servantius ‘servant’ 2.‘Place frequented by deer flock’ from Latin cervus ‘deer’. Cestafe Álava Prob. ‘Tainted’ ‘Burnt’ from Basque zetaue its ancient name Cestona Guipúzcoa Cervello Barcelona ‘Place frequented by deer flock’ from Latin cervus ‘deer’ and Catalan lloc ‘place’. Prob. ‘Place with burnt logs and splinters’ from Basque zitz ‘splinter’ and suffix ONA ‘here’ Cervera Cuenca Cetina Zaragoza Poss. ‘Place of Cetino’ an assumed personal name from Cettin a divinity. An alternative, though unlikely suggestion, points to adjective cetus ‘cetacean’. ’Place with deer flock’ from late Latin cervaria ‘deer grounds’ Cervera Lérida ‘Place with deer flock’ Ceuta Ceuta ‘Seven brothers’ from Latin septem fratres shortened to septa ‘seventh’ and Arabized as sebta with the same meaning. Cervera del Maestre Castellón ‘Place with deer’ DEL MAESTRE is a reference to the Master of a Knighthood Order of Malta, who ruled in the area knowns as Maestrazgo Ceutí Murcia Prob. ‘Place of a person from Ceuta’ or ‘place inhabited by people coming from Ceuta’. Cervera de los Montes Toledo ‘Place with deer flock’ DE LOS MONTES ‘the one by the Montes de Toledo’ a mountain range which runs horizontally in the middle of Spain. Cevico de la Torre Palencia Prob. ‘Village by the tower’ from Latin vicus ‘village’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with tower’ added to obtain distinction. 86 CHILOECHES CEVICO Cevico Navero Palencia Prob. ‘Village on the flat part of land’ from Latin vicus and Spanish nava ‘plain grounds’ Cheles Badajoz ‘Small plains’ Mozarabic backformation of Latin planellas ‘small plains’ as in planelles. Cha Several location in Galicia Chelva Valencia ‘Prairie’ ‘plot’ ‘green field’ from Galician vernacular. ‘Forest’ from earlier Latin silva ‘forest’ Spanish selva. An assimilation of original Iberian Basque name Incibilis mentioned by Pliny. Chaín Several location in Galicia ‘Prairie’ ‘green vernacular. field’ from Galician Chert Castellon Chamartín de la Rosa Madrid Prob. ‘Safe place’ from Latin certus ‘certain’ ‘sure’. Uncertain 1.‘Prairie of Martín’ from Galician cha 2.‘Home of Martin’ from French chez ‘home of’ 3.‘House of Martin’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ 4.‘Village of Captain Martin’ from Basque Aita which could change to echa ‘father’ 5.‘Saint Martin’s’ from Galician 6.‘Village of Martin’ from late Basque -etxe ‘belonging to’ DE LA ROSA ‘of La Rosa’ with reference to early possessor the marquis de las Rosas. Cheste Valencia Prob. ‘Fort’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ identical with English suffix -chester. Chia Huesca Unknown Doubtless a derivative of its ancient name Gia Chiclana de la Frontera Cadiz 1.‘Flat village’ from Latin vicus ‘village’ and adjective plana ‘flat’ 2.‘City of the Sicilian settler’ from a assumed patronymic Siculana ‘Sicilian’. Prob. was the site of one amongst several candidate old names such as Cipia, Carpagum, or Ituci this last one mentioned by Appian. DE LA FRONTERA ‘of the frontier’ facing the Moorish territory for disambiguation with next entry. Chan Several locations in Galicia ‘Plot’ ‘ground’ expressed in Galician Chao Several locations in Galicia ‘Prairie’ ‘flat vernacular terrain’ from Galician Chamorro Several locations ‘Granary on flat ground’ from Galician with second element Latin horreum and Spanish horreo ‘granary’ Chiclana de Segura Jaen Cf. CHICANA DE LA FRONTERA DE SEGURA ‘in the Segura district’ meaning unknown related to the mountain range in its proximity. Chapinería Madrid ‘Flat prairie amongst pines’ compound from Galician cha ‘flat ground’ and piñeira ‘pinewood’ Chiloeches Guadalajara Unknown 1.Poss. ‘Place of good waters’ from Celtic prefix su- ‘best’ and second element lovacte ‘fountain head’ modified by the Arabs as Xiloache. 2.‘Whitestones’ from Mozarabic saxis ‘stones’ equivalent to Italian sasso and second part albis ‘white’ Charco Several locations ‘Pool of standing water’ ‘pond’ Spanish. Checa Guadalajara Unknown Prob. site of ancient city Urbiaca mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. 87 CHILLON CIGOÑA 3.‘House built with stones’ Basque compound of etxe ‘house’ and ari ‘stone’ compounded ar-i-eche. 4.‘Place with holm-oaks’ based on the Latin stem querqus ‘oak’ Ciempozuelos Madrid Prob.1.’Small field’ from late Latin campus and diminutive suffix -elo. 2. ‘Many small wells’ from Spanish cien metaphoric ‘one hundred’ and second element pozos ‘wells’ with location pejorative suffix -elo. Chillón Ciudad Real Unknown Ancient name was pre-Roman Sisapon and Arabic Shillon. Cierva (La) Several locations ‘The hind’ Spanish. Chimillas Huesca Cienfuegos Asturias Prob. ‘Small mosques’ Arabic from original Gimellas. ‘Many fireplaces’ from Spanish cien ‘one hundred’ and fuego ‘fire’ ‘fireplace’ Chinchilla de Montearagón Cíes Islas in Galicia Albacete ‘Place where hawthorn bushes grew’ from Latin sentix ‘hawthorn’ and diminutive -illa. DE MONTEARAGON ‘near the castle of Montearagon’ joining the first element monte ‘hill’ with the name of the kingdom. Unknown Without doubt a derivative of ancient name Siccae mentioned by Pliny. Cieza Murcia Unknown Present rendering of its old name Segisa mentioned by Ptolemy. Chinchón Madrid Cifuentes Guadalajara ‘Circus’ backformation of its Latin name circum. ‘Many fountains’ from Spanish cien ‘one hundred’ fuentes ‘fountains’ ’water springs’. Chino de Carballo Lugo ‘Oak’s corner’ from Galician carballo which means ‘oak’ Cigales Valladolid Prob. ‘Prison’ from Basque ziga ‘prison’ ‘dungeon’ and location suffix -ales ‘more than one’. Chipiona Cadiz ‘Scipio’s place’ from Latin name of Conqueror Scipio after victory against Carthaginians. Was Scipiona and Caepioni Cigarral Toledo ‘Place where cicadas are heard’ suggesting the outskirts of the city from Spanish cigarra ‘cicada’ and suffix al ‘place with’. Chiprana Zaragoza Prob. ‘Place of Cipriano’ after Roman personal name Ciprianus ‘native of Cyprus. Cigarrosa Orense ‘Town of the Guigurru people’ from its ancient name Guigurra mentioned by Pliny. Cicujano Vitoria Poss. ‘Cicero’s place’ from Latin Cicuianus a diminutive of nickname Cicero which means ‘chick-pea’. Cigoña Asturias 1.‘Place of the stork’ from Spanish cigüeña derived from Latin Ciconia. 2.‘Place belonging to Cicio’ from Latin personal name Cicio, abbreviation of nick name Cicero ‘chick-pea’. Cidamón La Rioja ‘Town on a hill’ contraction from Latin civitas ‘city’ and mons ‘hill’ ‘mountain’. 88 CIGUENZA CISLA Ciguenza Burgos Cintruéñigo Navarra Prob. ‘Place of the Centroni people’ Celtic name of the Centroni tribe mentioned by Pliny. Was known as Centronico before and after the Arab epoch. ‘Place of victory’ or ‘Victoriano’ from its ancient name Segontia derived from Germanic segi ‘victory.’ Cigudosa Soria Prob. ‘Place belonging to Cicio’ personal name from Latin Cicio or Germanic Segi ‘victorious’ Cirat Castellon 1.‘Cultivated field’ from Arabic assirat meaning the ‘furrowed land’. 2.‘Place by the road’ from Latin strata later changed by the Arabs in Assirat. Ciguñuela Valladolid Prob. 1. ‘Place frequented by storks’ from Spanish cigüeña ‘stork’ derived from Latin Ciconia. 2.‘Place of Sigi’ from Germanic personal name Segi ‘victory’ and suffix -ela ‘place’ Cirauqui Navarra Unknown Poss. ‘Place with snakes’ from Basque zirau ‘snake’ ‘viper.’ Cihuela Soria Ciria Soria Unknown Its name under the Arabs was Chella converted by Christians in Zuella before present Cihuela. Unknown Poss. ‘Place of Siro’ personal name from French sieur and ultimately Greek Kyrios ‘lord’ Cihuri La Rioja Cirueches Guadalajara Uncertain 1.‘Village with a bridge’ from Basque zubi ‘bridge’ and uri ‘hamlet’ ‘dwelling’. 2.‘Village of Cicio’ assumed personal name od owner. ‘Place with plum trees’ from Spanish ciruela ‘plum fruit’ and location suffix eches from Basque etxe ‘house’. Ciruelos Toledo Cillas Several locations ‘Place with plum trees’ from Spanish ciruela ‘plum fruit’ and location suffix elos ‘plural’ ‘Granaries’ from Latin cella ‘cells’ Cilleros Cáceres Ciruelos de Cervera Burgos ‘Granaries’ ‘Place with plum trees’ from Spanish ciruela ‘plum fruit’ and location suffix elos ‘plural’. DE CERVERA ‘Place frequented by deer’ for disambiguation. Cilleruelo Burgos ‘Small granary’ from Latin cella ‘cell’ and diminutive suffix -elo. Cimadevilla Asturias ‘Top of the village’ ‘uptown’ Spanish cima de villa. from Cirueña La Rioja Prob. ‘Place of Simeon’ Hebrew personal name of meaning unknown DE LA VEGA means ‘fertile land by the river’ in this instance pointing at the Esla of Nordic etymology, poss. stou ‘river’ Unknown 1.‘Place with plum-trees’ from Spanish ciruela and suffix eña ‘belonging to’. 2.‘Place of Siro’ from Latin personal name. 3.‘Place with a wooden signal’ or ‘place where timber blocks are kept’ from Basque zur ‘wood cut’. Cinctorres Castellón Cisla Ávila Cimanes de la Vega León ‘Five towers’ from Spanish cinco torres. Prob. ‘Town of Cisila’ from pre-Roman Germanic name Cixila. 89 COBRECES CISNEROS Clot Eastern and Northern Spain Cisneros Palencia ‘Hole’ ‘pit’ ‘foss’ from Celtic kiotton related to Latin fovea. These were holes made to favour the growth of plants 1.‘Place where ashes are kept’ from late Latin cicinus and Spanish cenizas ‘ashes’ identical with CENICEROS. 2.‘Place of swan shepherds’ from Spanish cisne ‘swan’. Coba in Galicia ‘Cave’ Galician Cisterniga Valladolid Cobarrubia Soria ‘Town with a cistern’ from Spanish or Latin cisterna and suffix -iga ‘place’. 1.‘Reddish cave’ from Galician coba and rubia ‘blonde’ ‘reddish’. 2.‘Cave by the river-bank’ from combination of Galician coba ‘cave and Latin ripa ‘shore’ 3.‘Cave by shallow part of the river’ from a compound of Galician coba and Basque ibi ‘river pass’. Ciudadela Balearic Islands ‘Citadel’ from Latin civitas and Spanish ciudad with diminutive -ela added. Ciudad Real Ciudad Real ‘Royal city’ ‘city that belongs to the Crown’ Spanish. Cobdar Almería Ciudad Rodrigo Salamanca ‘Place on top of the mountain’ from Arabic quabda ‘peak of amountain or hill’. 1.‘Fort of Miro’ from its Celtic name Mirobriga, whence Robriga. 2.‘City of Rodrigo’ from its medieval possessor the count Rodrigo Gonzalez Girón Apart from Mirobriga mentioned by Ptolemy, there have been identifications with Augustobriga, dedicated to the emperor, and with Lancia Trascudana Cobeja Toledo ‘Small cave’ from Galician coba ‘cave and diminutive -eja ‘small’. Cobeña Madrid 1.‘Small cave’ from Galician coba ‘cave and diminutive -iña ‘small’ 2.‘Place near the limit’ from Latin confinia. Covenna was recorded. Cicurquil Guipúzcoa ‘Place where timber logs are kept’ from Basque zur and izur ‘wood’ and suffix -kin ‘left over’ Cobos in Galicia Claramunt in Catalonia ‘Clear hill’ from Catalan clara ‘clear’ and munt ‘hill’ and earlier Latin mons clarus meaning ‘land without vegetation’. 1.’Bee-hives’ from Latin cavo ‘hole’. 2.‘Refuge of wild animals’ from Sephardic Hebrew covo with identical meaning. Claravalls Lérida Cobos de Cerrato Palencia ‘Bee-hives’ DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ ‘Clear valley’ from Catalan clara ‘clear’ and vall ‘valley’ from an earlier Latin vallis clarus meaning ‘valley without vegetation’. Clavijo La Rioja Cobreces Cantabria ‘Place where clove spices grew’ from Latin clavillum. Site of a famous battle against the Moors. Unknown Prob. Celtic name with an earlier form Caoprices. 90 COLMENAR COCA Cogollos Burgos Coca Segovia 1.‘Top of an elevated situation’ from Latin cuculus ‘bonnet’ ‘hood’. 2.‘Place with houses piled up on a hill’ from the same Latin root 3.‘Place with shoots of plants’ from Spanish cogollos. ‘Place of the Caucensi people’. The Caucenses were one of the vaccaei tribes mentioned by both Pliny and Strabo. Its ancient name was Cauca. Cocentaina Alicante Unknown 1.‘Place of Constantino’ from assumed Latin personal name Constantinus ‘son of Constantin’. 2.‘Place of the Contestant people’ an assumed Iberian tribe preserved in the Mozarabic name Qustantaniya. Cogolludo Guadalajara 1.‘Top of an elevated situation’ from Latin cuculus ‘bonnet’ ‘hood’. 2.‘Place with houses piled up on a hill’ from the same Latin root. 3.‘Place with plenty of cogollos’ from Spanish cogolludo. Codeso in Galicia ‘Place where laburnum plants grew’ from Latin cutisum and Greek kytisos. Bot. adenocarpus foliolosus or laburnum alpinum. Coin Málaga Codina in Catalonia Coiñas in Galicia Codosera La Badajoz Coiro in Galicia Codoñera La Teruel Colmenar Málaga Cofiñal León Prob. ‘Frontier’ referred to the limits with Cantabria, derived from Latin confinium ‘limit’ ‘end’ Uncertain 1.‘Place where bee-hives are kept’ ‘apiary’ from the Latin verb cummulare ‘to collect’. whence Spanish colmenar. 2.‘Straw piles’ from Celtic kolmos. 3.‘Small column’ from Latin columna and diminutive suffix- ela, changed to -ena. Cofrentes Valencia Colmenar de Arroyo Madrid ‘Fort of Dacuan’ after name of Arab possessor Dakvan. Once known as Castro Dzcuan. ‘Earth which is hard to cultivate’ from Latin cotina ‘made of stone’. ‘Place where cabbage is grown’ in Galician idiom. ‘Place where leather can be found’ from vernacular Galician identical with Spanish cuero’ ‘The place with plenty of laburnum herbs’ from Spanish codeso and location suffix-era ‘place having’. ‘The quince-tree orchard’ from Catalan codonyer ‘quince-tree’ and location suffix -era ‘place’. Prob. ‘Apiary’ DE ARROYO ‘by disambiguation. ‘Converging waters’ from its Roman name confluentum ‘confluent’ referred to rivers Cabriel and Jücar the brook’ for Colmenar de la Sierra Cogollor Guadalajara Guadalajara COLMENAR Prob. ‘Apiary’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one near the mountains’ for disambiguation. 1.‘Top of an elevated situation’ from Latin Cuculus ‘bonnet’ ‘hood’ 2.‘Place with shoots of plants’ from Spanish cogollo. 91 COLMENAR CONFORCOS Latin locative suffix -illa, as in Castilla ‘land of Castles’ Colmenar de Oreja Madrid Prob. ‘Apiary’ DE OREJA in Spanish means ‘of the ear’ and is a mutation from the original Latin Aurelianus. Compludo Leon Unknown Prob. Celtic with the same root as Cumplutum the Latin name of city Alcala de Henares. Colmenarejo Madrid ‘Small apiary’ from Latin Cummulare ‘to collect’ and diminutive suffix -ejo. Compostela (Santiago de) La Coruña Uncertain 1.‘Little and harmonious place’ from Latin Composita ‘well formed’ and late Latin diminutive -ella. 2. ‘Earth that has been fertilized’ from Latin composta ‘compost’ instead of composita. 3. ‘Apostle’s field’ from Latin campus apostoli. 4. ‘Starry field’ from Latin campus stelae. DE SANTIAGO in reference to the tradition which places the tomb of Saint Jacques in this city. Colmenarejo Viejo Madrid ‘Small apiary’ with derogatory suffix -ejo. Second part is meant to avoid ambiguation in this instance Spanish viejo ‘old’ Colomera Asturias ‘Dove cot’ from Latin Columba ‘dove’ and location suffix -era ‘place with’. Colunga Asturias ‘Long slope’ from Latin colla lunga ‘long slope of a hill’. Col Lérida, Comunion Álava ‘Hill’ from Latin collis ‘hill’. ‘Common field’ from Latin communis ‘common’ ‘public’. Collado de Contreras Ávila ‘Village on a slope’ from Latin collis, whence Spanish collado. DE CONTRERAS is anthroponym with reference to the Contreras family. Concabela Málaga ‘Beautiful basin’’ from Latin concha ‘shell’ and concavus same root as in the place name Cuenca. Second element is commendatory bella ‘beautiful’ Collado Mediano Madrid ‘Village on a slope’ MEDIANO means ‘in the middle’ chosen for disambiguation with prior place name. Condado de Castilnovo ‘Village on slight slope’ VILLALBA was its older name which means ‘white village’ Segovia Literally ‘County by the new castle’ from Spanish condado and late Latin CastilNovo ‘new castle’ thus the whole name is descriptive of a village with a new castle within the county area. Comares Málaga Conesa Catalonia Collado Villalba Madrid ‘Castle on a high place’ from Arabic hins ‘castle’ comarix or qumaris ‘hights’ The name is a transformation of Gaelic element Cumba, whence Coma. Unknown Suggestions. 1. ‘Small church’ from Mozarabic conesa. 2. ‘Compact’ from Latin condesa. Comillas Cantabria Conforcos Asturias 1. ‘Paths that converge’ from late Latin furcos ‘forks’, and prefix -cum ‘with’ ‘together.’ ‘Flat depression of land in the mountains' from Gaelic Cumba with 92 CORGO CONGOSTO 2.‘Hideouts’ Confurcos. from vernacular Bable Contrueces Asturias 1.‘Abandoned land’ ‘uncultivated and full of weeds’ from Latin terra ‘land’ contorta ‘entangled’ plus suffix of location -ces ‘thereby’. 2. ‘Piece of land received after partition’ from sortium and tsortium Spanish trozo ‘bit’. Congosto Several locations Prob. 1. ‘Narrow pass’ from Latin collum angostus ‘pass’ ‘narrow’. 2. ‘Warehouse fort the transportation of merchandise’ from Latin congestus ‘stocks’ Copons Barcelona Congosto de Valdavia Palencia Poss. ‘’Traveller’s shelter’ from Latin cauponae ‘place of refreshment for travellers’ Cf. prior entry CONGOSTO DE VALDAVIA ‘on the valley of the river Abia’ a pre-Roman name of unknown meaning. A less likely interpretation can be found in val-da-via meaning ‘valley of the way’ referred to its situation in the Camino de Santiago or ‘Way of Saint Jacques’. Corbera Tarragona ‘Crow’s nest’ from Latin corvus ‘crow’ and locative suffix -era ‘place for’. Corcos Valladolid 1.‘Gnarled (prob. oaks)’ from Latin contortus ‘gnarled’ 2.‘Junction’ from Latin furcos ‘forks’ Confrides Alicante Prob. ‘Country house of Godofredo’ from juxtaposition of its Arabic name aljofra and Germanic personal name Godofredus ‘God’s peace’. Corcubion La Coruña ‘Curved pond’ from archaic Galician corcu ‘round’ and beon ‘lagoon’. Conil Cádiz Prob. 1.‘Place of the Conii people’ from the name of a Phoenician tribe 2. ‘Warren’ from Latin cuniculus ‘rabbit’ Conquista Córdoba ‘Conquered conquissita. place’ from late Cordoba Córdoba Unknown Poss. ‘Precious city’ from commendatory Phoenician karta ‘precious’ and tuba ‘city’ Was Colonia Corduba in Roman period. Latin Cordovilla Salamanca ‘Little Cordoba’ from Mozarabic diminutive -illa ‘small’ with reference to the city of Córdoba. Constanti Tarragona 1.‘Faithful’ from Latin adjective constans in reference to the town’s fidelity to the Roman cause. 2.‘Place of Constantine’ from Latin personal name of assumed owner Contantius ‘constant’. Cordobilla La Real Palencia, ‘Little Cordoba’ from Mozarabic diminutive -illa ‘small’ compared with Córdoba. LA REAL ‘the one belonging to the Crown’ for differentiation with another Cordobilla. Constantina Sevilla ‘Faithful’ from its Roman town name Constantina Julia. Iberian name was Laconimurgi the capital of a homonym tribe. Corgo in Galicia and other regions ‘Water retention from a river’ often used to dress wool, from a Galician term derived from Gaelic corgo ‘coil’ ‘cavity’ with various meanings such as ‘water collected for moving mills’ ‘rain pond’, Consuegra Toledo. Unknown Without doubt derived from an ancient name which appear documented as Consubura or Consaburum a city mentioned by Pliny. 93 CORIA CORTINA deposit of water for irrigation’ and ‘narrow path between fenced fields’ Corral de Almaguer Toledo ‘Farmyard’ Spanish corral from late Latin currale ‘ground circle made up with carts’ DE ALMAGUER is Arabic from 1. almuguir ‘the keeper’ or 2. alma-Magued ‘fountain of Magued’. Coria Caceres Unknown Poss. 1. ‘High place’ Phoenician Its pre-Roman name was cauria, caurita and carium. 2.‘Place of Carian people’ from settlers coming from the province of Caria in Asia Minor. The expression ‘Coria’s fool’ is curiously reminiscent of Greek root kauros ‘simpleton’. Corral Rubio Albacete ‘Farmyard’ Spanish corral from late Latin currale ‘ground circle made up with carts’ RUBIO is Spanish for ‘reddish’ ‘blonde’ ‘yellow’. Coria del Río Sevilla, Corredoria In Galicia As shown in CORIA. DEL RIO ‘by the river’ with reference to the Guadalquivir, an Arabic hydronym meaning ‘big’ from wad-al-kabir ‘Cart track between two or more estates’ in Galician language. Corres Álava Prob. ‘Place where juniper herbs grew’ from Basque orre ‘common juniper’. Cormenzana Burgos Prob. ‘House by the top of the hill’ from Basque oro ‘hight’ and second element mendi ‘hill’ with suffix -a ‘that one’ and prefix C’a indicative of a house. Cortagada Several locations in Galicia ‘Place with cork-trees’ from Latin cortex ‘cork’ and suffix ada ‘area where they can be found’ Cornago La Rioja 1.‘Place of the channel of water’ from cuérnago derivative of kaornega ‘irrigation channel’. 2.‘Place chosen for the sounding of the horn’ from Latin cornus ‘horn’ but seems unlikely. Cortegana Huelva ‘Place with cork-trees’ from Latin cortex ‘cork’ and suffix -ana ‘having’. Cortes de Baza Granada ‘Farms’ from Arabic derived from Latin cohors ‘small agricultural exploitation’. DE BAZA ‘in the Baza district’ which was originally inhabited by the Basti people. Cornella several locations 1.‘Crow’s nest’ from Latin cornix and location suffix -ella ‘place’. 2.‘Place of Corneliano’ from Latin personal name Cornelianus ‘son of Cornelius’. Cortes de la Frontera Málaga ‘Farms’ DE LA FRONTERA ‘the one near the frontier’ referring to its limiting with the Arab territory. Cornudilla Burgos ‘Bent’ ‘angular’ from Latin cornutella ‘horned’. Cortijo Many locations in Andalucía Coronil (El) Sevilla ‘Small farm’ Identical with CORTES followed by diminutive suffix -ijo. ‘Flat place surrounded by a range of rocks’ from Latin coronella ‘little crown’ descriptive of the topography of the place. Cortina Several locations in Galicia ‘Small farm’ with diminutive suffix -ina. 94 CRIPÁN CORUMBELA Cotillas Albacete 1.‘Small and round promontories’ from Latin cotto and diminutive suffix -illas. 2 ‘Small fenced up properties’ from Latin cautum ‘granted’ ‘protected’ Corumbela Málaga 1.’Apiary’ from Celtic kolmena ‘straw’ in Spanish colmena. 2. ‘Little column’ from Latin columnella. Coruña La (A Coruña) Coruña Unknown 1.‘The crown’ in allusion to a round territory surrounded by small promontories 2.‘The city’ from Celtic Clunia ‘city’ 3.‘The pillar’ whence ‘Hercules’s pillar’ from Latin Columna ‘pillar’. 4.‘Colony’ from Latin Colonicam. Ancient names were Brigantium Coronium later Crunium and Crunia. Couceiro Several locations in Galicia ‘Water channel’ in Galician identical with cauce in Spanish. Coruña del Conde Burgos ‘Lady’s cave’ from late Latin cova ‘cave’ and Domenica shortened to Donga ’lady’. Couto in Galicia ‘Fenced up property’ in Galician identical with coto in Spanish and cauto in Latin or kottos in Greek. Covadonga Asturias Prob. ‘Colony’ from Latin Clunia DEL CONDE ‘of the count’ with reference to Gonzalo Fernández de Burgos Its Roman name was Clunia Sulpicia. Cozar Ciudad Real Corbera Unknown 1.‘Cultivated land on a low valley’ from Arabic cazar. 2.‘Castle’ from Arabic qusayr. 3.‘Place where jars can be obtained’ from Arabic caus ‘arch’ and Mozarabic coz ‘jars’ Coslada Madrid Crespo in Galicia ‘Crisp’ from Latin adjective crispus ‘curly’ ‘crisp’ also applied to a person’s hair as in Crispinus and Spanish Crispín. Several locations in Catalonia ‘Place frequented by crows’ Catalan placename derived from Latin corvus ‘crow’ ‘raven’. Uncertain ‘Prob. 1. ‘Hazelnut wood’ from Celtic koslo ‘hazel nut’. 2.‘Place with stones useful for polishing’ from Latin cos ‘rock’. Cretas (Queretes) Teruel Prob. ‘Place with oak-trees’ from Latin quercus ‘oak’ and locative suffix -etes. Costa Many locations as first element Creus Several locations in Catalonia 1.‘Slope on a hill’ Spanish identical with CUESTA 2. ‘Coast’ Spanish. ‘Cross’ from Catalan creus derivative of Latin crucis. Costixt Balearic Islands Crevillente Alicante 1.‘Place of the maker of peg-nails’ from Catalan crevillier. 2.‘Place of Carvilio’ from hypothetical personal name derived from Latin Carvilius and Caprilius ‘goat shepherd’. 1.Poss.‘Costinus’s place’ from assumed Latin personal name Costinius. 2. ‘Coastal’ from Latin Costis. Cotarelo Several locations in Galicia 1.‘Small and round promontory’ from Latin Cotis and diminutive suffix -ello. 2. ‘Small fenced up property’ from Latin cautum ‘granted’ ‘protected’. Cripán Alava Prob. ‘Place of Crispin’ from Latin 95 CRISTINA CUEVAS Cristina Badajoz Prob. ‘Place of Cristiano’ from Latin matronymic ‘follower of Jesus Christ’ obtained’ from Latin coticulam ‘small stone’ and its derivative coticularium ‘stone magazine’. 2.‘Place in a corner’ pointing at the sea line from Latin cubitum ‘elbow’ and Asturian suffix -eiro ‘the place’. Cubas Madrid Cuelgamures Zamora personal name derived from Crispus ‘crisp’ ‘Barrels’ also ‘Barrels for pressing vine grapes’ from Latin cupas ‘cup’. Poss. ‘Steep mountains pass’ from Latin colis and Spanish collado ‘small eminence’ and murus ‘walls’ ‘protection’. Cubells Lérida ‘Small barrels’ from late Latin cupelos derived from cupa ‘cup’. Cuellar Segovia 1.‘Place with several hills’ from Latin ‘collis ‘hill’ and locative suffix -ar ‘place with’. 2.‘Place where horses abound’ with reference to documents showing the name equellar. 3.Sugg. a derivative form of existing original pre-Roman name Colenda Cubilla Soria ‘Small barrel’ from late Latin diminutive cupela derived from cupa ‘cup’. Cubillas de Cerrato Palencia ‘Small barrels’ DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Cubillas de Santa Cuenca Cuenca Unknown Under the Arabs the castle of the city was known as qunka which has no other feature than to reflect the previous Christian name. It may be derived from the late Latin word concha ‘shell’ applied metaphorically to a ‘deep valley surrounded by hills’ Marta Valladolid ‘Small barrels’ DE SANTA MARTA ‘of Saint Martha’ a saint honoured in the village. Cubillo (El) in Cuenca and Guadalajara ‘The small barrel’ ‘the water cask’ from late Latin cupello derived from cupa ‘cup’ with diminutive suffix -illo. Cuerva Toledo 1.‘Curved’ from Latin corva ‘bent’ ‘curved’ 2.‘Raven, the female’ from Spanish cuervo derived from Latin corva corax. Cubillos del Rojo Burgos ‘Small barrels’ DEL ROJO ‘of the red one’ prob. with reference to hair of owner. ‘Slope on a hill’ ‘upwards’ from Latin costa ‘side’. Cubo de la Tierra del Vino Cueto Several locations in Asturias Cuesta Generic in many locations Zamora ‘Round tower’ cubo besides ‘cube’ is also a military term for ‘round tower’. DE LA TIERRA DEL VINO ‘on the land of wine’ is Spanish descriptive for disambiguation. ’High place easy to defend’ in Asturian vernacular cueto derived from Basque kotor ‘rock’. Cuevas del Almanzora Almería ‘Caves’ from Latin cova ‘empty’. DE ALMANZORA ‘the one by the Almanzora river’ which could mean ‘victorious’ from Al-Mansura or ‘encircled’ from Al-Mahsura. Cudillero Asturias Uncertain 1.‘Place where flint stones can be 96 CUEVAS CUMBRES Cuevas del Valle Ávila Cumbres de Enmedio Huelva ‘Caves’ plural from late Latin adjective cova ‘empty’. DEL VALLE ‘of the valley’ with reference to the river Tietar of unknown meaning. ‘Heights’ DE ENMEDIO ‘in the middle’ Spanish adverbial form Cuevas de San Marcos Málaga ‘Heights’ MAYORES ‘mayor’ Cumbres Mayores Huelva ‘Caves’ There are impressive caves in the vicinity. DE SAN MARCOS ‘of Saint Mark’ honouring its patron. Cumbres de San Bartolome Huelva ‘Heights’ DE SAN BARTOLOMÉ ‘in honour of Saint Bartholomew’. Cuevas de Velasco Cuenca ‘Caves’’ Curra (Curras) in Galicia DE VELASCO prob. from possessor or governor with the family name Velasco a Basque name meaning ‘place frequented by crows’ ‘Courtyard’ from Galician, identical with Spanish corro ‘court’ and corral ‘barnyard’. Cuevas de Vinroma Castellón ‘Caves’ DE VINROMÄ from Arabic landlord IbnRumman ‘son of Roman’ Curiel Valladolid Obscure 1.‘Place with rabbits’ from Sephardic Hebrew couriel ‘rabbit warden’. 2. ‘Barn yard’ from Latin cohor. 3.‘God is my rock’ from Arabic kuri-al derived from Hebrew kuri with ending in locative suffix -el. Cuevas Minadas Guadalajara ‘Caves’ MINADAS prob. ‘having some mines’ or ‘containing valuable mineral’. Cutanda Teruel Culla Castellón Unknown Uncertain 1.‘Rabbit warden’ from Mozarabic coellar whence cullar and culla. 2.‘Colia’s place’ from Roman family name Colia. 3.‘Top of the hill’ from Arabic al-colea derived from Latin coll ‘hill’. Prob. ‘Place on a hill with rocks’ from Germanic kotta ‘heights’ echoed by Latin quota. Cutar Málaga Uncertain 1.‘River that crosses Paradise’ from Arabic kautzar 2.‘Castle with sharp lines’ from Arabic Hisn Acut ‘angled’. 3.‘Place of Ben Hafsun’ from assumed personal owner Cullar de Baza Granada ‘Rabbit warden’ DE BAZA ‘near the town of Baza’ ancient city Basti of unknown meaning Cullera Valencia Cuzcurita del Rio Tiron 1.‘Rabbit warden’ from Sephardic Hebrew coelleira and Spanish conejera. 2.‘High hill’ from Latin collis ‘hill’ and second element aerea ‘airy.’ Poss. was the site of ancient city Sucro. La Rioja ‘Village with ground covered with furze’ from Basque kozkor ‘furze stubble’ and uri ‘village’ plus locative suffix -a ‘there’ DEL RIO TIRON ‘on the banks of the river Tiron’ hydronym of Nordic origin from hypothetical Tirgo running in territory of the Autrigoni tribe. Cumbre (La) Cáceres ‘The top of the hill’ Spanish for ‘height’ 97 DESTRIANA DAIMIEL Dehesa Many locations D Prob. 1.‘Protected pastures’ from Latin defesa ‘defended’ ‘prohibited’. 2.‘Grass pastures’ from Hebrew dese with the same meaning. 3.‘Thick pastures’ from Arabic dehase ‘thick’ meaning ‘rich because of the thickness found in its grass’. Daimiel Ciudad Real Prob. ‘Flint stone quarry’ referred to the special quality of its stones, from Latin laminia ‘place of laminated slates’. Daimial was near the river Laminium which could give its name to a hypothetical city name Laminia. Deleitosa Cáceres 1.‘Delightful’ from Spanish adjective deliciosa or deleitosa. 2.’Prison’ because of containing the word delito ‘transgression of law’. Dalias Almería ‘Vineyard’ from Arabic zalia, whence Dalaya and Dalia. Denia Valencia Dapena La Coruña ‘Place of goddess Diana’ from its ancient Latin name Dianium. Previously was a Greek colony called Hemeroscopion ‘large vision’. ‘The place near the rock’ from Galician pena identical with Spanish peña ‘rock’ derived from Latin pinna ‘merlon of a battlement’. Descargamaría Cáceres Daroca Zaragoza ‘Rest place for women bringing water to their husbands’ Spanish from verb descargar ‘download’ and personal name Maria hypocoristic ‘all women’. Unknown Poss. 1‘Place where water is thrown out’ from Basque darakar ‘what carries things out’. 2.‘By the rock’ from Spanish de la roca derived from Celtic root roc. 3.‘Shield with an oval shape’ from Arabic derreka. 4.‘Place frequented by goose’ from Spanish oca ‘goose.’ Very ancient name written successively Darvaca, Carbaca and Arbeca. Deshojo Navarra Prob. 1. ‘High house’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ and suffix -goi ‘high’. 2.‘Leave picking’ Spanish phonetic adaptation of original Basque name. Despeñaperros Mountain pass in Jaen Unknown Prob.1.‘Limit of Spain’ from Arabic Despania ‘Spain’ and Arabic-Latin perras ‘stones’ ‘milestones’. The mountain pass separates Andalusia from the rest of Spain. 2.‘Gorge of dogs’ from Spanish despeñadero ‘precipice’ ‘and Spanish perro ‘dog’. Daroca de Rioja La Rioja Poss. 1.‘Place where water is thrown out’ from Basque darakar ‘what carries things out’. Other hypothesis in prior entry. DE RIOJA ‘in the region named Rioja’ because of its river Oja which means ‘abundant in vegetation’ either from Basque oian ‘wood’ or from Latin folia Spanish hoja ‘leave’ Destriana de Valduerna León ‘On the right hand’ from Latin dextra ‘right hand’ ‘crafty’ ‘idoneous.’ DE VALDUERANA ‘in the valley of the river Duerna’ prob. from late Latin duernus ‘wooden recipient where animals can drink water or eat food’ Darro river in Granada 1.‘With gold’ from Latin aurum ‘gold’ and Arabic transposition hadarro 2.‘With dirty water’ from Arabic tarra. Daya Alicante ‘Farm’ from Arabic al-daya. 98 DEVA DORNA the colonization of regained Arab territory. DOLORES means ‘pains’ with reference to those suffered at the crucifixion of Christ. Deva Guipúzcoa and Lugo ‘Divine’ from Celtic Diva ‘Goddess’ often associated with Northern rivers which is also found in Latin Diva Deya Balearic Islands Domaiquia Álava ‘Farm’ from Arabic al-daya ‘The farm’. ‘Hill slope of Domenicus’ from Basque ike ‘slope on a hill’ and Latin domenicus ‘lord’ with Basque suffix -a ‘there’. Deza Soria Prob. ‘Protected pasture’ shortening from Spanish dehesa or directly derived from Latin defesa ‘defended’ ‘prohibited’. Domingo Perez Toledo ‘Place of Domingo Perez’ personal name of an owner Domingo ‘lord’ and Pérez ‘son of Peter’ derived from Latin Petrus ‘like a stone’. The same name occurs in Granada. Díaz Several locations ‘Belonging to Díaz’ a Spanish family name derived from personal name Iago or Diego, with the possessive suffix -az instead of -ez ‘son of Diego’ Don Benito Badajoz ‘Place of don Benito’ don in Spanish is a common title which signifies dominus and was granted to all successful scholars. Benito is a personal Latin name meaning Benedictus ‘blessed’. Don Benito, count of Medellin, was one of the co-founders of the village. Diego Alvaro Ávila ‘Place of Diego Alvaro’ two Spanish personal names meaning ‘Jacob’ and ‘very attentive’ from Germanic Al ‘all’ and wars ‘aware’ Other suggested meanings for Alvaro. 1. ‘Defendant of the rock’. 2. ‘Noble bear.’ 3. ‘King of the elfs’. Don Diego Granada ‘Place of don Diego’ prob. name of possessor with his title Don ‘scholar’ and personal name Diego identical with James, Jacob, or Iago. Diezma Granada ‘Place of the tenth’ a collection point of tax for the benefit of the Church form Latin decimus ‘tenth’ and its Arabic mutation dexma. Doñana Huelva Dios le Guarde Salamanca ‘May God protect you’ a salutation for travellers leaving the town because of the uncertainties surrounding its roads. ‘Place of donna Ana’ prob. name of lady owner with title donna ‘lady’ and personal name Ana identical with Anna or Ann from Hebrew Hanna ‘grace’. Dolar Granada Doña Mencía Córdoba 1.‘Place where barrels are made or repaired’ from Arabic dolar ‘barrel’. 2.‘Place with plenty of wood’ from Arabic Dolaria same origin with suffix indicating abundance of.’ 3.‘An Inn’ from Arabic al-dar ‘the house’ ‘Place of donna Mencía’ referred to name of owner lady Mencía López de Haro. DOÑA is Spanish for ‘lady’ from Latin domenica. MENCÍA is personal name hypocoristic of Clementia or Clementina which means ‘clement’. Dolores Alicante Dorna in Galicia 1.‘Wine container’ from identical term in Galician. 2.‘Place with furnaces’ from Latin furnus which becomes Spanish hornos. 3. ‘Cove for small sailboat’ name of a typical sailboat in Galicia. ‘Dedicated to the advocation of Virgin of the Dolores’ thus renamed following indications of cardinal Belluga during 99 DURÓN DOS BARRIOS 4.‘Fountain’ from late Latin duaria. However, ancient unexplained name Eldana is reminiscent of Dueñas. Dos Barrios Toledo Duero River in Central Spain ‘Two wards’ Spanish. Unknown 1.‘River of gold’ from Latin aurum or aureus ‘containing gold’. 2.‘Doric’ following Roman costume of giving rivers divine names. There are two Duria rivers in the Alps. 3.‘Water’ from Iberian or Basque ur ‘water’. Dos Hermanas Sevilla ‘Two Sisters’ Spanish Traditionally attributed to Elvira and Estefania Nazareno, daughters of early possessor. Dos Torres Córdoba ‘Two towers’ because the present town is the result of the union of two wards, both with place name torres, one Torrefranca ‘white tower’ and the other Torremilano ‘the tower of the glede’. Durango Vizcaya Prob. 1. ‘Place like a humid meadow’ from Basque uran ‘watery’. 2.‘Place of Durano’ from Germanic personal name Thor-Harmnn ‘Thor’s raven’ in Latin Durandus. Driebes Guadalajara 1.‘Place of Trives settlers’ a tribe coming from the North of Spain, whose name can also be found in Puebla de Trives a village of the Tburi people.’ 2.Poss. ‘Three grounds’ from Celtic dri ‘three’ and Basque be ‘ground’ ‘plain terrain’. Duraton Segovia ‘River fort’ from Iberian Basque ur ‘water’ ‘brook’ and Celtic dun ‘fort’. DURÓN Ancient city Confluentia could have been pristine name of this Duraton. Durón Guadalajara Dueñas Palencia Poss. ‘Water stream’ from Iberian Basque ur ‘water’ with possessive prefix D’ with locative suffix -on. ‘Place owned by ladies or nuns’ Spanish derived from Latin Dominas ‘ladies’ ‘owners’ 100 ELCHE EBRO Egido (El) several locations E ‘Commons’ from Latin exitus with reference to a communal ground without the limits of village. Ebro River name Eibar Guipúzcoa Uncertain Poss. 1. ‘Water’ derived from Celtic stem aber. 2.‘River of the Iberian people’ from its Latin name Iberus. 3.‘River’ from Iberian Basque ibar. 1.‘Place for swine’ from Basque ei ‘hogsty’ and suffix -ber ‘just there’. 2.‘Valley’ from Basque ibar ‘riverbank’. Eido many places in Galicia ‘Commons’ identical with egido from Latin exitu ‘way out’ in allusion to the location of the place. Écija Sevilla 1.‘Town of citizenry’ from its old Greek name Astygia. 2.‘The fertile earth’ from Arabic esighia ‘fertile’. 3.‘Place of the rock’ from Basque Iberian aitz ‘rock’ and tegi ‘place’. In Roman times was known as Augusta Firma ‘loyal to Augustus’. Eiro Several locations in Galicia ‘Meeting place where streets or roads converge’ from Latin area ‘clear space’. Ejulve Teruel Poss. ‘Sunny place with hay’ from Basque egu ‘South’ and albitz ‘hay’ Ancient names were Xulb and Exulbe. Echalar Valladolid ‘Homestead of blackberries’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ and lar ‘blackberry’. Elburgo Álava ‘The burgh’ from Celtic burg ‘city’ preceded by the Spanish article el ‘the.’ Echarri-Aranaz Guipúzcoa ‘The new house near the plumtree’ Basque compound noun of etxe ‘house’ barri ‘new’ and aran ‘plumtree’ with suffix -a, article ‘the’. Elcano Navarra Prob. ‘Place with plenty of grass’ from Basque aski ‘grass’ and locative suffix -ano ‘place having’. Identical with Lezcano or Lascano. Echevarri Navarra ‘New homestead’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ and barri identical with berri ‘new’. Elciego Álava ‘Ivy’ from Latin hedera. Prob. ‘Place frequented by raven’ from Basque bele ‘raven’ ’crow’ and tegi ‘place’. Later adopted in Spanish with similar phonetics but meaning ‘the blind one.’ Egea de los Caballeros Elche Albacete Edra frequent name in Galicia Zaragoza Unknown Poss. ‘Homestead’ from Basque etxe-a ‘the house’ Without doubt a derivative of her Visigoth name Egessa DE LOS CABALLEROS meaning ‘home of knights’ is a commendatory feature not related in this case to any Military Order. ‘Place for the renegade’ from Arabized eiche ‘infidel’ ‘renegade’ taken from older Iberian name Ilici of meaning unknown. Sugg. ‘Village of the fountain’ from Basque iri ‘village’ itur ‘fountain’ and ki ‘part of’ The Romans renamed it Julia Augusta. 101 ELCHE ENEBRAL Encinacorba Zaragoza Elche de la Sierra Albacete ‘Curved holm-oak’ from Spanish encina ‘holm-oak’ and late Latin corva ‘curved’ ‘twisted’. ‘Place for the renegade’ DE LA SIERRA meaning ‘the one near the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra de Alcaraz from Arabic al-garaz ‘the shelter’ Encinas de Esgueva Valladolid ‘Place by the oak grove’ DE ESGUEVA ‘by the river Esgueva’ which means ‘river of dangerous (or dirty) waters’ from Latin escaeva. Elda Alicante Unknown. Poss. ‘Place of Elio’ from Latin personal name Elius ‘sunny.’ Roman name was Adello mentioned in Roman Itinerary of Antoninus, and later Etla. Encinasola Huelva ‘Isolated holm-oak-tree’ from Spanish encina and adjective sola ‘alone’. ENCINA is Bot. ilex. Elduayen Guipúzcoa Encinas Reales Córdoba Prob. ‘High place with mature fruits’ from Basque eldu ‘mature’ and ain ‘elevated place’. ‘Place by the oak grove’ REALES ‘royal’ noting that the town was directly dependent of the king. Elizondo Navarra Encio Burgos ‘By the Church’ from Basque Eliza ‘ecclesia’ and suffix -ondo ‘nearby’. Unknown. Prob. 1. ‘Place of Menzio’ late Latin personal name Mentius ‘noted’ 2.‘Sheep pastures’ from Latin encisus ‘cut to form a closed place’. 3.‘Abrupt place’ from Latin incisus ‘cut’ ‘divided’. 4.‘Place of *Enzio’ Italian personal name containing the Germanic element ent ‘spirit’ ‘ghost. Eljas Cáceres Prob. 1. ‘Churches’ from Iberian Basque Eliza ‘church’. 2.‘Dwelling of slaves’ poss. backformation from Latin ergastulae ‘enclosure for slaves’ Elorrio Vizcaya ‘Place with prickly bushes’ from Basque elorri ‘thorn’ ‘how-thorn’ Enciso La Rioja ‘Place with villas’ from Latin villa and suffix of plurality. 1.‘Pastures’ from Latin encisus ‘cut to form a closed place’. 2.‘Abrupt place’ from Latin incisus ‘cut’ ‘divided’. Elvira Granada Encomienda Several locations Elvillar Álava Unknown. Sugg. 1.‘New cemetery’ from Iberian Basque ilberri 2.‘Protected’ from Germanic all-ward. 3.‘Friendly lance’ from Germanic gaila ‘lance’ and vers ‘kind’ ‘friendly’ Doubtless, a modification from the city’s old name Illiberris. Embid Guadalajara Prob. ‘Pasture’ ‘pasture’. from Basque ‘Entrusted property’ Spanish from Latin verb commendare ‘to commend’ Endrinal Salamanca ‘Sloe-tree grove’ from Spanish endrino ‘black-thorn’ Bot. prunus spinosa and locative suffix -al. Enebral Soria ‘Juniper plant grove’ from Spanish enebro ‘common juniper’ and locative suffix -al. enbi 102 ESCAROZ ENFESTA Enfesta Many locations in Galicia Ermita Many locations The topography of each place may suggest the correct meaning. Escacena del Campo Huelva 1.‘Infected’ from Latin infesta as in agra infesta ‘rotten fields’ 2.‘Top site’ from Germanic first ‘top’. ‘Hermitage’ from Greek ereemos ‘desert’ Places like Hermida or Ermida have identical origin. ‘Place of Escatio’ from Latin personal name Scatius, whence Scatiana. DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the open ground’ the territory known as Campo de Tejada’ a name that means ‘tiled’ with reference to a village now disappeared Enguera Valencia Poss. ‘Property on lease’ from Mozarabic enguera ‘rental’ Enterria Asturias ‘Between rivers’ from Spanish adverb entre ‘between’ combined with ria ‘part of a river near the sea’. Escairo Several locations in Galicia ‘Stone steps on a hill’ but also ‘Cattle track with many corners’ in Galician language. Identical with Escaleiro and Esqueiro. Entrambasaguas Several locations ‘Between two streams of water’ from triple compound entre-ambas-aguas Escalante Cantabria .. ‘Place of Ascalon’ personal name from the Jewish stronghold of Asqulon, thus meaning ‘native of Asqulon’ Suffix -ante is derived from Latin genitive -antius after a personal name. Entrepeñas Guadalajara ‘Between mountains’ peñas in Spanish is ‘rocks’ from Latin pinna originally meaning ‘each of the merlons of a battlement’. Escalona Toledo Epila Zaragoza Uncertain 1.‘Place of Ascalon’ 3.‘Place flanked by big steps’ from Latin scala and Spanish augmentative -ona Unknown. The name might be a derivative from an ancient city documented Dyspolis of Greek origin. Escamilla Guadalajara Era multiple locations ‘Threshing ground’ from Latin area ‘space with a purpose’. Identical with Eira in Galician Prob.1. ‘Small bench for working’ from late Latin scamellum ‘small bench’ 2.‘Place of Ascanio’ from personal name Ascanius from Roman mythology Eraso Navarra Escariche Guadalajara ‘Place with abundant fern’ from Basque ira /era ‘fern’ and suffix -so ‘plenty of’. ‘Maple tree grove’ from Basque askar ‘maple-tree’ and location suffix -che. Eresma River in Segovia Escario Vizcaya Unknown Prob. ‘Longer and further’ from Celtic ire ‘beyond’ and superlative suffix -sama ‘greatest’. Original name may have been Iresama or Erisama. ‘Maple tree grove’ from Basque askar ‘maple-tree’ and Latin suffix -ius ‘having’ Escaroz Navarra ‘Maple tree grove’ from Basque askar ‘maple-tree’ and pre-Roman patronymic suffix -oz, identical with more common -ez. Ercavica Cuenca Unknown. Only ruins remain of this ancient city. 103 ESCATRON ESPAÑA Escatron Zaragoza ‘Maple grove’ followed by unknown anthroponym like Petronius. to the close by town of Acci renamed Julia Gemelia. The Arabs named this place Tustar. Escobar Several locations Esgueva River ‘Prob. ‘Water’ from Celtic element Eiska ‘water’ and pre-Romanic suffix -eva appearing frequently in names of rivers. ‘Broomfield’ from Latin scopae. Escombreras Murcia 1.‘Dumping ground’ Spanish 2.‘Place where garum was elaborated’ from Latin scomber ‘fish used in the preparation of garum delicacies’ ‘Starry’ from Latin stella. Old names Estelava and Stelava. Escopete Guadalajara Espadaña Salamanca Eslava Navarra ‘Bullrush’ Spanish from Latin spatha. ‘Broomfield’ from Latin scopae. España Spain Escorca Balearic Islands Obscure 1.‘Country where rabbits abound’ from Phoenician sapan ‘rabbit’. 2.‘Island where rabbits can be found’ from Phoenician i-spanim with similar root but closer to Hispania. 3.‘Boreal’ from Phoenician sfania or sefania. 4.‘Northern Island’ from Phoenician ISpan-Ya where span means 'North’ in allusion to its position from a Phoenician perspective. 5.‘Island of the iron-mongers’ from Hebrew version of I-Span-Ya. 6.‘Hidden’ from Phoenician span ‘rare’ alleged condition of its many mineral mines. 7.‘Western’ Greek interpretation from Hispalis, today’s Seville. 8.‘Flowery’ from Hebrew Sephardic sfir ‘flower’ referred to Sepharad ‘Spain’. 9.‘Limit’ from Iberian Basque ezpania ‘lip’ but meaning also ‘border’, because of being the last land before darkness. 10.‘The country that divides two seas’ from Iberian Basque words iz ‘water’ and bania ’break’. 11.‘The country of the evening star’ from Greek Hesperia mutated to Hispania. 12.‘The country of god Pan’ who was a brother of Bacchus and a mythical conqueror of Spain. 13.‘The country of Hispan’ name of a legendary king of Spain and 12th ruler after king Gerion, would be founder of Iberia. Prob. 1.‘Vantage point’ ‘lookout’ from late Latin exculca. 2.‘Bark’ from Arabic kirfa. Escorial (El) Madrid ‘The dumping ground’ from Spanish escoria ‘slag’ with locative suffix -al ‘place where it is placed’. Not far there is a location named Herrería ‘the iron works’ Escoriaza Guipúzcoa ‘Maple tree grove’ from Basque askar ‘maple-tree’ and pre-Roman aza signifying ‘abundance of’. Escouredo many places in Galicia 1.‘Maple tree grove’ from Basque askar ‘maple-tree’ and suffix-edo ‘place of’. 2.‘Shadowy terrain’ from Latin obscurus ‘obscure’ ‘dark’. Escurial Cáceres ‘Dumping grounds’ from Greek skoria ‘dross’ ‘slags’ and Spanish escoria with locative suffix -al ‘place where can be found’. Esfarrapa Galicia ‘Deprived’ from Galician esfarrapada identical with Spanish desharrapada ‘shabby’ ‘ragged’. Esfiliana Granada ‘Outside the city of Julius’ from its Roman name Ex-Juliana with reference 104 ESPARRAGUERA ESPINOSO Espera Cádiz 14.‘The country of Hispal’ legendary ruler and founder of Seville which in turn became Hispalis. He was accused of destroying the beautiful city of Italica. 15.‘The country of Lord Sapanu’ from Hebrew and Phoenician baal sapanu ‘the god of the Sapanu mountain’ a Phoenician settlement near Cadiz honouring the myth. Unknown Poss. from Hesperia Greek name of this part of Spain Espes Zaragoza Prob. ‘Fastness’ from old French noun espoisse. Espiel Córdoba Prob. ‘Cave’ from Latin speluca and locative suffix -el ‘just there’. Esparraguera Barcelona ‘Place with plenty of asparagus plants’ from Greek sparagos. Espinar El Segovia ‘Place with thicket plants’ from Spanish espino and Latin spinus ‘thicket’ ‘howthorn’ and locative of abundance -ar Esparragosa de Lares Badajoz ‘Place with asparagus plants’ DE LARES suggests a kind of ‘long and thin stone’. Espinosa de Cerrato Palencia ‘Place with thicket plants’ locative -osa ‘having’ DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’, if not from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Esparragosa de la Serena Badajoz ‘Place where asparagus grew’ DE LA SERENA means ‘in the Serena district’ of unknown meaning perhaps ‘open land submitted to tribute’ Espinosa de Henares Espartal many locations Guadalajara ‘Place with thicket plants’ DE HENARES ‘on the river Henares’ meaning ‘hayfields’ ‘Field on which feather-grass grew’ from Greek spartos ‘feather -grass’. Espartinas Sevilla Uncertain Poss. ‘Field abundant in feather-grass’ Surely, a derivative from its ancient name Spoletinum Espinosa del Camino Burgos ‘Place with thicket plants’ DEL CAMINO is a reference to the ‘Way of Saint Jacques’. Esparza Navarra Espinosa de los Monteros ‘Field with feather-grass’ grows’ from Greek spartos ‘feather-grass’ or from Basque espartz with identical meaning. Burgos ‘Place with thicket plants’ DE LOS MONTEROS ‘of the huntsmen’ so named with reference to the montes where the hunt takes place. Espejo Cordoba Literally ‘Mirror’ Prob. Spanish phonetic adaptation of Iberian Basque ‘Box-tree grove’ from esper ‘box-tree’ and suffix ko ‘place with’ Ancient name was Ucubis mentioned by Pliny and later Claritas Julia ‘luminous place of Julius’. Espinosa de Villagonzalo Palencia ‘Place with thicket plants’ DE VILLA GONZALO from a nearby Gothic settlement called ‘Gonzalo’s helmet’ derived from personal name Gundisalvus ‘aggressive elf’. Espeluy Jaén ‘Cave’ from Latin spelunca ‘cavern’ ‘cave’. Poss. site of ancient Ipa. Espinoso del Rey Toledo ‘Place with thicket’ 105 ESPIÑEIRA ESTOPIÑÁN Estella Navarra DEL REY ‘of the King’ meaning under direct dependence to the King. Prob. ‘Star’ from Latin stella phonetic adaptation of its ancient name Gebala of unknown meaning. Espiñeira locations in Galicia ‘Place with thicket plants’ from Spanish espino ‘thicket’ ‘how-thorn’ and Galician locative -eira ‘abundant.’ Estellencs Balearic Islands Prob. ‘Place of Estilico’ a hypothetical personal name of owner of Gothic origin from Stilling and its Mozarabic version Estellens. Espluga Calva Lerida 1.‘Bald cave’ from Latin spelunca ‘cave’ and Spanish calva ‘bald’ ‘barren’. 2.‘White cave’ with second element alba ‘white’. Estepa Sevilla ‘Cave’ from Latin spelunca. DE FRANCOLI means ‘belonging to Francolino’ Latinized personal name derived from Frank. Unknown 1.‘City of Astapa’ derivative of her preRoman name. 2.‘City of Ostippo’ ancient site on the road from Seville to Cordoba, though perhaps this place fits better with modern Ecija. Esplugas de Llobregat Estepona Málaga Espluga de Francoli Tarragona Uncertain Poss.1. ‘Place of Esteban’ from Greek personal name of assumed possessor Stephanos ‘crowned’ here in the locative form Estephania later Arabized as Estebbuna. 2.‘Place dedicated to the goddess Epona’ a mythical Celtic divinity. Poss. site of ancient Cilniana. Barcelona ‘Caves’ a derivative of Latin spelunca DE LLOBREGAT ‘on the river Llobregat’ which means ‘reddish’ from Latin rubricatus and Spanish rubor Esponella Gerona ‘Place of Espondilio’ from personal name of Roman possessor Espondilianus after Greek spondylus ‘vertebra’ Esterri de Aneu Lérida ‘Cultivated land surrounded with hedges’ from Basque esto ‘hedge’ ‘fence’ and erri suffix meaning ‘cultivated land’. DE ANEU ‘of Aneu’ personal name derived from Gothic Asinarhjis ‘God’s army’ Esporles Balearic Islands 1.‘Pannier (plural)’ from Latin sporta. 2.‘Small baskets’ from Latin sportulas ‘small baskets’ Espronceda Navarra Uncertain Prob. 1. ‘Small cave’ from late Latin speluncela diminutive of spelunca. 2.‘Place with box plants’ from Basque combination of elements where espe means ‘box plant’. On and ceda are repeated locatives. Estercuel Teruel Prob. ‘Dunghill’ from Latin stercus ‘dung heap’ and locative suffix -el. Its Arabic name was astarkuni. Estollo La Rioja ‘Place surrounded with hedges’ from Basque esto ‘hedge’ fence’ and locative suffix -ilo ‘place’. Estadilla Huesca ‘Place of short rest for travellers’ from old Spanish estada ‘stay’ and diminutive suffix -illa. Estopiñán Huesca Prob. 1. ‘Place of Esteban’ from Greek personal name Stephanos ‘crowned’. 2.’Place of *Espontiano’ or some other name of owner with suffix -ianus. Esteiro Several locations in Galicia ‘Estuary’ in Galician language. 106 EZQUIOGA ESTRADA Ezcaray La Rioja Estrada Several locations in Galicia ‘Maple-tree grove’ from Basque azkar ‘maple-tree’ and suffix of abundance -ai. ‘Road’ from Latin strata ‘paved’. Extremadura Extremadura Ezcurra Navarra ‘Furthermost land on the river Duero’ from Spanish extrema ‘extreme’ ‘furthermost’ and Duria ‘river Duero’. The Roman name of this region was Baeturia with reference to the river Betis. ‘Maple-tree grove’ from Basque azkar ‘maple-tree’ identical with noun azkarra and suffix -a. Ezquioga Guipúzcoa ‘Maple-tree grove’ from Basque azkar ‘maple-tree’ and suffix -aga ‘place’ equivalent to -oga, as in Quiroga. Estremera Madrid ‘Conterminous’ from Spanish extrema ‘limit’ and suffix of direction -era. The village is the most southern in the province. 107 FABARA FELGUERA (LA) Faro Several places F ‘Lighthouse’ ‘bright place’ from Greek pharos and Spanish faro Fatarella Tarragona Fabara Zaragoza Prob.1. ‘Small tower’ from Arabic Alfatriyya 2.‘Watchtower overlooking the pass’ from Arabic compound of fath and tale-a with reference to the land between the river Ebro and the plains ‘Bean plantation’ from Latin faba ‘bean’ Fabareta Valencia ‘Small bean plantation’ from Latin faba with diminutive suffix -eta ‘small’ Fábrica Many locations Favareta Valencia ‘Factory’ Spanish ‘Little fountain’ from Arabic fawara and Mozarabic diminutive suffix -eta Fachal Several places in Galicia 1.‘Cresset’ from vernacular Galician 2.‘Place where torches are available’ alternative meaning of fachal. Favaritx Balearic Islands ‘Bean plantation’ from Latin faba and Old Spanish fabares with modified Mozarabic suffix -itz instead of -es Faedo Asturias ‘Beech-tree grove’ from Latin fagus in Spanish haya ‘beech-tree’ Fayón Zaragoza ‘Place of Fayo’ from Arabic personal name Hayyun Falces Navarra ‘Portion of land that can be harvested by one person in one day’ from Latin falx ‘sickle’ Fayos (Los) Zaragoza ‘The beech-tree grove’ from Latin fagus ‘beech-tree’ with Spanish plural article los ‘the’. Falcon in Galicia ‘Falcon’ in Spanish halcon Feixeiro Several places in Galicia Falset Tarragona Poss. 1. ‘Garret’ from Catalan falset 2.‘Place where a fern named maidenhair grew’ from Bot. Latin falzia 1.‘Large wheat field’ from Latin Fascia and Galician feixa ‘a large piece of land where cereals grow’ 2.‘Bean plantation’ Galician Fana Asturias Febro Tarragona 1.Prob. ‘Brook’ from Gaelic vobero ‘underground stream’ 2.‘Place where castors are seen’ from Latin fiber and fiberus Uncertain Poss. 1. ‘Bright’ from Greek Phaindo 2.‘Slope’ from Celtic fana 3.‘Pile of hay’ from Latin fenus and suffix locative A Felanixt Balearic Islands 1.Prob. ‘Place of Felanio’ from personal name of Italian origin 2.‘Place with clover plants’ from fenales Bot. trifolum ‘three leaves’ Fanzara Castellón Unknown Poss. 1. Unknown Arabic name of owner 2.‘Where the alder-tree stands’’ from Iberian Basque an ‘over there’ and altza ‘alder tree’ Bot. betula alnus Felguera (La) Asturias ‘Place where bracken grew’ from Latin felga ‘big fern’ Spanish helecho Bot. pteridum aquilinum Faraján Málaga ‘Delightful place’ from Arabic farhan 109 FINESTRAT FELIX 3.‘Place of Ferreol’ hypothetical Greek name Fereoi of early possessor 4.‘Place of Saint Ferreol’ legendary saint from Brittany 5.‘Lantern’ same origin as Spanish farol from Greek island of Pharos, famous for its ‘lighthouse’ The city is supposed to have been the site of Ardobrica a seaport of the Artabri people. Also poss. Brigantium if not assigned to La Coruña or Betanzos. Felix Almería 1.Poss. ‘Place with fern plants’ from Latin filix ‘fern’ 2.‘Place of Saint Felix’ Arabic persistence of hypothetical Christian name San Feliz Latin Felicius ‘happy’ Fental Many places in Galicia Poss. ‘Place with fern plants’ from Latin filictum ‘fern’ Ferez Albacete 1. Poss. ‘Place with fern plants’ from Latin filix ‘fern’ 2.‘Place of Ferez’ backformation of Fernandez Fervenza Some locations in Galicia Feria Badajoz Obscure 1.‘Happening’ from Latin factum and French fait 2.‘Place of rubbish’ from Latin faex ‘Place with splashy waterfall’ from Latin fervens ‘boiling’ Fet Huesca 1.Poss. ‘Place where market days are held’ from Latin feria 2.Site of ancient town named Seria with unknown meaning Feital Several locations in Galicia Fermoselle Zamora ‘Hay field’ Galician from Latin fenum ‘hay’ Unknown 1.Poss. ‘The eyes of river Douro’ from late Latin ocellum Durii an ancient name also assigned to the city of Zamora 2.‘Little and well formed’ from Latin commendatory Formosa, Spanish hermosa and French diminutive -elle 1.‘Place with many fig trees’ from Latin ficus ‘fig’ 2.‘Old city of Juncaria’ from Latin juncus ‘rush’ Bot. rushus efussus Fernán Caballero Ciudad Real Figuerola de Orcau Lérida Figueres Gerona ‘Place with fig trees’ from Latin ficus ‘fig’ and genitive suffix -ola like in Carola or Carolus DE ORCAU derivative of Spanish adjective arrancada occupational term alluding to the custom of pulling out fig trees from their roots for not giving fruits’ Later became the barony of Orcau as it appears in the second part of the toponym ‘Place of Ferdinand the Knight’ Spanish after the name of first conqueror Ferrant Cavallero Ferradal Some locations in Galicia ‘Iron place’ indicating an iron shop where cattle got branded or horseshoes nailed on horses Ferreiras Balearic Islands ‘Blacksmith shops’ from Latin ferrum ‘iron’ and ferrarius ‘blacksmith’ Fines Almería Ferrol El La Coruña Prob. ‘Frontier’ ‘borderline’ from Latin finis Unknown 1.‘The anchorage’ from late Latin ferro ‘anchor’ 2.‘Place of a kind of hawks named goshawks’ from ferr ‘goshawk’ in Spanish azor Finestrat Alicante ‘Place with windows or balconies’ from Latin finestra ‘window’ and feature suffix -at. 110 FONTORIA FINISTERRE Folgueira Several in Galicia 1. ‘Spaciuos place apt for entertainment’ from Latin folgare and-eira Portuguese and Galician locative or occupational suffix 2.‘Place with bracken’ from Latin filectum ‘fern’ Finisterre La Coruña ‘The end of Land’ from Latin finis ‘end’ and terrae ‘land’ Ancient name Nerium Fiñana Almería ‘Place of Phine0’ from Greek personal name Phineus ‘eagle’ and locative of ownership -ana. Follatal Several in Galicia ‘Place with plenty of leaves’ from Latin folia ‘leave’ and suffix of abundance -al Fiol Several places in Galicia ‘Little hayfield’ backformation from Latin feniol and feniculum a diminutive suffix of fenum ‘hay’ Foncea La Rioja ‘Place with a fountain’ from Latin fons and suffix of possession -a ‘having’ Fitero Navarra Fonsagrada Lugo ‘Landmark’ from Latin fictus ‘fixed up’ Poss. site of ancient Celtiberian city of Ergavica or Esgavia ‘Holy fountain’ from Latin fons ‘fuente’ and Spanish sagrada ‘sacred’ ‘consecrated’ Fiunchedo Several places in Galicia ‘Hay field’ Galician Portuguese Funchal identical Fontanar Guadalajara with ‘Fountain place’ from Latin fons and locative suffix -ar ‘place of’ Flores de Ávila Avila Fontecha Alava ‘Flowers’ from Spanish flor ‘flower’ renamed to avoid derogatory earlier Porquerizos which means ‘pigsty’ or ‘swineherd’ DE ÁVILA ‘the place in Avila’ for differentiation with other places with the name Flores 1. ‘Fountain under a roof’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and adjective tecta ‘covered’ 2.‘White-washed fountain’ also from tecta as an alternative meaning. Fontibre Cantabria 1.‘Source of the river Ebro’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and Iber ‘Ebro’ 2.‘Fountain of the Iberians’ During the Roman domination was Juliobriga ‘Julius fort’ La Florida Several locations ‘The flowery patch’ from Spanish flor ‘flower’ and suffix of abundance -ida Foixa Several in Galicia Fontiveros Avila Prob. ‘Place of Fuscio’ from Latin personal name Fuscianus or Fuscius which means ‘dark’ with reference to skin or appearance 1.Prob.‘Bosio’s fountain’ from personal name of possessor Bosius Documented Fontivuesos 2.‘Fountain of Tiberio’ popular etymology alluding to Roman emperor Tiberius who visited the district. 3.‘Fountain head’ from Iberian Basque compound of itur ‘fountain’ and buru ‘head’ Folgoso del Monte Leon 1.‘Place where bracken grew’ from Latin filectum ‘fern’ 2.‘Place for entertainment’ from Latin folgare ‘to enjoy’ DEL MONTE ‘near the hill’ for disambiguation Fontoria Asturias ‘Golden fountain’ from Latin ‘fountain’ and aurea ‘golden’ 111 fons FREGENAL FONZ Fonz Huesca Foxo Several locations in Galicia ‘Fountain’ from Latin fons ‘Pit in the earth’ from Latin foveum ‘hole’ ‘cavity’ with local meaning of ‘wolf trap’ Fonzaleche La Rioja Foz Lugo 1.‘Fountain of the willow tree’ from fons ‘fountain and Latin salix ‘willow with Mozarabic locative suffix -che 2.‘Fountain of Alio’ from Latin personal name Alius ‘other’ or Alienus ‘foreign’ ‘River mouth’ or ‘widening of a mountain pass’ from Arabic al-foz ‘suburbs’ in Spanish hoz ‘sickle’ and Latin falx Forcadas Several places in Galicia ‘Friars’ from Larin fratres ‘brothers’ Frades Several locations in Galicia ‘Junctions’ from Latin forcas ‘forks’ referred to roads. Fraga Many locations in Galicia 1.‘Rough and uncultivated terrain’ from Latin fragum ‘rough boulder’ in plural fraga 2.‘Raspberry field’ from Galician fraga ‘raspberry’ Bot. rubus idaeus Forja Several places in Galicia ‘Forge’ Formentera Balearic Island 1.‘Grain producer’ from Latin frumentaria 2.‘Promontory’ derived of promontoria Fraga Huesca ‘Rough and uncultivated terrain’ from Latin fragum ‘rough boulder’ in plural fraga Mentioned as Fraga by Ptolemy and renamed by the Romans as Gallica Flavia Formentor Balearic Islands ‘Promontory’ Formigueira Several locations in Galicia ‘Place where ant-hills are extant’’ from Latin formica ‘ant’ Fragua Several locations in Galicia ‘Forge’ from Latin fabrica ‘blacksmith art’ ‘forge’ Fornaluxt Balearic Islands Franco Several locations in Galicia ‘Small furnaces’ from late Latin fornulos and Catalan lluc ‘light’ ‘French’ ‘foreign’ ‘tax exempt’ depending on each location Fornells in Catalonia Fradovinez Burgos ‘Small furnaces’ Fornoles Teruel ‘Small furnaces’ ‘Place of Frandino’ from Latinized surname ‘the son of Frandovinus’ meaning ‘native of Flanders’ Fortanete Teruel Frechilla Palencia ‘Small orchard’ from late Latin hortana ‘orchard’ and French diminutive -ette Uncertain 1.Prob.‘Abrupt place’ from Latin fractella ‘ruptured’ 2.‘Ash tree grove’ from Latin fraxinus ‘ash tree’ Fortia Gerona Prob. ‘Place of Fortiano’ from Latin personal name of owner Fortianus ‘strong’ with possession suffix -a shortening of -ianus Fregenal de la Sierra Badajoz ’Ash tree grove’ DE LA SIERRA ‘near the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra Morena ‘brown mountain range’ Fortuna Murcia ‘Place of Fortunato’ from Latin personal name Fortunatus ‘fortuned’ ‘lucky’ 112 FROMISTA FREILA Was mentioned by Pliny with the name Nertobriga Fresnillo de las Dueñas Burgos Small village with ash trees’ DE LAS DUEÑAS ‘of the ladies’ from Latin dominas or donnas with reference to members of prestigious convents, as was the case Freila o Freyla Granada 1.‘Friar’s place’ from Latin frater ‘brother’ Spanish fraile ‘friar’ and Arabic transposition freyla 2.‘Froilan’s place’ from Germanic personal name meaning ‘lordly’ Fresno de Cantespino Segovia ‘Ash tree’ DE CANTESPINO ‘of the camp with prickly bushes’ from Celtic can ‘camp’ and Spanish espino Freiras Several locations ‘Nun’s convent’ from Galician freiras ‘sisters’ ‘nuns’ related to Latin fratres ‘brothers’ Fresno de Caracena Soria Frescano Zaragoza ‘Ash tree’ DE CARACENA ‘by the town of Caracena’ which means ‘clear stones’ from pre-Roman car ‘stone’ and Iberian Basque acena ‘white’ ‘clear’ ‘Place with ash trees’ from Latin fraxinus ‘ash tree’ in Spanish fresno Fresneda de la Sierra Cuenca ‘Place with ash trees’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one close to a mountain range’ referred to the Serranía Media ‘the middle one’ in the province. Fresno de la Fuente Segovia ‘Ash tree’ DE LA FUENTE ‘by the fountain’ Fresneda de la Sierra Tirón Fresno del Río Tirón Burgos Burgos ‘Place with ash trees’ DE LA SIERRA DE TIRÓN ‘by the mountains of the river Tiron’ hydronym of the Autrigoni nation, something like Tirgo ‘Ash tree’ DEL RÍO TIRÓN a name related to the Autrigoni people who settled themselves around this river. Fresno El Viejo Valladolid ‘Ash tree’ EL VIEJO meaning ‘the old one’ Fresnedillas de la Oliva Madrid ‘Random places with ash trees’ from Spanish fresno and locative and diminutive suffix illa in plural DE LA OLIVA means ‘in olive tree land’ for differentiation ‘Cold waters’ from Spanish frias ‘cold’ derived from Latin frigidae Fresnedoso Salamanca ‘Place of Frigiliano’ from Germanic personal name Latinized Frigilianus ‘joker’ Frías Burgos Frigiliana Málaga ‘Place with abundant ash trees’ from Spanish fresno and locative of abundance -oso Frómista Palencia 1.‘Place of Fromesta’ documented personal name from Germanic Fromist ‘the first one’ Other suggested etymologies: 2.‘Wheat magazine’ from fruminis ‘cereals’ and statio ‘station’ 3.‘Rest place’ from Germanic berhumt ‘rest’ and stadt ‘estate’ Fresneña Burgos ‘Place with ash trees’ with suffix -ña same as in España ‘Spain’ Fresnillo Segovia ‘Small village with ash trees’ Spanish fresno with diminutive added -illo 113 FUENTE FRONTERA (LA) Fuenmayor La Rioja Frontera (La) Cuenca ‘Mayor fountain’ Spanish ‘The frontier’ Spanish with reference to the Arab kingdoms Fuensalida Toledo Fuencaliente Ciudad Real ‘Sparkling fountain’ from prefix fuen ‘fountain’ and second element salida from Latin salire ‘to come out’ ‘Warm fountain’ Spanish Fuencarral Madrid Fuensaldaña Valladolid ‘On the cart road to the fountain’ from Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ and carral ‘cart road’ Poss. ‘Celtic fountain’ from its original name fons saldania with hypothetical root *Celtania adopted by the Arabs as Xaltania Fuencemillán Guadalajara 1.‘Fountain of the glede bird’ a kind of hawk from late Latin milvus 2.‘Fountain of Saint Millán’ from the saint Emiliano de la Cogolla born in La Rioja whose name is derived from Latin Aemilianus Fuensanta de Martos Jaen ‘Holy fountain’ DE MARTOS ‘near the town of Martos’ poss. ‘dedicated to the god Mars’ Fuente First name of many locations Fuengirola Málaga ‘Fountain’ from Spanish derived from Latin fons Uncertain 1.Poss.‘Fountain of the hill’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and Arabic gibra ‘hill’ as in Gibraltar 2.‘Fountain of the fishing boat’ from Italian girona ‘boat for dragging fishing nets’ 3.‘Star fountain’ from Arabic sohail phonetic adaptation of earlier Christian name which means ‘evening star’ 4.‘Place of Soelio’ personal name derived from Germanic Suel and Greek Syalis This interpretation is based on its preRoman name Sivel or Suel Fuente Álamo Albacete ‘Fountain af the aspen tree’ from Spanish álamo ‘aspen tree’ Fuente Albilla Albacete ‘Small and white fountain’ albilla is diminutive of Latin adjective alba ‘white’ Fuente Armegid Soria Prob. ‘Fountain of Armegilio’ from Latin Germanized personal name Armogius ‘armed’ Fuentebureba Burgos Fuenlabrada Madrid ‘Fountain in the Bureba district’ from Spanish derived from Latin fons and BUREBA is a region once named Borovia of unknown meaning ‘Ornate fountain’ Spanish from fuente ‘fountain’ and labrada ‘chiselled’ Fuenlabrada de los Montes Badajoz ‘Ornate fountain’ DE LOS MONTES ‘the one close to the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra de la Rinconada ‘on the corner’ and Sierra del Quejido ‘oak faiginea’ ‘Fountain in stony ground’ from Spanish canto ‘stone’ Poss. site of ancient Lacunis suggestive of related etymology. Fuenllana Ciudad Real Fuente del Arco Badajoz Fuente de Cantos Badajoz ‘Fountain’ DEL ARCO ‘the one with an arch’ said to show the legend hic incipit Extremadura ‘here begins the Extremadura region’ ‘Fountain in a flat terrain’ from Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ and llana ‘flat’ Poss. ancient city of Lanini also poss. ancient Laminium mentioned in the Antonin Itinerary. 114 FUENTENOVILLA FUENTE LA ENCINA ’by the holm-oak’ from Spanish encina Bot. quercus ilex FUENTEOVEJUNA Fuente de Pedro Naharro Cuenca ‘Fountain’ DE PEDRO NAHARRO ‘near the homestead of Pedro Navarro’ a settler from the kingdom of Navarra Fuente la Higuera Guadalajara ‘Fountain’ LA HIGUERA ‘by the fig-tree’ from Spanish higuera derived from Latin ficus Fuente El Fresno Ciudad Real ‘Fountain by an ash-tree’ Spanish Fuente La Lancha Cordoba Fuente El Sauz Avila ‘Fountain’ EL SAUZ ‘the one by a willow-tree’ from Latin salix ‘willow’ ‘Fountain’ LA LANCHA ‘flat stone’ term of unknown origin prob. Malayan brought by Portuguese navigators Fuente El Saz de Jarama Fuente La Peña Zamora Madrid ‘Fountain’ EL SAZ ‘the one by a willow-tree’ from Latin salix ‘willow’ DE JARAMA ‘on the banks of the river Jarama’ uncertain, prob. from preHindu-European sar ‘to flow’ whence Latin serum ‘liquid that flows’ and Spanish jarabe ‘sirup’ In its final form was Arabized as harama which could mean ‘river in no man’s land’ ‘Fountain’ LA PEÑA ‘by the rock’ Fuente El Sol Valladolid ‘Fountain of the willow tree’ from Spanish sauce derived from Latin salix ‘willow’ Fuentelcésped Burgos Prob. ‘Fountain surrounded by grass’ from fuente ‘fountain’ and césped ‘grass’ ’turf’ Fuentelisendro Burgos ‘Lisandro’s fountain’ from Latin personal name derived from Greek Alexander Fuentelsaz Guadalajara ‘Fountain’ EL SOL ‘in sunny area’ though presently is surrounded with trees. It gave up its original name del Arca for unknown reasons. Fuente Encalada Zamora ‘Whitewashed fountain’ from Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ and adjective encalada derived from Latin calx ‘lime’ Fuente Guinaldo Salamanca ‘Fountain’ GUINALDO is prob. Grimaldo’s a French settler, or from Gundevald Germanic name meaning ‘leader in war’ from gunds battle and vald ‘leader’ Fuente Encarroz Valencia ‘Fountain’ ENCARROZ ‘of lord Carroz’ where en- is an antic Valencian title and Carroz name of early possessor Fuente Heridos Huelva Fuentenebro Burgos ‘Fountain’ HERIDOS ‘very cold’ from Latin frigidus or from late Latin feridos ‘sorted out’ with reference to the proper times for irrigation ‘Fountain with juniper herbs’ from Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ and enebro ‘juniper’ Fuentenovilla Guadalajara ‘New and small fountain’ NOVILLA means ‘new’ with diminutive suffix -illa Fuente La Encina Guadalajara ‘Fountain’ 115 FUENTEOVEJUNA FUERTEVENTURA Fuentes de León Badajoz ‘Fountains’ DE LEON ‘given to the settlers from the kingdom of León’ Fuenteovejuna Cordoba ‘Fountain of the sheep’ OVEJUNA ‘frequented by sheep cattle’ Fuente Palmera Cordoba Fuentes de Magaña Soria ‘Fountain by the palm tree’ Spanish ‘The fountain of Pelayo’ from Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ and Latin personal name of Greek origin Pelagos ‘ocean’ ‘Fountains’ DE MAGAÑA is a near town whose Basque name means prob. ‘place with millet’ from agan ‘millet’ and suffix -a ‘place with’ Fuentepinilla Soria Fuentes de Oñoro Salamanca Fuentepelayo Segovia ‘Fountain by a small rock’ from Spanish fuente ‘fountain’ and pinilla derived from Latin pinna ‘merlon of a battlement’’ and Spanish diminutive -illa ‘Fountains’ DE OÑORO prob. pointing at Latin personal name Honorius ‘honourable’ Fuentes de Valdepero Fuenterrabía Guipuzcoa Palencia ‘Fountains’ DE VALDEPERO ‘in Peter’s field’ from Old Spanish personal name Pero identical with Pedro ‘Peter’ Uncaertain 1.‘Sandy ford’ from Basque hondar ‘sand’ and ibi ‘ford’ 2.‘Fountain in a narrow valley’ from French Basque hond ‘fountain’ and arrabia ‘ravine’ 3.‘Rapid fountain’ from documented fontem rapidam Fuentespalda Teruel 1.‘White fountain’ from Spanish fuente and Latin pallida ‘pale’ ‘white’ 2.‘Sloped fountain’ from Spanish fuente and Latin spatula Fuenterrobles Valencia ‘Fountain by the oak-tree grove’ from Spanish roble ‘oak’’ Bot. quercus rubur Fuentespreadas Zamora Prob. ‘Twin fountains’ from Spanish fuentes ‘fountains’ and pareadas ‘paired’ Fuentes Cuenca ‘Fountains’ Spanish Fuentetojar Cordoba Fuentesauco Zamora ‘Fountain with willow tree’ from Spanish fuente and sauce ‘willow’ ‘Fountain on top of a hill’ from Arabic tojar ’prominent place’ and Spanish preffix fuen- ‘fountain’ Fuentes de Andalucía Sevilla Fuentidueña Segovia ‘Fountains of Andalucia’ Spanish. ‘The lady’s fountain’ from Spanish fuente and Latin domina ‘lady’ which became doña or dueña in early Spanish Fuentes de Ebro Zaragoza ‘Fountain heads of the river Ebro’ Spanish Fuerte del Rey Jaen ‘The King’s fort’ Spanish Fuentes de La Alcarria Fuerteventura Canary Island Guadalajara ‘Fountains’ DE LA ALCARRIA ‘in the Alcarria district’ from Arabic alquaryat ‘hamlet’ but originally ‘land of the Olcadi people’ ‘Fort of fortune’ Spanish The island was named Herbaria on account of the abundance of pastures. It had previously received the names Lagartaria and Pintuaria 116 FURNA FULLEDA Fulleda Several locations in Galicia Furada Several locations in Galicia ‘A place with thick foliage’ from Latin folium ‘leaf’ ‘Carved place’ ‘cavern’ Galician identical with Spanish adjective horadada ‘carved in’ Funes Navarra Furna Several locations in Galicia ‘Frontier’ ‘boundary’ from Latin finis ‘end of’ It can be associated with ‘narrow pass in a mountain’ separating two districts. ‘Cavern’ Galician from late Latin furnata identical with horata ‘carved’ 117 GALICIA GABALDÓN Galbarros Burgos G 1.‘Place with holm-oak trees' from Basque albar-a and Spanish plural -os 2.‘Place with plenty of bushes’ from Basque kalpar Gabaldón Cuenca ‘Extensive pastures’ from Occitan gabalda ‘pasture’ or Basque abal and augmentative Spanish suffix -on Galbarruli La Rioja 1.‘Village with holm-oak trees' from Basque albar-a and -uri ‘village’ 2.‘Place with plenty of bushes’ from Basque kalpar ‘bushes’ and uri ‘village’ Gabanes Burgos 1.‘Huts’ from late Latin cabanna derived from pre-Hindu-European cap ‘to capture’ hence cabin 2.‘Pastures’ as in GABALDON Galdar Las Palmas Canary Islands Unknown 1.‘Place of Galdino’ personal name derived from Gaudin ‘son of the Goth’ 2.‘Pasture’ from Basque alda 3.‘Rich house’ from Arabic gai ‘house’ and dar ‘precious’ 4.‘Tortuous heights’ from Berber gar ‘difficult’ and addar ‘top of a mountain’ Prob. from Aregaldar the indigenous language before the Conquest. Gabiria Guipuzcoa ‘Town abundant in cranberry plants’ from Basque abi ‘cranberries’ and iri ‘village’ with article -a ‘the’ as suffix Gador Almería Unknown Prob. from Latin Gaedur derived from Phoenician kaitur as it appears in coins found in the area Galdós La Coruña Unknown 1.‘Place of Galdino’ from Germanic personal name derived from gaudin ‘son of the Goth’ 2.‘Place of Waldo’ from Germanic name derived from wald ‘governor’ Galanza Guipuzcoa ‘Hights’ from Basque gain ‘summit’ and superlative suffix - tza ‘plural’ Gajanejos Guadalajara Prob. ‘Cayo’s place’ from late Latin personal name Gaius and possessive genitive -eius ‘his’ Galera Granada 1.‘Place of Galerio’ from Latin personal name galerus ‘skin bonnet’ 2.‘Women’s prison’ term used in Medieval times Galapagar Madrid ‘Place frequented by tortoises’ from Spanish galápagos derived from Arabic calabac ‘freshwater tortoise’ Galiana Several locations ‘Galiano’s place’ from Latin personal name Galianus ‘son of the Frenchman’ Galapagos Guadalajara ‘Place frequented by tortoises’ Originally this Iberian city was Calapaccu meaning ‘shell’ ‘shelter’ ‘hard cover’ Galicia North-western region Uncertain 1.‘Land of the Galaici people’ from its archaic name Gallecia which could mean ‘white land’ from Greek Galla Galacios 2.‘The Greek Gallia’ from Latin Gallo Grecia mutated to Galecia 3.‘Protected land’ from Hindu-European root kaia ‘shelter’ 4.‘Stony area’ from Celtic cai ‘rocky’ Galaroza Huelva Uncertain 1.‘Place with branches’ from Iberian Basque galla ‘thin branch’ and locative suffix -oza 2.‘Fertile land’ from Arabic al-garoza 118 GARABELOS GALVE Gallipienzo Navarra Galve Teruel Prob.1. ‘Stony’ from Celtic kal and pend ‘fragments’ 2.‘High slope’ from Basque gara ‘high’ and pendiz ‘’slope’ 3.‘Inclined path’ from late Latin callis pendius 4.‘Wheat field’ from Basque gari ‘wheat’ and pentze ‘field’. 1.‘Meadow’ ‘hayfield’ from Basque albitz ‘hay’ whence galbi 2.‘Place of Galba’ Latin personal name meaning ‘fat’ from Celtic golf ‘grease’ Galve de Sorbe Guadalajara 1.‘Place of Galbi ben Amril’ name of one of the generals of calif Abderraman 2.‘Meadow’ ‘hayfield’ from Basque albitz ‘hay’ whence galbi and galve 3.‘Palce of Galba’ Latin personal name meaning ‘fat’ from Celtic golf ‘grease’ DE SORBE poss. anthroponym from Servius ‘serviceable’ Prob. ‘High rock’ from Basque gain ‘height’ and lur ‘earth’. Otherwise derived from Basque gallur with identical meaning. Galvez Toledo Gallur Zaragoza Gallues Navarra ‘High rock’ from Basque gallur 1.‘Meadow’ ‘hayfield’ from Basque albitz ‘hay’ 2.‘Palce of Galba’ Latin personal name meaning ‘fat’ from Celtic golf ‘grease’ Gama Palencia Prob. ‘Pasture’ from Basque ama Gamonal Several locations Galicians Several places ‘Place of asphodel plants’ from Spanish gamon ‘asphodel’ derived from Greek gamos ‘tight union’ typical of the roots of this plant with leaves resembling swords. Names like GAMONEDO and GAMIZ have the same origin. ‘Place inhabited by Galician settlers’ Galicians de Solmiron Salamanca ‘Place inhabited by Galicians’ DE SOLMIRON ‘on the district of El Mirón’ from Celtic miro randa ‘the border land’ between the kingdoms of Castile and Leon. Gandara Some locations in Galicia ‘Low and uncultivated land’ from vernacular Galician derived from 1.‘Elevated place’ from Basque gain ‘height’ and locative ara ‘there’ 2.‘White’ from Celtic gan and Basque locative -ara 3.‘Stony slope’ from archaic French ganda Galleguillos de Campos León ‘A smaller place of Galician settlers’ from Spanish Gallegos and diminutive -illos DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a plain which was conquered by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Gandía Valencia Unknown Poss. from a Candia, Arabized form of assumed pre-Roman or Iberian name. Gallinero de Cameros La Rioja ‘Poultry farm’ Spanish DE CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ with reference to a natural region of ‘undulated’ appearance from Hindu-European kamp ‘curved’ and Spanish suffix of propriety -ero, in plural for covering two Cameros: camero alto ‘high’ and camero bajo ‘low’. Gandullas Madrid Prob. ‘Place of Gandolfo’ from Gothic name Gandulfus Germanic with first element gang ‘warrior’ and second wulf ‘wolf’ Garabelos Some locations in Galicia ‘Heaps of weeds’ in Galician language 119 GAUCIN GARACHICO Garachico Tenerife Garganchon Burgos Uncertain 1.‘Small field with barley’ from Basque gara-i ‘barley’ and Spanish chico ‘small’ 2.‘High place’ from the same Basque root gara with its alternative meaning ‘high’, but then chico is contradictory. 3.‘Rocky place’ containing Celtic element car. Prob, ‘Big gorge’ from Spanish garganta ‘gorge’ ‘throat’ and augmentative suffix -on Garganta La Several locations Garay Vizcaya 1.‘Jet streams of water’ in vernacular idiom of the Extremadura region 2.‘Place with small stones’ from late Latin calculetos ‘Narrow pass between mountains or rivers’ ‘gorge’ Spanish. Garlitos Badajoz 1.‘High place’ from Basque gara-i ‘high’ 2.‘Pasture’ from Basque gara 3.‘Barleyfield’ from second meaning of gara Garoña Burgos Garbin Caceres 1.‘Part of an orchard which can be easily irrigated’ in vernacular of the region 2.‘Place of Garbino’ from Arabic personal name harbyyn ‘warrior’ 1.‘Bracken field’ from Basque garo and locative suffix -ña 2.‘Place in a valley’ from Basque aran-o 3.‘Place with plumtrees’ also from Basque arano García Tarragona Garriga La Catalonia and Balearic Islands ‘Uncultivated field’ ‘wild land’ from preRoman garrica 1.‘Very prominent rock’ from g-artzi-a where the prefix g- reinforces the main element artz -a ‘rocky place’ 2.‘Bear’ from Basque artz ‘bear’ 3.‘Place with holm or evergreen oaks’ from Basque gazte-a, Bot. quercus ilex 4.‘Squire’ ‘Shield bearer’ from Latin *Garsio 5.‘Young’ from Basque gazte ‘young’ 6.‘Young warrior’ from Basque gazte and Germanic noun wars 7.‘Youngman’ from old French garson derived from Germanic warza ‘teat’ This village may stand on the the site of ancient Carceia Garrucha Almería ‘Lifting device with pulleys’ prob. used in its harbour. Gascones Madrid ‘Basque settlers or immigrants’ from old French gascon ‘Basque’ Gascueña Cuenca ‘Place of Basque settlers’ from French gascon and suffix of possession -eña Gastelu Vizcaya Garciaz Caceres ‘Place of Garci’ from personal name Garci and surname suffix -az, equivalent to -ez. ‘Small fort or castle’ diminutive castrellum from Latin Garciotum Toledo Prob. ‘Place of Garci Odón’ compound from personal name Garci and Germanic Otto ‘wealthy’, which in Spanish is spelt Odon Prob. ‘Place of *Gauton’ from Germanic personal name Waldone ‘leader’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a plain connecting three provinces. Garde Navarra Gaucin Málaga Gatón de Campos Valladolid Prob, ‘Place of Gaudio’ from Latin personal name Gaudius ‘happy’ ‘gay’ Renamed by the Arabs Sajra-Gauzan 1.‘Place of cardoons’ from Latin cardus in Spanish cardo 2.‘The guard’ from French La Garde 120 GAUNA GETAFE Gauna Álava Genave Jaen Unknown 1.‘Place with plants used to weave a kind of oriental cloth’ named gaunaca. 2.‘Place owned by person named Juan’ 3.‘Cave’ from French caune derived from Latin cova Its ancient name was Ganna Generalife Gardens in Granada ‘The garden of the architect’ from Arabic genna ‘garden’ and al-arif ‘the architect’ Gavia Galicia and Canary Islands Genil River Prob. ‘The garden of Abu’ compound of from Arabic personal name and noun genna ‘garden’ Unknown A legend links the name of this river with the Egyptian Nile Ancient name was Singilis and Arabic Shanaeel which confirms an origin by modifications. Uncertain 1.‘A form of irrigation based on earthy walls to allow water from rain sources’ only in certain parts of Canary Islands 2.‘Cave’ from late Latin cova and old French cauve 3.‘Place on elevated terrain’ from Hebrew gab 4.‘Hammersmith’ from Basque gabi-a Gerena Sevilla Prob. ‘Place of *Gerino’ from Germanic personal name Gair ‘spear’ Gaviria Guipuzcoa Gergal Soria ‘The village with a hammersmith’ from Basque gabi ‘hammersmith’ and uri-a ‘the village’ Poss. ‘Place of Gerhaldo’ from Germanic personal name Gair ‘spear’ and hard ‘strong’ ‘hard’ Gayoso Several locations in Galicia Geria Valladolid ‘Rocky place’ from Galician gaio ‘rock’ and locative suffix -oso ‘abundant in’ Prob. ‘Place of Gerio’ from Latin personal name Gerius derived from Greek geros ‘old’ ‘veteran’ Gea de Albarracín Teruel ‘The homestead’ from Basque etxe-a ‘the house’ DE ALBARRACIN ‘in the Albarracin mountains’ from Arabic personal name A-ben-rrazin who ruled over the territory. Gerona (Girona) Unknown Ancient name Gerunda whose remains are on a hill near the city. Sugg. ‘Place of *Gerion’ a legendary king of Spain and assumed founder. Gelsa Zaragoza Gestalgar Valencia Unknown Pre-roman name was Kelsa later Lepida Celsa This was one of the four cities of the Ilergete nation mentioned by Pliny, Strabo, and Polybius ‘Place of wicker shops’ from Arabic xest ‘wicker’ and algar ‘place’ Gesteira Many places in Galicia ‘Broom field’ from Galician xesteira Getafe Madrid Gelves Sevilla ‘Elongated place’ from Arabic xetafe Poss. site of ancient pre-Roman town of Titulcia inhabited by the Carpetani people Unknown Ancient Gelduba. Poss. second element uba is Phoenician locative but first element elb is of unknown meaning. 121 GOMERA GIBRALEÓN 2.‘Broomfiled’ from Latin ginesta Bot. spartium junceum ‘weaver’s broom’ Gibraleon Huelva ‘Colourful mountain’ from Arabic gebal ‘mountain’ and oyun ‘colour’ Prob. derivation of earlier name Holon and Holongiti Ginestar Tarragona Gibraltar Cádiz Gineta La Several locations ‘Broomfiled’ from Latin ginesta 1.‘Place of Zenete’ Arabic name of a powerful Berber family 2.‘Horse rider’ from Arabic noun zenete 3.‘Fairy’ from Celtic jana ‘sorcerer’ 1.‘Mountain of Tarik’ from its Arab conqueror 2.‘Rock of the Conquest’ from Arabic ebal ‘rock’ and fath ‘conquest’ 3.‘Very prominent mountain’ from gebal ‘mountain’ and altarf ‘pointed’ 4.‘Land of the rock’ from Arabic gebal ‘rock’ ‘mountain’ and Latin terra ‘land’ The Romans named it Calpa Carteiam because of being near the city of Carteia Ginzo de Limia Orense ‘Place of Ginés’ from Latin Genesius derived from Greek ‘family protector’ DE LIMIA ‘near the river Limia’ from Latin ulmus ‘elm’, hence ‘river of elm trees’ Gijón (Xixon) Asturias Gironella Barcelona Unknown 1.‘Place of *Gesio’ from hypothetical owner with personal name Sesianus 2.‘Rock’ from Latin saxum ‘rock’ ‘big stone’ 3.‘Protected slope with water’ from Celtic elements gy ‘water’ and Basque egi ‘slope’ and locative suffix -on 4.‘Bullrush’ from Greek xifion 5.‘Shaped like a sword’ from Greek xifias Old name was Gegia before Roman Nardinium ‘Little Gerona’ Cf. GERONA Godojos Zaragoza ‘Gothic people settlements’ from patronymic Godos and plural suffix -ojos Godoy Pontevedra ‘Gothic place’ poss. meaning that the village was ‘no longer Arab’ Goicoechea ‘Place of Giles’ Germanic patronymic Gil ‘soldier’ Some locations in Basque Country ‘The upper house’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ and prefix goi- ‘above’ with midelement ko ‘place’ and suffix -a ‘the’ Gimialcon Ávila Goitisolo Vizcaya Gilena Sevilla ‘Place of Ximén Halcón’ personal name of possessor from Hebrew Simeon ‘Simon’ and Spanish surname Halcón ‘falcon’ ‘The upper field’ from Basque solo ‘field’ and prefix goiti- ‘height’ Guizueta Navarra ‘Place with several pastures’ from Basque g-oitz ‘pasture’ and suffix of plurality eta Ginebrosa La Teruel ‘Place with ginger’ from Spanish jengibre ‘ginger’ Gomara Soria Gines Sevilla Prob. ‘Place of Gundimaro’ from Germanic personal name Gundimarus ‘twice famous’ Later renamed Omar from Arabic common personal name. Uncertain 1.‘Place of Gines’ from French personal name of Greek origin Genesius ‘familiar’ and ‘protector’ 122 GRANDA (LA) GOMERA Graja de Iniesta Cuenca Gomera Canary Islands 1.‘Place with clove plants’ from Spanish graja ‘clove’ Bot. eugenia tuberculata 2.‘Place with rook plants’ from Spanish grajo DE INIESTA ‘on the Iniesta district’ from Latin Infesta ‘dangerous’ ‘infested’ Prob. ‘Place of the Gomeritan settlers’ a tribe from Mauretania. Greek name was Heras Nesus and Roman Juniona Minor after mythical goddess Juno Gongora Navarra Grajal de Campos León Poss. ‘By the asphodels’ from Basque ango ‘asphodel’ and suffix locative -ra ‘in the direction of’ 1.‘Place with clove plantation’ from Spanish graja ‘clove’ and suffix of abundance -al Bot. eugenia tuberculata 2.‘Place frequented by rook birds’ from Spanish grajo DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a territory conquered by Nordic Goths and called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Gor Granada ‘Low place’ from Arabic gur Gorga Alicante Unknown Poss. ‘*Gorgon’s place’ of prob. Italian origin from homonymous town in Lazio Gormaz Soria Grajera Segovia Unknown. 1.‘Goat’s cave’ Arabic origin 2.‘Friday’s market’ from Arabic Khamis 3.‘Warm water’ from Germanic vormatu derived from worms ‘warm waters’ 4.‘Pasture by the holly tree wood’ from Basque oitz ‘pasture’ and gorosti ‘holly tree’ ‘Place frequented by rook birds’ from Spanish grajo Granada Granada 1.‘The fortified residence’ from Arabic dar garnathat a name allegedly given by the son of emir Abd-el-Scheibani who was the wali of the city then named Elvira There are several explanations for the name ELVIRA: 1.A mutation from earlier name Illiberia 2.‘New city’ from Basque iri-berri As for the name GRANADA popular etymologies are: 1.‘Pomgranate’ from Spanish granada derived from Latin granatula ‘full of grains’ 2.‘Westerly Nata’ name of a Syrian city supp. given by Moor leader Bediz Abendabuz compounded in Arabic to form gary Nata with first element gars ‘west’ 3.‘The cave of the maid *Nata’ from Arabic al-gar ‘cave’ and matronymic *Nata 4. ‘Hill of strangers’ from Arabic Karnattah Gorostiaga Several locations in Basque Country ‘Place with holly trees’ from Basque gorosti Gosol Lerida Unknown Pre-Romanic Goya in Galicia ‘Ditch’ in Galician idiom identical with Spanish hoya or hoyo Goyaz Guipuzcoa ‘Near the top’ from Basque goi ‘above’ and suffix -az ‘towards’ Grado Asturias ‘Shipyard’ from Latin gradus ‘step’ Graena Granada Granada (La) Barcelona Poss. ‘Place of Grando’ from undocumented Catalan personal name Gran with variant Grandio ‘big’ 1.‘Granary’ 2.‘Place where pomegranate trees grow’ 123 GUADAHORTUNA GRANADELLA Granadella Lérida Grao (El) Valencia ‘The shipyard’ from Latin gradus ‘step’ 1.‘Small granary’ with locative suffix -ella 2.‘Place where pomegranate trees grow’ Graus Huesca Granadilla Cáceres ‘The slope’ from Latin gradus ‘step’ 1.‘Small granary’ 2.‘Place where pomegranate trees grew’ Gravalos La Rioja Poss. ‘Ploughland of Abilio’ from Latin personal name Abilius ‘able’ and first element agrum ‘cultivated field’ Granátula de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘Place where pomegranate trees grew’ from Latin granatula. DE CALATRAVA ‘belonging to the Order of the Knights of Calatrava’ Arabic compound meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ Grazalema Cádiz ‘Town of Ben Salama’ from the name of a governor in the Cordoba califate. Ancient name was Lacidulia Grela Several places in Galicia ‘Plot with new shoots’ from vernacular Galician Granda Several places in Asturias ‘Open field raised over river-bank and having a mixture of alluvion stones and soil’ descriptive in Asturian language. Grijalba Burgos ‘White church’ from archaic Spanish Gaija Alba with first element derived from Ecclesia Granja La Segovia ‘The farmstead’ ‘the manor’ Spanish from old French grange derived from Latin granica ‘granary’ DE SAN ILDEFONSO ‘of Saint Ildephonsus’ from Germanic personal compound of hild and funs name meaning ‘ready for the battle’ so named after an Ildefonso bishop of Toledo who became a saint. Grijota Palencia ‘Big chapel’ or ‘chapel on elevated place’ similar with Grijalba with superlative suffix -ota from igrejota Grimaldo Cáceres ‘Place of Grimaldo’ from Germanic personal name meaning ‘protector’ Granja de Torrehermosa Griñón Madrid Badajoz ‘The farmstead’ ‘the manor’ Spanish from old French grange derived from Latin granica ‘granary’ DE TORREHERMOSA commendatory compound with ‘tower’ and Latin Formosa ‘well formed’ ‘beautiful’ Prob. ‘*Gerino’s place’ from hypothetical personal name of ruler Gerinus or Gerinaldus ‘lancer’ from Germanic gair Grisaleña Burgos Prob. ‘Griseldo’s place’ from Germanic personal name Grisald ‘grey haired’ and Latinized suffix -enius Granjuela Cordoba ‘The small farmstead’ ‘the manor’ Spanish from old French grange derived from Latin granica ‘granary’ and diminutive suffix -ela Grove (El) Pontevedra ‘Narrow valley’ language ‘glen’ in Guadahortuna Granada Granollers Barcelona Galician ‘Orchard by the river’ from Latin orta identical with Spanish huerta ‘orchard’ and Arabic wad or wadi ‘river’ ‘Granaries’ from Latin granillaris Grañon La Rioja ‘Large granary’ from Latin grannos 124 GUADALIX GUADAIRA Guadalcázar Cordoba ‘River of the palace’ from Arabic wadi-lquazar in Spanish alcázar. Guadaira Sevilla Poss. ‘River of mills’ from Arabic wad ‘river’ and ayra ‘mill’ but sec. el. aira could be remnant of an Iberian name. Guadalcoton river in Jaen Guadaisa Sevilla ‘River of cotton plantations’ from Arabic wadi-l-qutn ‘River of *Isa’ from Arabic wadi¡ ‘river’ and personal name *Isa Guadalén river in Ciudad Real Guadajira Badajoz ‘River of the fountain’ from Arabic wadil-ayin ‘River of Ajira’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and personal name Ajira Guadalentín river in Jaen Guadalajara Guadalajara Prob. ‘River of the *Inties people’ from an Arabic tribal name contained in documented wadi-l-Intiyyin Uncertain 1.‘River of Faray’ from the river Henares name wad al -Hayara which gave name to the city Medina al Faray 2.‘River with plenty of stones’ from Arabic wad ‘river’ and pre-Roman caraca ‘stony place’ related with ancient city of Ariaca and its variant Caraca. The Arabic correspondent is wadi-alhiyara, is documented. Guadalest Alicante Unknown Poss.‘Dark river’ compound of Arabic wadi ‘river’ and Iberian Basque letz ‘black’ Guadalete river in Cádiz Unknown 1.‘River of the Allayt’ from Berber tribal name documented in the area 2.‘River with flag-stones’ from Arabic wadi-l-ast derived from pre-Roman lasta 3.’River of oblivion’ from Greek lete It seems simply an Arabization of a preRoman name Lakka Guadalaviar Teruel 1.‘River with white colour’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and abyad ‘white’ 2.‘River with wells’ from Arabic wad ‘river’ and abyar ‘water well’ Guadalbaida river in Cordoba Poss. ‘River town where soap wort plants are found’ from Arabic albaida name given to Bot. saponaria officinalis or the variant anthyllis Guadalevin river in Malaga ‘River of tile makers’ from Arabic wadi-llabban Guadalbarbo river in Cordoba ‘Berber river’ from Arabic wadi-l-barbar The location was famous for its Berber horses. Guadalfeo river in Granada Guadalbullón river in Jaen Guadalhorce river in Málaga Poss. ‘River of the gorge’ from Arabic wadi-l-faw Obscure ‘River of the guards’ from Arabic wadi-lhars ‘’Bullion river’ from Arabic wadybullun Guadalcanal Seville ‘Channel river’ from Arabic wadi-l-qanal Roman name was Teresii and Fortunales Guadalimar river in Jaen ‘Reddish alhamar Guadalcacín river in Cádiz ‘River of silk makers’ from Arabic wadil-qazzazin river’ from Arabic wadi- Guadalix de la Sierra Madrid ‘River with alder trees’ from Arabic wadl-alix derived from Latin salix ‘alder 125 GUADIANA GUADALMEDINA DE LA SIERRA ‘close to the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra de Guadarrama so named after the homonymous river which in Arabic means ‘river that carries sand’ Guadamez Cáceres Poss. ‘River with hackberries’ as in GADALMEZ. Guadamur Toledo 1.‘Village close to the river of the dam’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and Latin murus ‘wall’ 2.‘River making waves’ from Arabic wadi-al-muir 3.‘Dry-river with a wall’ from Mozarabic uad ‘dry river’ and Spanish muro ‘wall’ Guadalmedina river in Málaga ‘River of the city’ in allusion to its closeness to Málaga, from Arabic wadial-madinat Guadalmez river in Córdoba ‘River with hackberries’ from Arabic wadi and Spanish as almez ‘hackberry plant’ Guadancil river in Cáceres ‘River of the pig’ from Arabic wadi-aljanzir Guadalmoral river in Córdoba ‘River with blackberries’ from Arabic wadi and Spanish as moral ‘blackberry’ Guadarrama river in Madrid Guadalope river in Teruel Guadarrama Madrid ‘Sandy river’ from Arabic wadi-l-raml Uncertain 1.‘River frequented by wolves’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and Latin lupus Spanish lobo ‘wolf’ 2.‘River of flag-stones’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and Iberian pre-Roman lasta ‘slab’ ‘flag-stone’ ‘Village by the Guadarrama river’ Guadarranque river in Cádiz ‘River of the mares’ from Arabic wad-arramk Guadarroman river in Cordoba ‘River of the pomegranates’ from Arabic wadi-r-rummam Guadalquivir River ‘The big river’ from Arabic wadi-l-kabir Earlier name was Betis prob. of Greek origin from Bathos ‘deep’ or may be Chaldean, meaning ‘with houses’ The Romans named the whole of Southern Spain Baetica on behalf of this river. It appears in historical records with names such as Tartesio, Carpa, Perce, Circe and Thuria Guadasequíes Valencia ‘River with ditches for irrigation’ from Arabic wad ‘river’ and Mozarabic azequias ‘ditches’ Guadasuar Valencia ‘Black river’ from Arabic wadi-aswad Guadazulema river in Córdoba Guadalupe Cáceres ‘Solomon’s river’ from Arabic wadSulayman a personal name of Hebrew origin. Uncertain 1.‘River of the wolf’ from Arabic wadi river and Latin lupus ‘wolf’ 2.‘River with lupin herbs’ second element derived from Latin lupinus or lupiae which also means ‘wolf-like’ in allusion to the negative effects of this herb on the fertility of the earth. Guadiana River ‘River of *Anna’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ a fluvial prefix added on to the old hydronym Anna mentioned by geographers like Strabo, Mela, Pliny, and Ptolemy. Guadamesí river in Cádiz ‘The river of women’ from Arabic wadin-nisa 126 GUIJO GUADIEL Guaro Málaga Guadiel Huelva Prob. ‘The little river’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and Mozarabic suffix -el. Identical with GUAREÑA. Poss. ‘Aro’s river’ from hypothetical personal name after hydronym wadi ‘river’ Guadix Granada Guarroman Jaen ‘River of life’ ‘perennial’ from Arabic wadi-hais an adaptation of its original pre-Roman name Acci ‘River with pomegranate trees’ from Arabic wadi-r-rummam identical with placename GUADARROMAN Gualba Barcelona Guatizalema river in Cáceres ‘White river’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and second element derivative of Latin alba ‘white’ ‘River of *Salama’ an Arabic family name Guaza de Campos Palencia Prob. ‘Place with a kind of green weeds used for dying clothes’ from Spanish gualdo, a weed known in Bot. as genista tinctoria ‘Place with water’ from Latin aquam ‘water’ and suffix of abundance -al DE CAMPOS ‘in the Campos district’ a region originally inhabited by invaders from the Galician kingdom for which it was named Campus Gallaeciae Guardamar de Segura Guereña Vitoria Valencia Uncertain Poss. ‘Protected place of *Omar’ from Mozarabic assumed name of owner or settler and first element Spanish guardia ‘protected place for watching’ Yet, its Arab name was Almodovar and pre-Arab might have been Lungurium DE SEGURA prob. derived from its ancient name Tader Arabized as Tadiru. Presently, from its fountain head, called fuente segura ‘secure fountain’ Uncertain 1.‘Watch point’ from French Basque guaita ‘watchman’ 2.‘Fish food factory’ from Latin cetaria Guardia (La) Galicia Guijo de los Pedroches Guardiola Barcelona ‘The guard’ as above or from Germanic wardon ‘to watch’ and locative suffix -ola ‘place where it does happen’ Córdoba ‘Small stone place’ from Spanish guijo DE LOS PEDROCHES ‘in the district of Pedroches’ territory situated in the North of the province of Cordoba which means ‘stones’ precisely from PEDROCHES a larger village. Guardo Palencia Guijo de Santa Bárbara Gualda Guadalajara Guetaria Guipuzcoa Poss. ‘Watch point’ from French Basque guaita ‘watchman’ Guevara Álava Obscure ‘Cut in the mountain’ from Basque er ‘to cut’ and ara ‘mountain’ ‘The guard’ from Gothic wardja ‘the one who keeps an eye on something’ ‘Watch point’ from Gothic wardjon ‘the act of watching’ Cáceres ‘Small stone place’ from Spanish guijo DE SANTA BÁRBARA ‘dedicated to Saint Barbara’ a reference to avoid confusion with homonyms. Guareña Badajoz Prob. ‘Little brook’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and diminutive Mozarabic suffix -eño 127 GUZMÁN GUIGUELO (EL) Poss. ‘Broom pastures’ from Iberian Basque guitza and suffix -ando ‘pastures’ Guijuelo (El) Salamanca ‘Small stone place’ from Spanish guijo ‘stone’ with diminutive suffix -elo Guisona Lérida Unknown Poss. ‘Broom fields’ from Iberian Basque guitza ‘broom’ Iberian name was Ieso assimilated by the Romans as Cisa, without doubt origin of Guisona. Guillena Sevilla ‘Place of Guillén’ from Spanish personal name Guillén which shares etymology with English William ‘chosen helm’ Guimerá Lérida ‘Place of Wigmar’ from Germanic personal name meaning ‘famous winner’ Guitiriz Several locations in Galicia Prob. ‘Place of Gutierre’ personal name origin of surname Gutierrez from Germanic walt-hari ‘army leader’ Guinicio Burgos 1.‘Place of Genesio’ personal name of Greek origin Genesius 2.‘High rock’ from Basque gain ‘summit’ and abundance suffix -itz Gurrea de Galician Burgos ‘Hazel nut grove’ from Basque g-urra ‘hazelnut’ DE GALICIAN ‘of the Franks’ from Latin Galaici ‘French people’ Roman name was Forum Gallorum Guipuzcoa (Gipuzkoa) Unknown The territory is mentioned by Roman historians as being part of the land of the Autrigones and Varduli people Guzmán Burgos ‘Place of Guzman’ from personal name of Germanic origin goths ‘apt’ ‘good’ and manna ‘man’ Guisando Ávila Unknown 128 HABA HERNANI Hellín Alicante ‘Place of Falyan’ from Arabic patronymic. Was prob. Minateda and poss. Ilunum. H Helguera Catalonia Haba (La) Badajoz ‘Place with fern in abundance’ from Latin filictum and Spanish helecho ‘fern’. 1.‘Bean orchard’ from Latin Faba ‘bean’ 2.‘Place of Fabia’ feminine personal name Fabia with reference to the agriculture of bean production. Henares River in Guadalajara ‘Hay fields’ from Spanish henar ‘meadow of hay’. Hacienda Murcia Henche La Rioja ‘Country estate’ from Latin Facienda ‘acting’ ‘doing something (for the land)’ ‘Place of Danche’ name of French settler from the xv century. Haedo Burgos Heredia Several locations ‘Beech grove’ from Latin fagus ‘beech tree’ ‘Inheritance’ hereditatem. Harinera Navarra ‘estate’ from Latin Herguijuela Caceres ‘Place which keeps or sells flour’ from Spanish harina ‘flour’ and suffix of availability -era. ‘Small (village) with furze plants’ from Arabic xuergen and Spanish erguén ‘gorse’ ‘furze’ a kind of thorny herbs. Suffix -uela is diminutive. Haro La Rioja Prob. ‘Free town’ from Arabic harr ‘tax exempt’, Roman name was Castrum Bilibium. Hermedes de Cerrato Palencia Haza many places in Andalucía ‘Bundle’ ‘bunch’ from Latin fascis. Hazas are ‘fields were bundles of straw are left on purpose to dry up. ‘Hermitages’ from Greek ereemos ‘desert’ DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Hecho Huesca Hermida Several locations ‘Fallow’ ‘plot left uncropped until next year’ from Latin facto ‘ready’ ‘done up’ ‘Hermitage’ ‘hermit’s abode’ from Greek ereemos ‘desert’ Hedrados in Galicia Hermosilla Burgos ‘Places with plenty of ivy’ from Spanish hiedra ‘ivy’ derived from Latin hedera. ‘Fair and small’ Spanish commendatory. Helechar Several locations Prob. ‘Place at the end of the burnt-up zone’ from Basque verb erre ‘to burn’ and noun muga ‘limit’. Hermua Vizcaya ‘Place where fern grew’ from Spanish helecho and Latin filictum ‘fern’ and suffix of abundance -ar. Hernani Guipuzcoa Helechosa de los Montes 1.‘Place of Ferdinand’ from Germanic personal name meaning ‘peaceful’ for Firthus and ‘daring’ for nands. 2.‘Place full of bramble’ from Basque erna ‘bramble’ and adverb anitz ‘much’. Badajoz ‘Place where fern grew’ from Spanish helecho and descriptive suffix -osa DE LOS MONTES ‘in the district of mountains’ 129 HIERRO HERNÁN PEREZ Herrín de Campos Valladolid Hernán Pérez Cáceres ‘Village of Fernán Pérez’ name of master of the Order of Alcántara. ‘Iron-works’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ with reference to a plain called Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Hernialde Guipuzcoa Prob. ‘Site close to a bramble zone’ from Basque erna and suffix alde ‘at a side’. Herrumblar (El) Cuenca Heros Asturrias ‘The place where scrap iron is deposited’’ Spanish. Prob. ‘Place with iron-works’ from Latin ferros. Hervás Cáceres Herradon de Pinares Ávila ‘Iron container for storing liquids’ Spanish herradón from Latin ferratus. DE PINARES ‘in the pinewood area’. Prob. ‘Place with boiled herbs’ from Latin fervens used to obtain perfume by the Jews of Toledo and settlers of Hervás. Bot. hervatum. Herramelluri La Rioja Hervías La Rioja 1.‘Village of Feramelo’ from personal name of settler derived from Basque Feramel and uri ‘village’ 2. ‘Village rich in oleander’ from Basque erramu ‘bay leave’ and suffix uri Prob. ‘Place with boiled herbs’ from Latin fervens used to obtain perfume. Bot. hervatum. Hespérides ancient name of Spain ‘Daughters of king Hespero’ in Greek mythology. Two versions of the legend apply: 1.‘One of three daughters, Hesperusa, according to the myth, possessed a magic orchard, where golden apples grew protected by a dragon’. 2.‘King Hespero, having climbed the mount Atlantis, became a star himself, which was associated with the evening star, and the site of Spain from a Greek perspective. Herrera La Albacete ‘The iron-works’ from Spanish herrería. Herrera de Alcántara Cáceres ‘Iron-works’ DE ALCÁNTARA ‘entrusted to the knights of the Order of Alcantara’ which means ‘the bridge’ in Arabic Herrera del Duque Badajoz ‘Iron-works’ DEL DUQUE from the time when the town belonged to the duque of Béjar. In Roman times was Lucina. Hiendelaencina Guadalajara ‘Beyond the holm-oak tree’ compound from Spanish allende ‘beyond’ and encina. Herrera de Pisuerga Palencia ‘Iron-works’ DE PISUERGA ‘by the river Pisuerga’ poss. from personal name Pisaurus after Greek pisos ‘meadow’ and auros ‘golden’ resulting in Pisorica and hence Pisuerga Hierro (Islas de) Canary Islands Prob.1. ‘Islands dedicated to the goddess Hera’, after giving mythologic names to each island, such as Juniona Mayor and Juniona Minor in deference to goddess Juno. 2.‘Hero’ from hypothetical original native place name 3.‘Iron-works’ from Latin ferrum. Herrera de Valdecañas Palencia ‘Iron-works’ DE VALDECAÑAS ‘in the valley of cultivated reed’ Spanish compound of valle and cañas sec.el. from Latin canna 130 HIGUERA HINOJOSA Higuera (s) Many locations from Latin ficus ‘fig’ and locative suffix era. Híjar Teruel Unknown Sugg. ‘Mountain’ from Hebrew har Very ancient town Igar accepted by the Arabs as Ixar. Higuera de Albalat Caceres ‘Figtree orchard’ DE ALBALAT ‘of the road-track’ from Arabic al-balat. Hiniestra Burgos ‘Broomfield’ from Spanish hiniesta derived from Latin hinastra ‘juniper’ Higuera de Calatrava Jaen Hinojales Huelva ‘Figtree orchard’ DE CALATRAVA ‘belonging to the Order of the Knights of Calatrava’ Arabic compound meaning ‘rich man’s castle’ from qal-a and rabah ‘gainful’ ‘Fields of fennel herbs’ from Latin feniculum a diminutive of fenen. Hinojares Jaen ‘Fields of fennel herbs’ with suffix of plurality -ares. Roman name was Traxinum. Higuera de las Dueñas Ávila ‘Figtree orchard’ DE DUEÑAS ‘belonging to the ladies’ often restricted to nuns from Latin domenicas shortened to donnas, hence dueñas. Hinojos Huelva ‘Fields of fennel herbs’ Hinojosa Guadalajara ‘Field of fennel herbs’ with feature suffix -osa. Higuera de la Serena Badajoz ‘Figtree orchard’ DE LA SERENA ‘in the Serena district’ which means ‘dry land’. Hinojosa de la Sierra Soria ‘Figtree orchard’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one close to the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra de Aracena of unknown meaning poss. related with ancient city Arunda. ‘Fields of fennel herbs’ DE LA SIERRA ‘close to the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra de Urbión name of Basque origin compound of ur ‘water’ and bi ‘two’ reminiscent in meaning to Latin Interamnes ‘between rivers’ Higuera de Llerena Badajoz Hinojosa del Duque Cordoba Higuera de la Sierra Huelva ‘Fields of fennel DEL DUQUE ‘of the duke of Belalcázar Francisco de Sotomayor’. ‘Figtree orchard’ DE LLERENA ‘in the district of Llerena’ Arabic from Ellerina poss. from earlier name derived from Latin glarea and Spanish llera ‘pebbles’ Hinojosa del Valle Badajoz ‘Fields of fennel DEL VALLE ‘the one on the valley’ with reference to the river Retin for necessary disambiguation. Higuera de Vargas Badajoz ‘Figtree orchard’ DE VARGAS ‘of Vargas’ the surname of settler Garci Pérez de Vargas a descriptive place name which means ‘fenced fields that become flooded once a year’ or ‘wooden cottages’ Hinojosa de San Vicente Toledo ‘Fields of fennel herbs’ DE SAN VICENTE ‘near the mountains of Saint Vincent’. Higueruela Albacete ‘Small orchard of fig-trees’ from Latin ficus ‘fig’ and locative diminutive suffix uela. Hinojosa del Cerro Ciudad Real ‘Fields with fennel’ 131 HONTORIA HINOJOSOS (LOS) DEL CERRO ‘the one with a hill’ for disambiguation. DE LA CUESTA ‘situated in the slope of a hill’. Hinojosos (Los) Cuenca Hontalbilla Segovia ‘Small and white fountain’ compound from Latin fons ‘fuente’ and alba ‘white’ with Spanish diminutive -illa. ‘The fennel fields’ It used to be one only Hinojoso until it was divided in two circumscriptions in the xiii century to appease feudal rivalries. Hontanares Ávila See ESPAÑA. ‘Fountain heads’ from Latin fontana ‘place where fountains flow’ with suffix of plurality -ares. Hiruela Madrid Hontangas Burgos Hispania Latin name of Spain ‘Village of small fountains’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and Basque -anga ‘small.’ Prob. ’Small orchard of fig-trees’ from an abbreviation of Figueruela which contains the Latin element ficus ‘fig’. Hontanillas Cuenca Hita Guadalajara ‘Small fountains’ from Latin fons, fontis ‘fountain’ and Spanish -illas ‘small’. ‘Landmarks’ also ‘wall’ from Latin ficta ‘fixed up’ Hontecillas Cuenca Hito (El) Cuenca ‘Small fountains’ HONTANILLAS ‘’Landmark’ from Latin adjective fictum ‘fixed up’ Identical with Hontoba Guadalajara Hiznalloz Granada ‘Castle of the almonds-tree’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and allozas a kind of almonds typical of Granada. ‘Fountain near the village of Toba’ TOBA is ‘a kind of porous limestone’ Hontoria de Cerrato Palencia ‘Golden fountain’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and aurea ‘golden’. DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ Hiznaloja Granada ‘Castle of the flagstone’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and Spanish loja ‘flagstone’. Hiznatoraf Jaen ‘Castle close to the frontier’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and second element meaning ‘limit’ but also ‘hip of earth’’. Hontoria de la Cantera Burgos ‘Golden fountain’ DE LA CANTERA ‘the one with a quarry’ Hondon Several places ‘Low, deep place’ from Latin fundus ‘profound’ Hontoria de Valdeprados Burgos ‘Golden fountain’ DE VALDEPRADOS ‘the one close to the village Valdeprados’ which means ‘valley of the meadows’ Honduras Salamanca ‘Low fields’ from Latin fundus ‘ Honrubia Cuenca ‘Reddish fountain’ from Latin elements fons ‘fountain’ and ruber ‘reddish’ Hontoria de las Torres Avila ‘Golden fountain’ DE LAS TORRES ‘the one with towers’ Honrubia de la Cuesta Segovia ‘Reddish fountain’ 132 HOYA GONZALO HORCAJO Horcajo de los Montes Hornillos Valladolid Ciudad Real ‘Village positioned between two reference points (usually rivers) and adopting the shape of a fork’ from Latin furca ‘fork’, and derogatory suffix -ajo DE LOS MONTES ‘located in wild uncultivated fields’ ‘Small place with furnaces’ Spanish diminutive suffix -illos. Hornillos de Cameros La Rioja ‘Small place with furnaces’ DE CAMEROS ‘in the zone of Cameros’ a word made up from Celtic kamb ‘curved’ and suffix -eros, in plural since there are two distinct districts: Camero Nuevo ‘new’ and Camero Viejo ‘old’ Horcajo de Santiago Cuenca ‘Small fork’ DE SANTIAGO ‘commended to the Military Order of Saint James’ Hornillos de Cerrato Palencia ‘Smaller place with furnaces’ DE CERRATO ‘in the Cerrato district’ the name Cerrato means ‘wingly’ ‘sinous’ from Latin cirratus’ ‘undulated’ descriptive of a soft hilly area, reminiscent of the shape of cirrus clouds. Horcajuelo de la Sierra Madrid ‘Small fork’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one near the mountains’ with reference to Somosierra which means mountain top from Latin summus. Hornos Jaen ‘Furnaces’ from Latin furnus ‘furnace’ Horche Guadalajara Obscure 1.‘Fork’ from Latin furca 2.’Small orchard’ from Latin hortum 3.‘Heath field’ from Mozarabic ulch-orch 4.‘The house on the top’ from Basque goi ‘above’ and etxe ‘house’. Rioja ‘Furnaces’ DE MONCALVILLO ‘at the foot of a small and bare hill’ diminutive compound of monte ‘hill’ and calvo ‘bald’ Hormigos Toledo Horta de San Juan Tarragona Hornos de Moncalvillo La Obscure Prob. ‘place with ant hills’ from Latin formicae ‘ants’ and Spanish hormigas. ‘Orchard’ from Latin hortus/a ‘orchard’ Hortaleza Madrid ‘Orchard’ with Spanish locative -eza Hormilla La Rioja ‘Place protected with a wall’ from Latin forma ‘form’ in this context meaning a shape around the site forming a wall, sometimes made of wood or stone. Hortigosa Many locations ‘Place protected with a wall’ with French suffix -aje for disambiguation. 1.‘Place with several orchards’ from Latin hortus ‘orchard’ and Spanish suffix of abundance -osa. 2.‘Place where nettle abounds’ from Spanish ortiga and suffix of abundance osa. Yet, the sense ‘nettle’ from Latin urtica appears unlikely. Hornachos Badajoz Hoya-Gonzalo Albacete Hormillaje La Rioja ‘Place with furnaces’ from Latin furnus ‘furnace’ and Mozarabic locative suffix -chos. ‘The pit of Gonzalo’’ from Latin fovea ‘pit’ ‘cavity’ ‘low ground’ GONZALO is anthroponym of Germanic origin from personal name Gundisalvus ‘’warrior’ ‘all’. Hornachuelos Cordoba ‘Small place where furnaces can be found’ and Mozarabic diminutive suffix uelos. 133 HUERTA HOYALES DE ROA Hoyales de Roa Burgos Huelva Huelva ‘Pits’ from Latin fovea which means ‘pit’ also ‘low ground’ Obscure 1.‘Dedicated to the god Baal’ from Phoenician Onos-Bal ‘strong Baal’ 2.‘The home’ from Hebrew nuha ‘room’ 3.‘Valley’ from pre-Hindu-European uba ‘valley’ ‘water’ These options are interpretations of historical name Onuba of unknown meaning. ‘ Hoyo de Manzanares Madrid ‘Pit’ ‘deep ground’ DE MANZANARES ‘the one in the valley of river Manzanares’ which means ‘of the apple trees’ Hoyos Caceres ‘Pits’ from Latin fovea which means ‘pit ‘cavity’ ‘low ground’ Huelves Cuenca Prob. ‘Another Huelva’ Mozarabic repetition of toponym Huelva. Hoz Several locations ‘Sickle’ Spanish from Latin falcem with reference to ‘narrow pass’ ‘gorge’. Huercal-Overa Almería Obscure 1.‘Place with a pottery shop’ from Latin Orcae 2.‘Fertile’ from Celtic orca ‘fertile land’ The second name OVERA may be ‘sheep stables’ derived from Latin oves ‘sheep’ and suffix -era ‘place’ Huarte Navarra ‘Place between two rivers’ compound of three Basque elements arere ‘torrential’, ur ‘between,’ and arte ‘water’. Huarte-Araquil Navarra ‘Place between two rivers’ ARAQUIL is anthroponym derived from Latin Aracaeli ‘altar in Heaven’ prob. surname of a governor. Huércanos La Rioja Obscure 1.‘Fertile’ from Celtic orca ‘fertile land’ 2.‘Pit’ ‘cavity’ from pre-Roman orca. 3.‘Place of *Horco’ hypothetical preRoman anthroponym. 4.‘Pottery’ from Latin orcae Hubierna (Ovierna) Burgos ‘Sheep land’ from Latin oves ‘sheep’ in Spanish ovejas with second element -erna a Latin suffix of ownership as can be found in PATERNA ‘of the father’ Huercemes del Cerro Guadalajara Obscure It might be related to Huercanos DEL CERRO ‘at the foot of a hillock’ Huecija Almería Prob. 1.‘The cottage by the rock’ from Basque aitz ‘rock’ and etxe ‘house’ ‘cottage’. 2. Arabized pre-Roman name Alostigui Huerta de la Obispalia Cuenca ‘Orchard’ ‘land that can be irrigated’ Spanish from Latin hortus, horta. DE LA OBISPALIA because ‘dependent of the Bishopric’ Huelgas (Las) Several places 1.‘Pleasant residences’ from Latin verb folgare ‘to enjoy’ and commendatory ‘enjoyable’ 2.‘Fertile land formed by the course of a river’ from its early place name Olca of Celtic origin. Huerta de Valdecarabaños Toledo ‘Orchard’ DE VADECARABAÑOS indicating ‘on the valley of Carabaños’ identical with Carabajos ‘land where evergreen oakwood grew’ Huelma Jaen Poss. 1.‘Water source’ from Germanic walda-at-alma. 2.‘Banquet’ repetition of Berber toponym Gualma. Site of ancient Acatucci. Huerta Pelayo Guadalajara ‘Orchard’ 134 HUERTALO HUSILLOS PELAYO Greek personal name Pelagius which means ‘ocean like’ personal name Victor ‘victorious’ Huertalo Huesca Unknown. Hueva Guadalajara ‘Small orchard’ from Latin hortelum. Humanes de Madrid Madrid Huesa Jaen ‘Channels’ ‘trenches’ derived from a Hindu-European root um/am. DE MADRID ‘in the province of Madrid’ Cf. entry. ‘Pit’ ‘cavity’ from Latin fossa. Huesca Huesca Obscure Prob. adaptation of its old name Olca. Coins with the name Bolsca, close to Huesca have been found. The root scan refers to ‘something that falls’ A suggested interpretation would be ‘rainy’. Humanes de Monhernando Guadalajara ‘Channels’ MONHERNANDO is a compound of oronym mons and anthroponym Ferdinand which means ‘daring for peace’ from Germanic Firthu ‘peace’ and nands ‘daring’ Poss. ‘Broom pastures’ from Iberian Basque guitza and suffix -ando ‘pastures’ Huescar Granada Obscure. Prob. from ancient name Osca. If related with Huesca, interpretation could be ‘rainy’. Humilladero Málaga ‘Small chapel’ a place for pilgrims to ‘humble themselves’ from Spanish humilde ‘humble’. Huete Cuenca Prob. ‘Brook’ from Arabic guad ‘river’ and Mozarabic diminutive suffix -ete. Oldest known name was prob. Obta, later Julia Obta, and assimilated by the Arabs. Husillos Palencia ‘Little water channels to prevent flooding’. Its original Latin name was Fusellis. Huetor Granada Poss. ‘Place of Victor’ from Latin 135 IBAIZABAL ICOD Iberia name of the Spanish Peninsula Obscure 1.‘Country where the river Ebro flows’ from the Latin name of the river Iberus mentioned by Livy. 2.‘Country of the river Hiberus’ a Phoenician name with reference to another river near Onuba, today’s Huelva, perhaps the Río Tinto or the Rio Odiel. The name Iberia can be found as well in Asia Minor near modern Georgia, a territory between the Carpian Sea and the Pont Euxinus. I Ibaizabal Alava ‘Wide river-bank’ from Basque ibai ‘river’ and zabal ‘wide’. Ibáñez Several locations 1.‘Riverside’ from Basque ibai ‘river’ and suffix -az ‘near’ 2.‘Place of the son of Juan’ from Basque ibai ‘river’ and possession locative -ez. Ibarbia Guipúzcoa Ibi Alicante ‘The way to the valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and bi ‘way to’ 1.Mutation of its ancient name Tibi of Ligurian origin. Also known as Tivisa. 2.‘Ford’ from pre-Roman Iberian Basque ibi ‘ford’ ‘level part of a river’ Ibarburu Guipúzcoa ‘The top of the valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and buru ‘top’ ‘highest point’. Ibia In Galicia several places Ibargoyen Guipúzcoa ‘Place by a river’ ‘brook’ from Basque ibi ‘riverside’ and suffix -a ‘the’. ‘High place of the valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and goyen ‘top’ ‘summit’. Ibilceta Navarra Ibarguren Álava ‘Place with promenade walks’ from Basque ibitlza ‘walk’ ‘promenade’ and suffix of plurality -eta. Ibarra Guipuzcoa Ibiza Balearic Island Prob. ‘Dedicated to the god Bes’ an Egyptian divinity worshiped by Carthaginians. The original name Ebesus contains the root bes. ‘Bottom of the valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and guren ‘down part’. ‘On the way to the valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and directional suffix -a ‘towards’. Ibargioti Vizcaya Ibrillos Burgos ‘High placed valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ and goiti ‘high’. Obscure Its ancient name was Ebrellos. Sugg. ‘Small books’ from documented Libriellos in the xiii century. Ibarrola Guipuzcoa ‘Homestead on the riverbank’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ ‘riverbank’ and suffix -ola ‘home’, also ‘factory’. Ibros Jaen ‘Inhabited by Iberians’ from its ancient name Iberi. Ibarrondo Vizcaya ‘Near the river-bank’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ ‘riverbank’ and suffix -ondo ‘close to’. Icazeguieta Guipuzcoa ‘Coal deposits’ from Basque icazt ‘coal’ and sec. el. tegui ‘deposit’ with suffix -eta ‘several’. Ibarruri Vizcaya ‘Village on the valley’ from Basque ibar ‘valley’ ‘riverside’ and uri ‘village’ ‘town’ Icod Tenerife ‘Part of a mencey’ 136 ICHASO INFIESTO 2.‘Place of Helen’ from personal name Ileana ‘bright’ derived from Greek Helena. Menceys were land units integrated by icods. Ichaso Guipuzcoa Illano Almería 1.‘Broomfield’ from Basque itsaso 2.‘Fountainhead’ from same Basque itsaso, which also means ‘fountainhead’ ‘Poss. ‘Place of Ileano’ from a Latin personal name such as Agilianus or Aquilinus. Idiazabal Guipuzcoa Illar Almería ‘The open field for oxen’ from Basque idi ‘ox’ and zabal ‘wide’ ‘open’ with the article -a- in the middle of the name. 1.Prob ‘Several villas’ abbreviation of Spanish villar indicating plurality of villas 2.‘Heather’ from Iberian Basque illar Igal Navarra ‘Fruit orchard’ from Basque igali ‘fruit’. Illescas Toledo Igea La Rioja Obscure 1.‘Luxuriant’ from Arabic ilexcas 2.‘Village with heather’ from Iberian Basque illar ‘heather’ and second element eskas ‘few’ Doubtless mutation from its ancient name ILLACURRIS. ‘The house’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ ‘home’ ‘address’. Identical with EGEA. Iglesia In Galicia ‘Church’ Spanish from Latin Ecclesiae Iglesias Burgos Iglesuela (La) Toledo ‘The little Church’ the diminutive -uela sounds pejorative. Illueca Zaragoza Obscure Sugg. ‘Little village’ shortening of villa with vernacular diminutive -ueca. Most prob. unexplained from original pre-Roman names Illicoca and Iloca. Igualada Barcelona Infantes (Villanueva de los) ‘Churches’ Spanish. ‘Open wide water’ from Latin aquae ‘waters’ and latae ‘wide’. Ciudad Real ‘New village’ in Spanish. DE LOS INFANTES ‘of the sons of the king’ from Latin infans ‘not yet able to speak’. Initially called DEL INFANTE after prince Henry of Trastamara, but opposition to him altered the name to include his brothers In the vicinity, there existed a Roman settlement called Jamila too humid to live in, so the inhabitants moved to the site of Villanueva and named it Moraleia or Moralexa ‘meadows’ Igualeja Málaga Prob. ‘Place with water’ from Latin aquae ‘water’ though second element leja is obscure. Iguerri Lérida ‘Burnt hill’ from Basque gorri ‘reddish’. Ijobre La Coruña Poss. ‘Place of Aigon’ from Germanic personal name Aig ‘sword’ and Galician suffix -bre of Celtic origin from brig ‘fortified place’ Infiesto Asturias Uncertain 1.‘Erected’ ‘elevated’ inhiesto. 2.‘High place’ from ‘summit’. Illana Guadalajara 1.‘Village founded on flat terrain’ backformation from Spanish villa llana. 137 from Spanish Germanic fist INFESTA ISLAS BALEARES 3.‘Infected’ from Latin infestus ‘harmful’ area or Spanish era with diminutive suffix -ela. Infesta Several locations ‘Erected’ ‘upright’ Galician from Latin erectus/a Spanish inhiesta. Iruela o Hiruela Madrid Iniesta Cuenca Irueste Guadalajara ‘Small threshing field’ Cf. above Obscure ‘Elevated’ from late Latin erecta in Spanish inhiesta. Most prob. a corruption of its original ancient name Egelaste, according to Pliny or Lasta mentioned by Ptolemy. 1.Basque origin meaning ‘Village surrounded by small wall’ from iri village and esto ‘fence’ 2.‘Village of barren soil’ from alternative second element Basque etze Insua In Galicia several places ‘Frontier town’ from Basque iri ‘city’ and un ‘border’ ‘limit’ ‘frontier’ Irún Guipuzcoa ‘Neighbourhood’ ‘quartier’ from Latin insula ‘island’ Iruña Álava Inviernas (Las) Guadalajara ‘Small village where fern grew’ from Basque iru ‘fern’ and diminutive -ña. Iruña is also the Basque name of Pamplona in Navarra poss. with another meaning. ‘The winter shelters’ for cattle, from Old Spanish ivierno after Latin hibernare Iñano La Coruña ‘Place of Aniano’ from Latin personal name Annianus with reference to the goddess Anna Perena. Isaba Navarra 1.‘New town which has fir wood’ from Basque iza ‘firwood’ and barri ‘new’. 2.‘The field of spruce-trees’ from Basque izai ‘spruce’ ‘silver-tree’ and article -a Irago La Coruña ‘Small village’ from Basque iri ‘village’ and diminutive suffix of location -ko. Isabarre Lérida Irañeta Navarra ‘New village by a broom field’ from Basque isa ‘broom’ and berri ‘new’. ‘Place with plenty of fern’ from Basque ira ‘fern’ and an-eta ‘having many’ Isasondo Guipuzcoa Iraola Guipuzcoa ‘Place with fern’ from Basque ira ‘fern’ and -ola ‘place with’. ‘Close to the broom field’ from Basque isa ‘broom’ and suffix -ondo ‘close to’ ‘near’ Iriepal Guadalajara Íscar Valladolid ‘Village with a court of justice’ from Basque iri ‘town’ and epal ‘magistrate’. Poss. ‘Maple tree grove’ from Iberian Basque askar ‘maple tree’. Most prob. derivative of ancient name Ipsca. Irlas (Las) Tarragona Obscure Prob. ‘The quartiers’ from Original name was Ichilas. Islas Baleares Balearic Islands insuas. 1.‘Islands of the slingers’ from Greek ballein ‘to throw’. 2.‘Islands of skilled stone throwers’ a Punic name from ba ‘masters’ and yarch ‘stone thrower’. The Greek name for the islands was Gimnesias ‘naked people’. Iruecha Soria ‘Three houses’ from Basque iru ‘three’ and etxe ‘house’. Iruela (La) Jaen ‘The small threshing field’ from Latin 138 ISLAS CANARIAS IZNATORAF 2.‘Place with blackberries’ from Basque itur. Islas Canarias Canary Islands ‘Island of dogs’ The first settlers from France were surprised at the abundance of wild dogs. Hence, the etymology is certain from Latin canis. Cf. CANARIAS Iturri Guipúzcoa ‘Place with fountains’ Izagre León Islas Cíes Pontevedra Uncertain 1.‘Fontier town’ for Arabic tagr ‘frontier’. 2.‘Open ground with rushes’ from Basque itza ‘rush’ and agiri ‘manifest’ ‘easy to see’. Documented Izraq. Unknown Ancient name was Sicae, mentioned by Pliny, later reduced to Sies Isla Cristina Huelva ‘Island of Cristina’ commemorative of assistance paid by Queen Cristina during an epidemy of cholera. Izal Navarra ‘Place where rushes Basque itza ‘rush’ Isona Lérida abound’ from Izcue Navarra Unknown pre-Roman containing the Iberian Basque element isi ‘city’ and sec. el. poss. Celtic root un ‘city’, too. ‘Broomfield’ from Basque isats ‘broom’ Iziz Navarra ‘High place with rushes’ from Basque iz ‘rush’ and suffix -iz ‘summit’ ‘top’ Itero de la Vega Palencia ‘By the road’ from Latin iter ‘way’ ‘path’ ‘road’ DE LA VEGA ‘the one on the riverbank’ with reference to the river Pisuerga, of unknown meaning poss. a derivative of pre-Roman anthroponym Pisoricus. Iznajar Cordoba 1.‘Castle with merlons in its battlement’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and asara ‘indented’ 2.‘Castle of Ashar’ from Arabic personal name of possessor Ashar. 3.‘Castle of joy’ from Arabic hisnshr. Itero del Castillo Burgos ‘Close to the road’ from Latin iter ‘way’ ‘path’ ‘road’ DEL CASTILLO ‘the one with a castle’ Iznalloz Granada ‘Castle with almond trees’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and al-llawza ‘almond’. Itero Seco Palencia ‘By the road’ from Latin iter ‘path’ ‘road’ SECO ‘the dry one’ often meaning alternance of water supply. Iznate Málaga ‘Castle of Ate’ from Arabic ‘hisn’ ‘castle’ and the name of a hypothetical Arab lord possessor. Poss. was site of ancient city Setinal true origin of the name. Ituero y Lama Segovia ‘Villages of Fituero and Lama’ from the union of two homesteads, one with the name of settler Domingo Juan Fituero and the other named Lama, which means ‘place with fountains’ from Basque iturri or ‘place with blackberries’ from Basque itur. Iznatoraf Jaen 1.‘Castle near the track’ ‘castle at the limit’ from Arabic hisn ‘castle’ and alturab ‘the track’. 2.‘Castle of Tarafa’ name of Arab settler or owner. Iturren Navarra 1.‘Place with fountains’ from Basque iturri. 139 JABALCUZ JARA (LA) Jaen Jaen Obscure 1.‘Place of Hayan’ from Arabic personal name of ruler Ibn Hayyan. 2.‘The capital’ from Arabic Al-Hadira. 3.’Place of Gayo’ from Latin name of possessor Gaius ‘joyful’ ‘gay’. Prob. successive transformations from ancient name Aurgi The complete Arab place name was Hadira-Tyayyan. J Jabalcuz Jaen 1.‘Mountain of the spiral flag’ an aromatic root known as costus from Arabic al-qust. Bot. Tanacetum balsamita. The first element is derived from Arabic djebal ‘mountain’ 2.‘Mountain of the jar’ from Arabic djebal and al-kuz ‘jar’. Jalance Valencia ‘The place of the snake’ from Arabic alhanas ‘the snake’ ‘the serpent’. Jabalera Cuenca Prob. ‘Mountain with cultivated land’ compound from Arabic djebal ‘mountain’ and Basque erri Jalón Alicante Unknown Ancient name was Salone slightly modified by Arabs and Mozarabs. Jabalquinto Jaen ‘The mountain of Quinto’ from Arabic djebal ‘mountain’ and Latin personal name Quintus ‘fifth’. Jalón River Unknown From pre-Roman name Saio, whence Arabic xalun. Jabaris Several places in Galicia ‘Bean fields’ from Latin faba ‘bean’ in adjectival form fabarius. Jalon de Cameros La Rioja Unknown From Arabic name of the district Xalun derived from that of the river Xalun DE CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ prob. ‘undulated’ from Nordic kamp ‘curved’ and Spanish suffix of propriety -ero, in plural for covering two Cameros: camero alto ‘high’ and camero bajo ‘low’. Alternatively, from Camberi a tribe of Cantabrian assumed settlers of Beroni origin. Jabalón River Obscure 1.‘River of the mountain’ from Arabic name Xabalon. 2.Pre-Roman containing the root savu of meaning unknown. Jabugo Huelva 1.Prob. ‘Place where elder trees grew’ from Latin sambucus ‘elder tree’ 2.Poss. ‘Estate’ from Iberian Basque jabego ‘property’ ‘dominion’ Jamilena Jaen 1.‘Place of Samuel’ from Hebrew meaning ‘God’s name’. 2.‘Place of *Samilio’ from archaic personal name related to Sicily Simigliano. Jaca Huesca ‘The slope’ from Arabic gaca ‘slope’ ‘descent’. A mutation of its ancient name Iaca the capital of the Iacetani people. Jana (La) Valencia Prob ‘The arsenal’ from Arabic tehana Jadraque Guadalajara ‘The prince’ from Arabic sadrat a title reserved for sultans and princes Jara (La) y Jaral Many locations ‘Place where rock-roses abound’ from Arabic xara ‘hairy’ Bot. cistus populifolius. 141 JAVERRI JARACO Jatiel Teruel Jaraco Valencia ‘Sandy riverside village’ from Arabic satt and Mozarabic locative suffix -iel. ‘Place of rock-roses from Arabic xara and Basque feature suffix -ko ‘place where they are’ Játiva Alicante Jarafuel Valencia. Unknown. 1.Poss. ‘House on top of two rocks’, from Iberian Basque sa ‘rock’ mid element etxe ‘house’ and last bi ‘two’ coherent with ancient name Sa-eta-bis. 2.‘Silk factory’ from Phoenician meaning of ancient name Saetabis mentioned by Pliny, Strabo and Ptolemy. The Arabized version was Chativa and Xativa 1.‘Place where parsley grew’ from Latin caerefolium and Greek khairephullon. 2.‘Place on a high location’ from Arabic Al-sarafa. Jaraicejo Cáceres ‘Little river mill’ from Arabic jaruz ‘river mill’ and Spanish suffix diminutive -ejo. Jaraiz de la Vera Caceres Jauja Cordoba 1.Prob. ‘River mills’ from Arabic xarauiz river mills’ 2.Poss. ‘Cultivated fields’ from Arabic haraiz DE LA VERA ‘in the district of Vera’ which means ‘’on one side’ usually referred to a river or mountain. ‘Narrow pass’ ‘gate’ from Arabic Xauxa, with reference to its position connecting Granada with the plains of Ecija. A homonymous town in Perú became legendary as a place of abundance where all good things were available. Jarama River Jauregui Obscure 1.‘Stony’ from Arabic xara ‘stone’ 2.‘River’ based on Hindu-European root sar ‘water’ 3.‘Sacred’ from a Hebrew element jrm ‘consecrated’. These are interpretations of ancient name Sarama country 1.‘Place of the lord of the estate’ from Basque jaun ‘lord’ mid element erri ‘cultivated field’ and final term egi ‘place’. 2.‘Mansion’ from Basque jaundegui, ‘abode of the owner’. Jarandilla Caceres ‘Village of the administrator’ from Basque jaurri ‘administrator’ ‘governor’ and locative suffix -eta. Several places in Basque Jaurrieta Navarra ‘Small location which has rockroses’ from Spanish jaranzo ‘rockrose’ id. with Bot. cistus populifolius and diminutive suffix -illa. Javea Alicante Obscure. 1.‘Plain near the mountain’ from Arabic Sawiy-a. 2.‘Plentiful’ from Arabic Xibia or Xivia. 3.‘Fishing nets’ from Arabic Xavega. 4.‘House by the ford’ from Mozarabic xa ‘house’ and bia ‘ford’ 5.‘Two houses’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ bi ‘two’ and the article -a. Jarque Zaragoza Obscure 1.‘Field with burnt-up wood’ from French eissartée. 2.‘Easterly’ from Arabic xarq ‘Orient’. 3.‘Place inhabited by Moors coming from the Orient’ from appellative Exaricos. Jatar Granada Javerri Navarra ‘Sandy riverside village’ from Arabic satt and Spanish locative suffix -ar. ‘New house’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ and berri ‘new. 142 JAVIER JOVE 1.Poss. ‘Place of rocks’ from Latin saxum ‘rock’ identical with Italian sasso. 2.‘Place of Gigio’ from hypothetical possessor Gigius Surely all mutations from original Saxona, with -ona as a common locative. Javier Navarra ‘New house’, identical with JAVERRI. Javierre del Obispo Huesca ‘New house’ DEL OBISPO ‘belonging Bishopric’ of Jaca. to the Jimena Jaen Javierrelatre Huesca Poss. ‘Stronghold’ from Arabic Haiyan ‘strong’ ‘courageous’ Uncertain 1.‘Place of Simeon’ from Hebrew ‘obedient’ personal name of assumed possessor. 2.‘Place of Ximeno’ anthroponym of Basque origin from eitz ‘beast’ and mendi ‘mountain’. Alternatively, from single term xeme ‘son’ 3. ‘Hill with fir trees’ from Basque eitz ‘fir tree’ and mendi ‘hill’ Jerez de la Frontera Cadiz Jimena de la Frontera Cádiz ‘By the side of the new house’ from Basque etxe ‘house’ and berri ‘new, and last element Latin ad laterem ‘on its side’. Was recorded as Scabir ad Latere. Jayena Alicante ‘City of Caesar’ derived from Latin adjectival Caesarea. Its most ancient name was Hasta Regia. Julius Caesar renamed it Munda Caesarea after prevailing over the sons of Pompeii Magnus. The Arabic name was Cherich. DE LA FRONTERA ‘on the frontier with Arab kingdoms’ As above. DE LA FRONTERA ‘on the border with the Arab kingdom’ Jodar Jaen Obscure 1.‘Place with pomegranate juice’ from Arabic xeudher, important for its use as dyer of clothes. 2.‘Rocky and mountainous’ from Arabic shawdar derived from pre-Roman Iberian roots 3.Place of Saudar’ from supposed Arabic personal name of owner Shawdar. Jerez de los Caballeros Badajoz ‘City of Caesar’ derived from Latin adjectival Caesarea DE LOS CABALLEROS ‘of the ‘knights’ with reference to the military Order of Alcantara’ which in Arabic means ‘the bridge’ Jorcas Teruel ‘Junction’ ‘forks’ from Latin furcus. Jorquera Albacete ‘Place where river and road converge’ from Latin furcus and locative feature suffix -era. Jerica Castellon Prob. 1. ‘Commons’ from Arabic xerique ‘shared property’. 2.‘Slope on a hill’ from Arabic sariqa. Joriaratar Granada ‘Small mountain range’ from late Latin suraira, diminutive of serra ‘saw’ descriptive of ‘mountains forming a sawlike horizon line’. Jesta Several places in Galicia ‘Broomfield’ from Galician vernacular xesta, whence Spanish cesta. Jesteira Several places in Galicia Jove Asturias ‘Broomfield’ from Galician xesta ‘broom’ and feature suffix -eira ‘having’ Obscure. Poss. ‘Place dedicated to the god Jove’ equivalent to Jupiter. Jijona Alicante Obscure 143 JUARROS JUNQUERA grows’ from Spanish jumillo. a poisonous plant. Juarros de Rio Moros Segovia Prob. ‘Elm tree grove’ from Basque zuar-a ‘elm tree’ with unexplained last element. DE RIO MOROS ‘on the banks of river Moros’ prob. from Mozarabic personal name Maurus rather than generic ‘Moors’ Juncal Many locations ‘Place with reed in abundance’ from Spanish junco ‘reed’, and locative suffix -al. Juneda Lerida ‘Place where reed is abundant’’ from Spanish junco ‘reed’, and locative suffix -eda. Jubia Several locations in Galicia ‘Pasture’ from Galician xoubia. Jucar River Junquera (La) Gerona Obscure meaning Without doubt derived from its preRoman name Sucro. ‘The place where reed abounds’ from Spanish junco ‘reed’, and locative suffix -era. Places named JUNQUEIRA, JONQUERA have identical meaning. Jumilla Murcia Uncertain Sugg. 1.‘Twin village’ from hypothetical Latin name gemella ‘twin’. 2.‘Fair’ from Arabic commendatory Chumilla 3.‘Place where the cuckoo-spit herb Junquera de Ambia Orense ‘Place with reed’ DE AMBIA ‘by the river Ambia’ of unknown meaning poss. simply ‘river’ from Celtic ambe ‘ 144 LAGUNILLA LABADOIRO Lagar Many locations L ‘Place where grapes are pressed’ from Greek Lakos ‘hole’ origin of English ‘lake’. Derivatives LAGARES, LAGARILLOS, LAGARIZA a.s.o. Labadoiro Several locations in Galicia ‘Place near a river apt for washing up clothes’ from Latin lavare ‘to wash’. Also found in LABANDEIRA or LAVADERO. Lagartera Toledo ‘Place frequented by lizards’ from Spanish lagarto. Also name of the region around this village. Labajos Segovia ‘Washing basins’ from Latin lavaclum ‘small washing place’. These pools were permanent reservoirs of rainwater. Lago Multiple locations ‘The fortress’ from Latin bastire ‘to build’. Spanish homonym of French La Bastille. ‘Lake’ ‘Lagoon’ Spanish. Repeated in homonyms LAGOS, LAGUNAS, LAGOAS, LAGUNILLAS, with adjectives for differentiation such as LAGUNAS RUBIAS ‘fair lagoons’ Labata Huesca Laguardia Álava Labastida Alava ‘The watch point’ from Spanish La Guardia ‘the guard’. ‘Home’ from Basque labatz ‘hearth’. Labores (Las) Ciudad Real Laguna (La) Tenerife ‘Farming land’ from Spanish labor ‘labour’ ‘farming’. Presented in plural and with the article las ‘the’ ‘The lagoon’ Spanish Laguna de Cameros La Rioja ‘The lagoon’ DE CAMEROS ‘within the region of Cameros’ meaning ‘winding mountains’ from Celtic kamb ‘bent’ ‘curved’ and suffix locative of repetition -eros. The region is divided in Camero Nuevo ‘new’ y Camero Viejo ‘old’ Labrada Several places ‘Cultivated land’ from Spanish labrada ‘laboured’. Labraza Álava ‘Near the cultivated land’ from Latin loborare ‘to work’ and Basque suffix -az ‘near’ plus article -a ‘the’. ‘ Laguna de Duero Valladolid ‘The lagoon’ DE DUERO ‘on the banks of river Duero’ unknown pre-Roman Durius, later known as Dorius approaching the Latin sense Doric. A meaning ‘gift’ derived from Celtic-Iberian dy-ero ‘bring-gift’ has been suggested. Lacorzana Alava ‘Place of Lucio’’ from Latin personal name Lucius ‘luminous’ and possession suffix-ana. Old name was Lucoiana. Ladera Multiple locations ‘Hillside’ Galician. Spanish and ladeira in Laguna de Negrillos Leon ‘The lagoon’ Spanish DE NEGRILLOS ‘of the black oaks’ from Latin negrillis, Bot. ulmus minor. Ladruñán Teruel ‘Place of Ladron’ personal name from Latin Latronis which originated the family name Ladrón as in Ladrón de Guevara, rulers of Vizcaya. Lagunilla del Jubera La Rioja ‘The small lagoon’ Spanish DEL JUBERA ‘of the river Jubera’ of meaning uncertain. Poss. from Basque Lafuente Huesca ‘The fountain’ Spanish. 145 LAJA LANGREO ubar-a ‘rise of the river’. 2.‘Pastures’ ‘pasture’ Laja (s) (e) (s) from Hebrew Lanciego Álava Multiple locations in Galicia ‘Place with sand stones, easily broken’ from Latin laxum, laxa ‘loose’ Unknown. Second element -iego is Spanish suffix ‘proper of a place’ Lajobre La Coruña ‘Place with sand stones’ Second element -obre is a Galician locative suffix of suggested Celtic origin from brig ‘fortified place’ Landaburu Vizcaya Lalín Pontevedra ‘Holm oak wood’ from Galician landra ‘acorn’. ‘Top of the field’ from Basque landa ‘field’ and buru ‘head’ ‘summit’. Landeira Lugo Prob. ‘Place of Lalino’ personal name of assumed settler from Latin Lalinus a recorded Medieval name of the village. vernacular Landete Cuenca 1.‘Place with small vegetation’ from Old Spanish landa. 2.‘Border town’ from Spanish linde ‘border’ 3.‘Flat and extensive terrain’’ from Celtic land. 4.‘Meadow’ from Basque landa ‘meadow’ and suffix -eta ‘more than one’. Lama (s) Many places in Galicia ‘Mud’ from Latin lama. La Mancha Central region in Spain Obscure 1.‘The high plain’ from Arabic al-manga 2.‘The dry land’ from Arabic al-mancha 3.‘The spot’ literally Spanish mancha from Latin macula, figurative ‘the dry one’ 4.‘The mark’ meaning ‘frontier land’ 5.‘The mansa’ a term indicating ‘portion of land given to serfs for cultivation’ from Latin mansum, mansa ‘mansions’ Landraves Burgos 1.‘Place of Lentio’ from Latin personal name Lentius ‘obstinate’ and suffix of possession. 2.‘Plain place’ first element derived from Celtic land and second unexplained. Lamazares Pontevedra Langa de Duero Soria ‘Slimy fields’ from Latin lama ‘mud’ ‘slime’ and Spanish suffix -ares ‘several’ Obscure Several important towns held the name Langa before the Roman epoch. Prob. Celtic from lanka ‘riverbed’. DE DUERO ‘on the banks of river Duero’ unknown original pre-Roman Durius, later known as Dorius suggesting the meaning Doric. Lameiro Several locations in Galicia ‘Place with mud’ from Latin lama ‘mud’ Lamela (s) naweh Several locations in Galicia ‘Slimy fields’ from Latin lama ‘slime’ and Latin diminutive -ela. Lanestosa Vizcaya ‘Village with broom’ Bot. spartium junceum from late Latin genista ‘spartium’ ‘furze’ Recorded old name La Nestosa. La Membrilla Ciudad Real 1.‘Place where marble can be found’ from Latin Marmaria> Marmellaria. 2.‘Place with quince trees’ from Spanish membrillo ‘quince tree’ Langayo Valladolid Poss. ‘Place near the river’ from Celtic Lanka ‘riverbed’. Lanaja Huesca Meaning uncertain. 1.Poss. ‘Place of Naya’ matronymic of a legendary divinity of waters Langreo Asturias Obscure 146 LARRINZAR LANTEIRA 1.‘Fallow land’ from Basque lange ‘uncultivated’ 2.‘Near the river’ from Celtic lanka ‘riverbed' and Latin suffix -etus Old names were Lagniam, Lagneo, and Langredo. DE LA BARCA with reference to an existing boat for crossing the river Ebro Lardero La Rioja ‘Place of bacon merchants’ from Latin Lardarius ‘provider of bacon and salted food’ Lanteira Granada Laredo Cantabria 1.‘Place of Landero’ from French surname descriptive of ‘person coming from uncultivated fields’’ 2.‘Uncultivated’ ‘muddy place’ from French lande or Basque lantazar ‘uncultivated’ Uncertain 1.‘Place with gravel’ from Latin glaretum ‘gravelly’ ‘rocky’ 2.‘Place with laurel-trees’ from Latin lauretum ‘laurelled’ 3.‘Place of the seagull’ from Latin larida 4.‘Meadow’ from Basque larre ‘meadow’ ‘pasture’ and Spanish edo ‘place with’ Lanz Navarra ‘Uncultivated’ from Basque lantzar ‘uncultivated terrain’ prob. because of its poor quality. Larin La Coruña ‘Place of Lauro’ from Latin personal name Laurus or Lauretus ‘laurelled’ ‘victorious’ Lanzahita Ávila 1.Prob. ‘Uncultivated fields’ from Basque lantzar ‘fallow land’ and plural suffix eta. 2.’Fixed up lance’ from Spanish lanza ‘lance’ ‘spear’ and hita ‘raised’ from Latin fixus ‘fixed’ or Spanish hita ‘standing’ prob. as a landmark. Laroya Almería ‘The pit’ from Mozarabic hoya ‘caldron’ The village is located on a depression between mountains. Larrabezúa Vizcaya ‘Lower part of the pastures’ from Basque larre ‘pasture’ be ‘low’ and suffix -tzu ‘plenty of’ Lanzarote Canary Island ‘Island discovered by Lanzarotto’ Lanzarroto Malocello was an Italian sailor. Roman name of the island was Capraria with reference to the abundance of ‘goats’, mentioned by Pliny, Juba, and Ptolemy. Larraga Navarra ‘The pastures’ from Basque larre and suffix -aga ‘place with’ Larrasoaña Navarra Lapa (La) Badajoz 1.‘High and uncultivated terrain’ from Basque larratz ‘uncultivated’ and ain ‘high’ 2.‘Place of Laraso’ hypothetical personal name of owner. Unknown 1.‘The place with burdock’ from Latin lappa ‘burdock’ hence lampazo in Spanish. 2.Poss. ‘The limit of the district’ from Celtic laeppa ‘tag’ ‘limit Larraul Guipuzcoa ‘Small pasture’ from Basque larre ‘pasture’ ‘meadow’ and ul ‘diminished’. Lapia Lugo Unknown. 1.‘Place with burdock plant’ from Latin lappa ‘burdock’ 2.Poss. ‘the limit of the district’ from Celtic laeppa ‘limit’ ‘The pasture’ from Basque larre and article -a ‘the’ Lapuebla de la Barca Álava Larrinzar Alava Larrea Alava ‘The wide square’ from Basque larrin ‘threshing ground’ in this case prob. ‘The village’ from Spanish puebla. 147 LASCUARRE LEDESMA meaning a ‘large common space’ and sec. el. suffix -tzar ‘large’ ‘big’. Lavandeiera Several location in Galicia ‘Place with lavender herbs’ from Latin lavandria ‘lavender’ Lascuarre Huesca 1.‘Red narrow valley’ from Basque latz ‘dell’ and gorri ‘red’ 2.‘Red ash-tree’ from Basque liz ash-tree and gorri ‘red’. Layos Toledo 1.‘Abrupt and difficult’ derived from Greek llayos ‘deep’ 2.‘Place of Caio’ from Latin personal name Caius ‘happy’ ‘gay’ Laserna Cantabria ‘A precise piece of cultivated land’ from Celtic senara ‘each of the parts in a divided farm’. Laza Orense Uncertain 1.‘Wide and with loose stones’ from Basque laza ‘wide’ ‘loose’ 2.‘Place founded by settlers from Lazio’ a region of Italy. La Palma Canary Island ‘The palm’ Spanish received from Berber and Tuareg tradition. Ancient name was Banahoare a personal name meaning ‘the son of the tabernacle’ The Romans renamed it Juniona Major in celebration of their goddess Juno, daughter of Saturnus. Lazcano Guipúzcoa ‘Place of Latio’ from Latin personal name of settler and possession suffix -anus Leaburu Guipúzcoa Las Palmas Canary Islands ‘High and sandy place’ compound Basque with le ‘sand’, a ‘the’, and buru ‘head’ ‘top’ ‘City of palm trees’ Spanish. Laspaules Huesca ‘The marshy pastures’ from Latin palus ‘marsh’ Lebrija Sevilla ‘Place of stones used for the pavement of streets’ Spanish lastra from late Latin lastricare ‘to pave’. ‘Dedicated to the goddess Nebrissa’ a priestess of Bacchus. Her name is derived from nebri ‘piece of roebuck skin’ which was used in sacrifices in honour of Bacchus Its ancient name was Nebrissa. Lastres Asturias Leciñena Zaragoza Lastra (La) Palencia ‘Slabs’ ‘slates’ from lastricare ‘to pave a road’ ‘to build with slates’ ‘Place of Licinio’ from Latin personal name Licinius ‘native of Lycia’ a region of Asia Minor with possession suffix -ena ‘belonging to’. Latorre Huesca ‘The tower’ from Spanish torre. Ledanca Guadalajara Laujar de Andarax Almería Unknown Prob. Iberian origin ‘Place with flagstones’ from pre-Roman lausa ‘slate’ and suffix -ar ‘place having’ DE ANDARAX 1. ‘With large steps’ from Arabic ad-darach ‘step’ or 2. ‘Threshing floors’ from Arabic at-tarracha. Ledaña Cuenca ‘Wide’ derived from Gaelic Litania Ledesma Salamanca Lavadero Many locations Uncertain meaning Ancient names Bletisa and Bleti-Sama. ‘Place on a river apt for washing clothes’ Spanish. Identical with LAVADEIRO 148 LÉRIDA (LLEIDA) LEDESMA 2.‘Place of Lenio’ from Greek personal name Lenaios ‘dedicated to Bacchus’ Ledesma de la Cogolla La Rioja Unknown DE LA COGOLLA ‘near the Cogolla mountain’ name derived from Latin cucullus ‘hood’ Lences de Bureba Burgos Uncertain 1.Poss. ‘Village of spares’ from Latin lancea ‘lance’ ‘spare’ 2.‘Village of linen clothes’ from Latin linteum and Spanish lienzo or lenza linen’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from old Borovia and original Virobia of unknown meaning Ledigos de la Cuesta Palencia Prob. ‘Place of Letifico’ archaic personal name form Latin Laetificus ‘provider of joy’. DE LA CUESTA ‘on the slope of the hill’ Leganes Madrid Lentejuela Sevilla 1.‘Place with slime soil’ from Celtic lega and Spanish legamo ‘slime’ with the locative -es. 2.‘The orchards’ from Arabic al-gannet. 1.‘Place with bushes’ from Latin Lentiscetum 2.‘Place whereby lentils grow’ from Latin lenticula with diminutive suffix -ela. Leganiel Cuenca Leon Leon ‘Slimy and small place’ diminutive of LEGANES. ‘Legion’ from Latin legio. In Roman times was known as Legio Septima Gemina. Before the Romans was Sublantia. Legazpia Guipuzcoa ‘The low place with pebbles’ from Basque legatx ‘earth with little stones’ azpi ‘bottom’ ‘low part’ and article a ‘the’ Leoz Navarra Uncertain. 1.‘Cold and sandy’ from Basque le ‘sand’ and otz ‘cold’ 2.‘Place with stones’ from Basque legordi ‘place with small stones’ ‘gravel ground’ 3.‘Prison’ from Basque leotz ‘prison’ ‘dungeon’ Legorreta Guipuzcoa ‘Place with many pebbles’ from Basque legordi and suffix of abundance -eta. Leira Some locations in Galicia 1.‘Plot with pebbles’’ Galician from Latin glarea ‘earth of poor quality’ 2.‘Field with small stones’ from Basque legatx ‘earth containing small stones’ Lepe Huelva Unknown Obviously derived from its ancient name Lepa Leiva La Rioja Prob. ‘Valley with stones’ from Basque lega ‘gravel’ and second element ibar ‘valley’ Lequeitio Vizcaya Uncertain 1.‘Somber place’ from Basque itu ‘sad’ ‘somber’ and leku ‘place’ 2.‘Closed place’ from Basque itxu ‘closed’ and leku ‘place’. Leiza Navarra Uncertain 1.‘Sandy and shadowy’ from Basque le ‘sand’ and itzal ‘place in shadow’. 2.‘Church’ from Basque eleiza derived from Latin Eclessia. Lerga Navarra Unknown. Lérida (Lleida) Lérida Lena Asturias Uncertain 1.‘Awsome castle’ from Hebrew il ‘castle’ ‘height’ and herda ‘fear’ ‘fright’ Uncertain 1.‘Flat’ from Latin plana 149 LERIN LIZARZA 2.‘Foreign town’ from Basque ererda ‘foreign’. Ancient Iberian name was Ildirda capital of the Illergetes people. Romans adopted the name Ilerda Librilla Murcia 1.‘Place frequented by hares’ from Spanish liebre which is derived from Latin leporis 2. Sugg. ‘Place of the ghosts’ from Mozarabic Limbraia. Lerin Navarra ‘Place where fern abounds’ from Basque ira ‘fern’ and locative suffix -in. Ancient name Iturisa. Lietor Albacete Unknown Poss. ‘The cave’ from Basque leiza ‘cavern’ Lerma Burgos Poss. ‘Barren, desertic’ from late Latin erema derived from Greek eremite ‘desert’. Lijar Almería Unknown. Sugg. ‘Place with warm waters mixed with ashes used for white washing’ derived from Latin lixa with locative of abundance -ar. Or, with the same root, ‘furnisher of that material’. Lermilla Burgos ‘Small Lerma’ Cf. LERMA Les Lérida Uncertain. 1.‘Black’ from Basque from letze ‘black as coal’. 2.‘Abyss’ from Basque leze ‘pit’ ‘abyss’ 3.‘Cave’ from Basque leiza ‘cave’ ‘cavern’ Linares Jaen ‘Fields with flax’ from Latin linum ‘flax’ Liñares Several locations in Galicia ‘Places where flax can be obtained’ from Latin linum. Letur Albacete Unknown Poss. anthroponym of French origin Letour ‘of the tower’ Liria Valencia Leza Álava ‘Cave’ from Basque leiza ‘cave’ ‘cavern’ Prob. ‘Plentiful’ from Greek Leiron or Laurion ‘plentiful’ ‘fruitful’. Doubtless, derived from ancient name Leiria changed to Lauro by the Romans Leza de Rio Leza La Rioja Lizarra Navarra ‘Cave’ from Basque leiza ‘cave’ ‘cavern’ DE RIO LEZA ‘of the river Leza’ giving the repetition ‘cave of the river of the cave’ due to the town name prevailing over the hydronym. Uncertain 1.‘Village of the star’ from Basque izar ‘star’ 2.‘Place with ash-trees’ from Baque lizar ‘ash-tree’ 3.‘Old town’ from Basque iri-zar 4.‘Old church’ from Basque Eli-zar Its Spanish name is ESTELLA from Latin stella ‘star’ which might be a transfer from Basque izar. Lezo Guipuzcoa Unknown Prob. its original name had same meaning as LEOZ. Present name seems derived from anthroponym Guillermo de Lazon recorded owner in the area. Lizarraga Navarra ‘Ash-tree grove’ from Basque lizar ‘ashtree’ and suffix -aga ‘place with’. Lezuza Albacete Unknown Ancient pre-Roman name was Libizosa origin of present Lezuza through mutation. Lizarza Guipuzcoa ‘Ash-tree grove’ from Basque lizar ‘ashtree’ combined with artza ‘rocky place’ 150 LLENDÓN LLABANA Llanes Asturias Llabana Asturias ‘Plains’ from Latin planus. Placenames with Latin element planus are related to a Northern European root land. ‘Place where flagstones can be obtained’ from Latin lamina ‘flagstone’ ‘flintstone’. Llabayos Asturias ‘Washing pools’ from Latin lavaclum ‘small washing place’. These pools were permanent reservoirs of rainwater. Identical with LABAJOS. Llano (El) Many locations ‘The plain’ from Latin planum Llacín Lugo ’The plains’ Llanos (Los) Multiple locations ‘Place of *Flacinio’ from assumed Latin personal name of owner. Llansa Gerona Prob. ‘Place of *Lanciano’ from Latin personal name Lantianus. Llacuna (La) Barcelona ‘The lagoon’ from Latin lacuna ‘lagoon’ Llanteno Alava Lladó Gerona Prob. 1. ‘Place of Lanciano’ 2. Sugg. ‘Prominent site’ from Latin descriptive in-ante ‘placed before’ Lladoiro Lugo ‘Place of prayer’ Galician derived from late Latin laudario ‘praise site’. Llastres Asturias ‘Flat stones’ from Latin lapidam ‘flat stone’ and suffix-astra ‘big’ ‘unrefined’ Lladros Lérida Lledó Teruel ‘Place with mastic-trees’ from Catalan lledó ‘mastic-tree’ ‘lote-tree’. ‘Village of mercenary soldiers’ from Catalan lladró Spanish ladrón ‘thief’. ‘The fruit of the mastic tree’ from Catalan lladó or lledó which is derived from Latin lotonis. Llagostera Gerona Llende la Sierra Asturias Uncertain Prob. 1. ‘Place whereby seeds from fruits (such as grapes) are kept before sowing’ from vernacular llago and locative suffix -era. 2.‘Fishing net for lobsters’ from Latin locusta ‘lobster’ 3.‘Place with locust’ from Latin locusta ‘locust’. 1.‘Pastures on the mountain’ from Asturian llende 2.‘Beyond the mountain’ from Spanish adverb allende ‘beyond’ a derivative of Latin illinc Llendellena Asturias ‘Pastures of Lena’ from Asturian llende 2.‘Beyond the district of Lena’ from Latin ad limitem and descriptive Lena, a territory within Asturias. Llamas (Las) Asturias ‘Marshy places’ from Spanish lama ‘mud’ Also ‘flat, even country’. Llendon Asturias Uncertain 1.‘Place with fruits of the mastic-tree’ from Latin lotonis and late Latin lladó. 2.‘Large pastures’ from Asturian llende ‘pasture’ and augmentative suffix -on. 3.‘Place of Lenio’ from Latin personal name Lenius derived from Greek Lenaios ‘dedicated to Bacchus’. Llana (s) Asturias ‘Plain’ from Spanish adjective llana ‘flat’ derived from Latin planus, plana. Llaneces Asturias ‘Plains’ from Latin planities and Spanish planicies Llanera Asturias ‘Plain ground’ from Latin planaria. 151 LLUSA LLENIN Llonin Asturias Llenin Asturias ‘Place of Lonio’ Germanic personal name Lonan Latinized as Loninius ‘audacious’ ‘brave’. ‘Place of Lenio’ from Latin personal name Lenius Llera Badajoz ‘Gravelly place’ from Latin glarea ‘place with many small stones’ ‘place with gravel or pebbles’ Lloral Asturias Llerena Badajoz Lloreda Asturias ‘Grove with laurel trees’ from Latin Laurus and suffix of abundance -al. 1.‘Hillside covered with gravel detached from big rocks’ from Latin glaream ‘pebble zone’ and locative suffix -ena ‘area’ ‘district’. 2.‘Place of Lario’ from assumed owner named Laurus ‘laureate’. ‘Grove with laurel trees’ from Latin Laurus and suffix of abundance -edal. Llers Gerona Lloret de Vistalegre Lloret de Mar Gerona ‘Grove with laurel trees’ DE MAR ‘the one by the sea’ Spanish. Balearic Islands ‘Grove with laurel’ DE VISTA ALEGRE ‘the one with the joyful view’ Spanish. ‘Gravelly grounds’ from Latin glaream ‘ground with small stones or pebbles’ Lles Asturias ‘Clayey terrain’ from archaic French Lloseta Balearic Islands leuze clay, which is derived from Latin lutus, whence Spanish lodo. 1.‘Place with a small flagstone’ from Spanish losa ‘flagstone’ ’slab’ and diminutive suffix -eta. 2.‘Place of the *Losada family’ as a surname Llimiana Lérida 1.‘Placed at the border’ from Latin limes ‘limit’ ‘landmark’ 2.‘Place with muddy earth’ from Latin limus ‘lime’ ‘mud’ 3.‘Place of Limio’ hypothetical Latin personal name of owner based on suffix -ana, frequent case of possession. Llovera Lérida y Asturias ‘Place frequented by wolves’ from Latin lupus ‘wolf’ and suffix of plurality-era Identical with LLOBERA. Llivia Gerona Llubi Balearic Islands ‘Place of Julia Lybica’ from its Roman name which means ‘from Lybia’ ‘Fort of the wolf’ from its old Latin name Castro Lupino Arabized as Abn-llubi. Llobera Lérida and Asturias Lluchmayor Balearic Islands ‘Place frequented by wolves’ from Latin lupus ‘wolf’ and feature locative suffix -era ‘ ‘The larger holy forest’ from Latin Lucus ‘holy wood’ and Spanish mayor ‘larger’. Llobregat River in Catalonia ‘Place with chimneys’ from Latin lumen ‘light’ and Asturian locative -eres. ‘Reddish’ ‘reddened’ from Latin Llumeres Asturias rubrigatus Llusa Barcelona 1.‘Place of Lucius’ from Latin personal name meaning ‘luminous’ derived from the word lux ‘light’ Spanish luz. 2.‘Place of Luciano’ personal name derived from Hebrew ‘son of Luke’. Llodio Alava 1.‘Valley of Claudio’ from Latin personal name Claudius or French Claude ‘closed’. 2.‘Argillaceous terrain’ from Latin lutum ‘mud’ or Basque logidoi ‘muddy place’ 152 LORA LOARRE Loarre Huesca Loma (La) Eastern regions Unknown. Present Loarre comes from old Lobarre and Lobar perhaps derived from its Roman name Fibularia ‘place where fibres can be obtained’ Lomana Burgos ‘The hillock’ ‘the low ridge’ Loma is a metaphorical expression from Latin lumbus ‘the small of the back’ ‘Vine arbour’ from Gothic lubja ‘vine bower’. Uncertain Poss. ‘The hillock’ from Latin lumbus. Doubtless, derived from its old name Lombana. Lobón Badajoz Lomas Palencia Unknown Ancient name was Licon. Sugg. ‘Wolf ‘s place’ from Latin lupinus. Lomba Several places in Galicia Lobio Some locations in Galicia ‘The hillocks’ from Latin lumbus Prob. ‘The hillock’ ‘the low ridge’ from Latin lumbus ‘ Lodosa Navarra ‘Muddy site’ from Spanish lodo ‘mud’ and suffix -osa ‘place with’. Lomo Many places in Canary Islands ‘Hillock’ from Latin lumbus Loeches Madrid Longares Zaragoza Poss. ‘Bath’ ‘spa’ compound from Celtic root lo ‘water’ and acte ‘town’ Uncertain Prob. ‘Long and sandy fields’ from Latin longus ‘long’ and second element either Basque aretz ‘sand’ or plural Spanish suffix -ares ‘several’. Logroño La Rioja Prob. ‘Place of *Lucrecio’ from Latin personal name which means ‘gainer’ from the verb lucrare ‘to gain’ and suffix of possession -onius. It was Juliobriga ‘city of Julius’ and Vareia ‘city of Varro’ mentioned by Pliny. The nearest precedent on record was Lucronium. Lope La Coruña Prob. ‘Wolf’ which is derived from Latin lupus. Lora de Estepa Sevilla ‘Place of Lucreciano’ personal name with Latin element lucrum ‘gain’ ‘profit’ and ownership suffix -anus ‘belonging to’. ‘Place of Lauro’ personal name of Latin origin Laurus ‘Laurel’. Arabic correspondent was Al-Lauriat. DE ESTEPA with reference to her being given to the marquis de Estepa Loizaga Vizcaya Lora del Río Sevilla Logrosan Caceres ‘Place of Lauro’ personal name of Latin origin Laurus ‘laurel’ Its first preRoman name was Axati which Vespasian renamed Flavia Axataita. Later became Lauro ’victor’ and under the Arabs was Loraherd ‘town of victory’ synonym of ‘laureate’ They all seem variants from its Iberian name Ilurco. DEL RIO ‘the one by the river’ meaning the Guadalquivir’ ‘Muddy place’ from Basque loitze ‘mud’ and suffix -aga ‘place’ Loiztegui Guipuzcoa ‘Muddy place’ from Basque loitze ‘mud’ and suffix -tegi ‘place’. Loja Granada ‘The flagstone’ from Spanish losa ‘flagstone’. The Arabs amplified its name to Hisn-a-Loxa with the meaning ‘castle of the flagstone’ 153 LORANCA LUCAINENA DE LA VERA ‘on the banks of river Tietar’ Vera literally means ‘side of’ as for Tietar its meaning is unknown. Poss. ‘muddy’ ‘corrupt’ from Latin tetarum. An earlier name Tetara is documented. Loranca del Campo Cuenca ‘Place of Lorenzo’ from Latin personal name ‘native of Laurentum’ a town close to Rome. DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the district called Campo’ which means ‘wide open fields’ Loureda Several places in Galicia ‘Place with laurel shrubs’ from Latin Laurus. Loranca de Tajuña Guadalajara ‘Place of Lorenzo’ from Latin personal name from Latin Laureatus ‘crowned with laurel leaves’ DE TAJUÑA ‘by the river Tajuña’ unknown meaning poss. from Latin name Tagonius. Loureiro Many locations in Galicia ‘Place with laurel shrubs’ from Latin Laurus. Lousada Several places in Galicia ‘Place with flagstones’ from Spanish losa Lorca Murcia Loyola Guipúzcoa Unknown. Prob. site of documented Eliocrota which is derived from Greek Helios Crotos ‘hidden from the sun’. Arabic name was Lurka a derivation from pre-Roman Ilurci. ‘Marsh’ from Basque loi ‘mud’ and second element -ola, locative suffix. Loza Northern regions ‘Marshy place’ either from Basque loidi or from Latin Lutea. In some instances, a form lotea or lotza took the derivative meaning of ‘delft’ ‘earthenware’ Loredo Asturias ‘Place with laurel shrubs’ from Latin Laurus. Lozoya Madrid ‘Marshy wood’ either from Basque loidi or from Latin Lutea with second element poss. Iberian Basque oian ‘wood’. Loriana Asturias 1.‘Place with laurel shrubs’ from Latin Laurus. 2.‘Place of Lauro’ anthroponym form Latin Laurus ‘laureate’ with ownership suffix -ana. Lozoyuela Madrid ‘Small Lozoya’ Cf. LOZOYA Losa Eastern regions Luanco Asturias ‘Flagstone’ Spanish word losa of unknown origin ofttimes repeated as place name. ‘Place where flagstones can be obtained’ Prob. ‘Bent space as a shelter for boats’ from Latin locus ‘place’ ‘hometown’ as in Spanish lugar or Asturian lluar, and second element Greek suffix -ancon ‘bent’ Losa del Obispo Valencia Luarca Asturias Losada Leon Prob. ‘Curved shelter for boats’ literally ‘bent place’ from Latin locus ‘place’ ‘native place’ and second element Latin arca ‘bent’ ‘arched’ ‘Flagstone’ DEL OBISPO ‘the one belonging to the Bishopric’ Losarcos Navarra Lucainena Almería ‘The arches’ Spanish Los Arcos. ‘Place of Lucano’ from Latin personal name Lucanus ‘luminous’ ‘early riser’ ‘born early in the morning’. Losar de la Vera Cáceres ‘Place of flagstones’ 154 LUPION LUCAR Lugar Several locations in Galicia Lucar Almería ‘Place’ ‘homestead’ Spanish. The same name can be found in diminutives like LUARICO, LUGARIZ, LUGARIÑO, LUGAREJO. ‘Place of Lucio’ from Latin personal name Lucius ‘bright’ Lucena Cordoba ‘Place of Lucio’ with Latin ownership suffix -ena. Lugo Lugo ‘Place of *Luciano’ from Latin personal name Lucanus ‘luminous’ with Latin suffix of ownership -ana. 1.‘Wood of the gods’ from Latin Lucus ‘holy forest’ This element is identical with Luqdum of French city Lyon. 2.‘Place of Lugh’ a Celtic divinity also known as Lutz, referred to the ‘gift of light’ 3.‘Place with mice’ from Celtic luco ‘mouse’. Roman name was Lucus Augusti honouring emperor Augustus. Luchana Lumbier Navarra Lucena del Puerto Huelva ‘Place of Lucio’ DEL PUERTO ‘the one near the harbour’ for disambiguation. Luciana Ciudad Real 1.‘Place of Luciano’ with Latin possession suffix -ana. 2.‘Dedicated to the goddess Lutziana’ a divinity of Celtic origin meaning ‘gift of light’. Uncertain 1.‘New town’ from Basque um ’estate’ and berri ‘new’. 2.‘Fireplace’ ‘chimney’ from Spanish lumbre ‘burning stuff’ and suffix -er ‘where it is placed’ Luco de Bordón Teruel ‘Holy wood’ from Latin Lucus ‘holy wood’ ‘sacred forest’ DE BORDON ‘by the river Bordon’ unknown meaning sugg. from personal name *Burido after Latin Buridanus. Lumbreras La Rioja ‘Fireplaces’ ‘chimneys’ from Spanish lumbre ‘stuff burning’ and plural suffix eras. Luna Zaragoza Luchena Murcia Unknown 1.‘There’ from Basque adverb una ‘just there’ 2.‘Cow pastures’ from Basque unai. 3.‘Round mountain’ from Spanish luna ‘moon’ Site of ancient Gallicolis. ‘Place of Lucio’ from Latin personal name Lucius ‘luminous’ and possession suffix -ena. Luchente Valencia ‘Place of Lucio’ with Latin suffix of possession -entius. Lupiñen Huesca Ludiente Castellon Prob. 1. ‘Place of Lupino’ from Latin personal name Lupinus ‘wolf-like’ and possession suffix -enus. 2.‘Place frequented by wolves’ from Latin lupus ‘wolf’. Prob. ‘Place of Eladio’ from Greek personal name Eladios ‘Greek’. Luesia Zaragoza Prob. 1.’Enclosed place’ from Basque luesi ‘place fenced up with earth’ 2.‘Flagstone place’ same origin as Losa. Lupion Jaen Prob. 1.’ Place of Lupino’ from Latin personal name Lupinus ‘wolf-like’ 2.‘Place frequented by wolves’ from Latin lupus ‘wolf’ and locative suffix -on. Luezas Logroño Prob.1. ‘Flagstones’ 2.‘Enclosed places’ from Basque luesi ‘place fenced up with earth’ 155 LUZURIAGA LUQUE Luque Cordoba Luzarra Vizcaya 1.‘Brimstone spill’ from Arabic liqid 2.‘Place of Lucas’ from assumed early settler or conqueror named Luke. Roman name was Agla Minor. ‘Place with big stones’ from Basque luzara ‘elongated’ and sec. el. arri ‘stone. Luzón Guadalajara ’Place of Lucius’ from Latin Personal name meaning ‘bright’. Lusarreta Navarra ‘Small plots of earth for labour’ from Basque lusari and suffix -eta ‘several’ Luzuriaga Alava ‘Place with big stones’ from Basque luzara ‘elongated’ and arri ‘stone’ with suffix -aga ‘’place’. Lusagasti Guipuzcoa ‘Potato fields’ from Basque lusaga ‘potato field’ and suffix of plurality -ti. 156 MACAEL MADRID Machinventa Guipuzcoa ‘The inn of *Matxin’ from Basque hypothetical personal name Matxin and Spanish venta ‘inn’. M Macael Almería Madarcos Madrid Uncertain 1.‘The inn’ from Arabic mazar and Mozarabic locative-el ‘ 2.‘Quarry’ from Hebrew machah ‘knock’ origin of Catalan mac ‘stone’. 3.‘Place of Michael’ from Hebrew personal name Mika-el ‘No one like God’. ‘Place with wild pear-trees’ from Basque madari ‘wild pear fruit’ and Basque locative suffix -ko. Madaria Álava ‘Place with wild pear-trees’ from Basque madari ‘fruit of the wild pear-trees’ and Spanish suffix -aria ‘place having’. Macara Lugo Madariaga Prob. ’Place of Macario’ from Greek personal name Makarios ‘fortunate’ ‘happy’. Some places in Basque Country ‘Place with wild pears’ Basque madari locative suffix -aga. ‘place’. Maceda Several places in Galicia 1.‘Apple orchard’ from Latin Matiana a kind of apple. 2.‘Stronghold’ from Arabic Makada ‘strong’ ‘fixed’ 3.‘Earthen wall’ from Latin Maceira. In Galicia is also found MACEIRA which seems to support the third meaning. Madeiro Several places in Galicia 1.‘Long grove made in a cultivated field so that the water drains out properly’ from Galician descriptive madoiro. 2.‘Place where timber can be obtained’ from Spanish madera ‘timber’ ‘wood’. Maderne Lugo ‘Mother’s place’ from Latin maternus ‘of the mother’ or late Latin madiernus with the same meaning. Machado La Coruña ‘Smashed’ prob with reference to ‘wood that has been cut’ from Mozarabic mazo ‘weapon for knocking down’ and verb marchar ‘to smash’. Alternatively, from late Latin machiera ‘sword’ Maderuelo Segovia 1.Prob.‘Wood that has been cut’ as in MACHADO 2.‘Place received as dowry’ from Arabic axuar ‘dowry’ origin of Spanish ajuar. 3.‘Place of the mallet’ from Latin malleus. 1.‘Little homestead’ from Mozarabic madara ‘hamlet’ and diminutive suffix -elo. 2.‘Field where groves provide a way out for too much water’ from Latin madeo ‘to become muddy’ and its Galician derivative madeira. 3.‘Place providing timber wood’ from Spanish madera. Macharavialla Malaga Madrid Madrid Machar Albacete Uncertain 1.‘Mother of water’ from Latin matretum ‘mother of’ shortened to matrit. 2.‘Running water’ from Arabic magra ‘running water’ combined with prior matrit to form Magerit, whence Mazdrit. 3.‘Long bridge’ or ‘big fort’ from Celtic mageto ‘big’ and ritu ‘bridge’ 1.‘Country farm of Aby Yahya’ from Arabic magsar and documented name of possessor. 2.‘Old country farm’ from Arabic masher in Spanish alquería with second element derived from Mozarabic vialla equivalent to Spanish vieja ‘old’ 3.‘Village of Macario’ from Greek personal name Makarios ‘fortunate’ 157 MADRIGAL MAHAMUD 4.‘Isolated fortress’ from Arabic madjrith. 5.‘Enlarged place’ from Latin mayoritum ‘made larger’ 6.‘Sheepfold’ from Arabic mandra. Its Roman name appears to have been Mantua Carpetanorum a name poss. assigned to settlers from the Italian city of Mantua. Madroñera Cáceres ‘Place with arbutus tree’ from Spanish madroño of uncertain etymology. Maella Zaragoza ‘The marketplace’ from Latin macella ‘market of edible produce’. Maestu Álava ‘Fief’ from Basque maizter ‘heritable land held by a vassal’. Madrigal Several locations ‘Sheepfold’ from Arabic madra The Spanish word madrigal ‘shepherd’s song’ is derived from the original pastoral meaning. Magacela Badajoz Uncertain 1.‘Small store place’ from Catalan magatz 2.‘Place of Umgazala’ personal name of woman from Arabic Umm-Gazala. There appears to be similarity with ancient name Contosalia. Madrigal de las Altas Torres Avila Sheepfold’ DE LAS ALTAS TORRES ‘of the high towers’ (the birthplace of Queen Isabella) is straightforward Spanish. Magallon Zaragoza 1.‘Place with beech nut trees’ from Latin fagalia 2.‘Shepherd’s hut’ from Latin magalia and locative suffix -on. Madrigal de la Vera Cáceres Sheepfold’ DE LA VERA ‘the one on the banks of the river Tietar’ from Spanish vera ‘side of’ an hypothetical pre-Roman Tetar. Magaña Soria ‘Shepherd’s hut’ with locative suffix -ña, as in España. Madrigal del Monte Burgos ‘Sheepfold’ DEL MONTE ‘the one on the Monte district’ meaning ‘uncultivated land’ secondary sense of Spanish monte Magaz Palencia Uncertain 1.‘Large place’ from Celtic mago ‘big’. 2.‘Place of the magician’ from Latin maga ‘magician’ ‘witch’. 3.‘Fort’ from Germanic magan ‘fort’. Madrigalejo del Monte Burgos ‘Small Madrigal del Monte’ imitation of previous name with derogatory suffix ejo. Magaz de Cepeda Leon Meanings not different from previous town. DE CEPEDA ‘in the Cepeda area’ Cepeda means ‘site where tree trunks turn into charcoal’ Madrigueras Albacete ‘Burrows’ from Spanish madriguera derived from Latin matricaria ‘mother place’ Madrona Segovia Maguilla Badajoz 1.‘Place with arbutus tree’ Spanish madroño of uncertain etymology. Poss. from Basque martuz ‘blackberry bush’ mixed with Latin matures ‘mature’. 2.‘Place of the matron’ from either owner or saint associated to this place. 1.‘Little place with wild apples’ from Arabic mugal and suffix -illa ‘small’. 2.Sugg. ’Small Málaga’ though unlikely. Mahamud Burgos ‘Mahomet’ Arabic origin. Earlier name was Mahomat. 158 MAHON MALPICA The name Malaka has remained almost unchanged through the centuries and is prob. Phoenician. Mahon Balearic Islands ‘Place of Punic general Mago’ mentioned by Pliny. Accordingly, the Romans called this place Portus Magonis Malagon Ciudad Real A derivative version of Malaga with augmentative suffix -on ‘largest’ prob. for disambiguation with Malaguilla. Mahora Albacete 1.‘Wheel for irrigation’ from Arabic nahura. 2.‘The tavern’ from Arabic majura. Malaguilla Guadalajara ‘Little Málaga’ with diminutive suffix illa ‘the little one’ Mairena del Alcor Sevilla ‘Place of Mario’ from Latin Marius consecrated to the god Mars’ DEL ALCOR ‘the one by the hill’ from Arabic al-qull which is derived from Latin collis. Malcocinado Badajoz Prob. ‘Valley of *Cinado’ from metathesis of Val for Mal and second element personal name Cinatus. Literally this placename means in Spanish badly cooked. The same labial transposition might apply to Maldonado lit. ‘badly given’, a modification of original Valdonado ‘donated valley’ l Mairena del Aljarafe Sevilla ‘Place of Mario’ DEL ALJARAFE ‘by the elevated site’ from Arabic assaraf. Majadahonda Madrid Malgrat del Mar Barcelona ‘Sheepfold on a dale’ Spanish majada is ‘sheep cot’ ‘sheepfold’ with sec. el. adjective honda ‘deep’. Literally ‘not pleasant’ from Latin mal gratus. Changed to VILLANUEVA DE PALAFOX instead of original Valgrat ‘pleasant valley’ which occurred before labial substitution. DEL MAR ‘by the sea’ Majadas (Las) Several places ‘The sheepfolds’ Spanish majadas is derived from Latin macultata ‘fenced’ or from Arabic mandra as is the case of MADRIGAL with identical meaning. Malon Zaragoza Prob. ‘Apple orchard’ from Latin malum, ‘apple’ Majalajara Granada ‘Sheepfold on a stony ground’ with second element derived from Arabic hichara ‘place with stones’ and first element a shortening of majada. Malpica Toledo Prob. ‘Place with apple trees’ from Latin mala ‘apple’. Uncertain 1.‘Mill valley’ from Spanish val ‘valley’ and pica ‘to grind’. Other Malpicas are found also near mills. 2.‘Sharp rock’ from Germanic mala ‘rock’ and Spanish pico ‘summit of a hill’ Malaga Málaga Malpica de Bergantiños Mala Granada La Coruña Uncertain 1.‘Mill valley’ from Spanish val>mal and pica ‘to grind’ 2.’Sharp rock’ from Germanic mala ‘rock’ and Spanish pico ‘summit of a hill’. DE BERGANTIÑOS ‘of Brigantines’ prob. with reference to the ancient city Brigantium. Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Factory for salted fish produce’ from Phoenician Malaka ‘to preserve fish with salt’. 2.‘Workshop’ from Hebrew mala-kat possibly referred to ironworks. 3.‘Place dedicated to queen *Malache’ from Hebrew malach ‘to reign’. 159 MALLA MANSILLA REAL ‘Royal’ pointing at being directly dependent of the Crown. Malla Barcelona ‘Thrashing place’ from Germanic mall ‘mallet’. Place names like MALLADA (S) and MALLADOIRO have the same origin. Mandra La Coruña ‘Sheepfold’ which is identical with majada and derived from Greek mandra. Mallorca Balearic Island ‘The larger one’ from Latin Majorica to distinguish from Minorica ‘the smaller one’. Manga (La) Alicante ‘Sea channel between two opposed coastlines’ Spanish maritime term. Mallorca (Palma de) Manilva Málaga Balearic Islands PALMA is obviously ‘Palm-tree’ from Latin palma. Unknown. ‘Village on the banks of the river Manilva’ of uncertain meaning Mamoa Several locations in Galicia Manises Valencia ‘Hill’ from Latin mammula diminutive of mamma ‘teat’. Uncertain. 1.‘Setllement’ from Mozarabic men-ezil ‘my territory’ 2.‘Elevated site’ from Arabis manazil 3.‘Agreeable location’ from Arabic commendatory manaz which in plural form is manazih. Manacor Balearic Islands Uncertain 1.‘Place of Manqur’ a Berber judge from the family Mankur who supposedly ruled the town. 2.‘Monk’s manor’ from Latin genitive monacorum ‘of the monks’ 3.‘Building with a tower’ from Arabic bina ‘solid construction’ and qur ‘tower’. Its ancient name was Mancor. Manjarrés La Rioja Prob ‘Place of the treasury’ from Arabic manjarra ‘treasury’ ‘money safe’ Manlleu Barcelona Prob. ‘Place of *Manlio’ from Latin personal name Manlius from mane ‘morning’ ‘born in the morning’ and genitive -ius. Mancera de Abajo Salamanca Prob. ‘Place of feather grass or stipa’ from Arabic manxa derived from Gothic spartaria which has the same meaning. DE ABAJO ‘the one placed below’ for disambiguation. Manquillos Palencia Uncertain Sugg. ‘Place of small water streams’ from Latin manare ‘to flow’ which gives manantial, diminutive manantialillos and shortened manquillos. Mancha (La) A region in Central Spain Uncertain. 1.‘Place of feather grass or stipa’ from Arabic manxa derived from Gothic spartaria. 2.‘Plain and dry’ from Arabic manya 3.‘Stained’ from Latin macula origin of Spanish mancha ‘macula’ ‘stain’. Through History the area was known as Campo Espartario, Manresa Barcelona Unknown meaning Prob. from its ancient name Iessos and Iesposs with prefix minor ‘small’. Roman names were Minoresa and Munirosa. Mansilla La Rioja Mancha Real Jaen ‘Small mansion’ from Latin mansella ‘house having a surrounding yard and located within a town’ meaning also ‘stop ‘Place of feather grass or stipa’ from Arabic manxa 160 MANSILLA MARCHAMALO over’ ‘rest place’ with diminutive suffix ella, Maqueda Toledo 1.‘Stronghold’ from Arabic makada ‘strong’ ‘fixed’ 2.Sugg. repetition of name from the city of Magdon in Palestine. Mansilla del Páramo Leon ‘Small mansion’ DEL PARAMO ‘of the moor’ name of the area because of its coldness. Maracena Granada ‘Place of *Maratio’ from Latin personal name of assumed owner derived from Maratius and Mars the god of war. Mansilla Mayor Leon ‘Small mansion’ MAYOR ‘the larger of Mansilla villages’ Maranchon Guadalajara Mansilla de las Mulas Leon 1.‘Place at the border’ from Iberian and Basque mar ‘line’ and its Arabic version marr ‘a way between two hills’ 2.Popular etymology ‘Wide lagoon’ from Spanish mar ‘sea’ and ancho ‘wide’. ‘Small mansion’ DE LAS MULAS ‘the one with many mules’ to avoid confusion with other Mansillas. Prob. ancient name of this village was Astura or Estoia. Marauri Burgos ‘Place of the Moor’ from Basque personal name Maruri. Mantiel Guadalajara Sugg. ‘Place rich in humus’ from Latin mantile ‘cover’. Marbella Málaga ‘Apple orchards’ Spanish from Latin EL REAL ‘Royal’ referred to its being directly dependent from the Crown. Unknown. 1.‘City of salt’ from Greek Mapolis, whence Marapolis>Marbella. 2.‘City on the way’ from Arabic Marbilla. 3.‘Quiet waters’ from Arabic elma-belar. Pliny and Mela mention a city Salduba which must have been close to the present location of Marbella. Manzaneda Orense Marcilla Navarra Manzanares Ciudad Real ‘Apple orchards’ Spanish from Latin mattiana. Manzanares El Real Madrid ‘Apple orchard’ Spanish from Latin mattiana and locative suffix -eda. 1.‘Place of Marcelo’ from Latin personal name diminutive of Marcus ‘dedicated to god Mars’ prob. with reference to early settler. 2.‘Small landmark’ from Spanish marca and early French marque ‘signal’ ‘frontier territory’. Was documented Marciella. Manzanedo Burgos ‘Apple orchard’ Spanish from Latin mattiana and locative suffix -edo. Manzaneque Toledo ‘Apple orchard’ and Mozarabic suffix eque Manzanilla Huelva ‘Small orchard with diminutive suffix -illa apples’ Marchal Several locatios ‘Cultivated field by the river’ from Arabic almarcha derived from verb mereje ‘to converge’ with reference to the beneficial influence of the river on the fertility of the riverbanks. Identical meaning is found in MARJAL with Mañeru Navarra Prob. ‘Bath’ ‘Spa’ from Basque mainhu derived from Latin balneum ‘balneary’ Marchamalo Guadalajara Uncertain 161 MARTOS MARCHENA 1.‘Cultivated field by the river’ from Arabic almarcha. Second element malo could be name of owner Manlius. 2.‘Place of Marco Amalio’ from anthroponym compound of Marcus ‘Martian’ and Greek Amalos ‘tender’, if not Germanic Amaluinos ‘worker’ Marmolejo Jaen ‘Smaller than the village MARMOL’ from Latin marmor ‘marble’ and Spanish diminutive suffix -ejo. Marquina Vizcaya 1.‘Place of Marco’ from Latin personal name Marcus ‘dedicated to the god of war Mars’ with reference to an early settler or owner. 2.‘Line between frontiers’ in allusion to this town being located between the provinces of Vizcaya and Guipuzcoa However, another MARQUINA can be found in Alava. Marchena Sevilla Uncertain 1.‘Place of Marco’ from Latin personal name Marcus and ownership suffix -ena. 2.‘Cultivated field by the river’ from Arabic almarcha. Maria Almería Uncertain 1.‘Place of Mario’ from Latin personal name of Etruscan origin Maris ‘dedicated to the god of war Mars’ poss. with reference to an early settler. 2.‘Watchtower’ from Arabic mariya María de la Salud Marquinez Álava ‘Town owned by a settler from MARQUINA,’ if not ‘Place of Marco’s son’ Marratxi Balearic Islands 1.‘Place of settler from Marrackesh’ from Arabic marksí derived from Marku ‘God’s land’ 2.‘Winding path’ from Iberian Basque marrapide ‘zig zag way’. Balearic Islands First name could be Arabic ‘watch tower’ from mariya or Hebrew from Mary ‘Myriam’ DE LA SALUD ‘of health’ but prob. for ‘Our Lady of Health’ Spanish added to its Arabic prior name. Marrupe Toledo Prob. ‘Under the gully’ from Iberian Basque arru ‘gully’ and suffix -be ‘under’. Marin Pontevedra Martinez Ávila ‘Harbour of Marino’ Latin personal name of assumed owner Marinus ‘of the sea’ ‘near the sea’ ‘Place of the son of Martin’ Spanish surname Martorell Barcelona Marinaleda Sevilla ‘Dedicated to the god Mars’ from Latin Mars with Catalan locative suffix -ell, which is also found in SABADELL and VENDRELL, two other names related to Roman mythology. Poss. Repetition of Galician existing placename meaning ‘Joyous site near the sea’ from marina ‘seashore’ and leda ‘happy’ from Latin laetans. Marismas (Las) Area in Cádiz ‘Swampy beaches’ from Spanish mar ‘sea’ and suffix -ismas descriptive of ‘confusion in plurality’ Alternatively, from Latin maritima ‘maritime (land)’ Martorellas Barcelona ‘Dedicated to the god Mars’ from Latin Mars with Catalan locative suffix -ellas. Martos Jaen Uncertain. 1.‘Dedicated to the god Mars’ from Latin Mars. 2.‘Martha’s town’ in allusion to Saint Martha Mármol Jaen ‘Marble’ from Latin marmor. 162 MARUGÁN MATAELPINO 3.‘Martyr’s town’ from Spanish noun martir. 4.‘Mother’s town’ from assumed ancient Roman name Civitas Matros. Prob. ancient name was Tucci from Greek verb tycto ‘to give birth’ derived from Hebrew tuci ‘half of myself’. Masegoso de Tajuña Marugan Segovia Masía Many locations in Catalonia Guuadalajara ‘Place full of herbs’ from vernacular mansiego. DE TAJUÑA ‘by the river Tajuña’ unknown meaning poss. from Latin name Tagonius. 1.‘Moor’s place’ from Latin Maurus. 2.‘Bracken or fern hill’ from Basque aru ‘bracken’ ‘fern’ and gain ‘top’ ‘Independent farmhouse’ from Latin mansum ‘mansion’ ‘real estate’ Maspalomas Canary Islands Marzales Valladolid Uncertain ‘Farmhouse’ from Catalan mas with second element PALOMAS which could be derived from 1.‘Doves’ Spanish, therefore ‘farmhouse frequented by doves’ 2.Apparently due to being owned by Francisco Palomares 1 ‘Marshy grounds’ from Arabic marcha. 2.‘Limits’ ‘boundaries’ from Germanic mark. 3.‘Dedicated to the god Mars’ from Latin Mars. Marzan Some places in Galicia ‘Martin or Marco’s place’ from either one of Latin personal names Martius or Marcus both meaning ‘under the auspices of the god Mars’. Maqueta Barcelona ‘Country house’ from Arabic maqsaf Massanet de Cabreny Gerona Mas Many locations in Catalonia ‘Apple orchard’ from Latin mattianetum ‘proper of apples’ DE CABRENY ‘near the goat place’ from Latin capra ‘goat’ ‘Independent or isolated farm-house’ Catalan frequent place name Mas de la Palanca Castellón ‘Farmhouse’ DE LA PALANCA ‘the one with a board to cross a water stream or a boarded wall for protection’ from Spanish palanca with alternative meanings. Mata (la) Toledo ‘The place covered with shrub’ from Latin matta ‘mat’. MATA is found frequently compounded with second elements as in MATALOBOS or MATALASCAÑAS, not meaning ‘to kill’ but pointing at the existence of a bush area. Mas de las Matas Teruel ‘Farmhouse’ DE LAS MATAS ‘the one covered with wild herbs’ from Latin matta ‘mat’ Mata de Alcántara Cáceres ‘Place covered with bushes’ DE ALCANTARA ‘under the authority of the knights of the Order of Alcantara’ which means ‘the bridge’ in Arabic. Mascarell Toledo ‘Isolated farmhouse’ its second element is prob. anthroponym from Carelius derivative of Carolus whence Carlos and Charles. Another poss. meaning is from Charisiacum combination of Greek Charis ‘grace’ ‘favour’ and Germanic locative acum. Matadero Several locations ‘Slaughterhouse’ from Spanish verb matar ‘to kill’ and suffix -ero, here occupational. Masegoso Albacete Mataelpino Madrid ‘Place full of mansiega herbs’ from vernacular mansiego ‘ ‘Place covered with shrubs’ and second element EL PINO ‘near the pine-tree’ 163 MAZARIEGOS MATAMOROS Maya Navarra 1.‘Place with left over herbs or grain’ from Basque mai. 2.‘Meadow’ from the same origin. Matamoros Several Eastern locations ‘Underground granary’ ‘dungeon’ from Arabic matmurah, whence Spanish mazmorra. Mayorga Valladolid Matanza de Soria Soria Unknown Adaptation of its ancient name Meoriga, a city of the Vaccei nation. First element unexplained, its second recalls the Northern European root riga ‘Slaughterhouse’ DE SORIA ‘in the province of Soria’ which might come from pre-Roman ‘city’ Matapozuelos Valladolid Mazagatos Segovia ‘Place covered with shrubs’ adding a second element POZUELOS ‘little wells’ in Spanish. Sugg. ‘The cat’s inn’ from Arabic manzil ‘inn’ ‘lodging house’ and Spanish gato ‘cat’. Mataró Barcelona Mazagon Huelva Uncertain. 1.‘Smuggler’s hideout’ from Spanish mazarron. 2.‘Inn’ from Arabic manzil and second element prob. Arabic personal name. 3.‘Place with reddish clay soil’ from Arabic almier and Mozarabic augmentative suffix -on. Its ancient Roman name was prob. Ficaria ‘abundant in figs’ Unknown 1.‘Place with good pear-trees’ from Basque madari ‘pear’ and encomiastic suffix -on. 2.‘Place with fennel herbs’ from Greek marathro ‘fennel’ 3.‘Bush by the brook’ from Spanish mata ‘bush’ and Germanic root aro ‘brook’ 4.‘Place of *Matharo’ from Germanic anthroponym Matheri and suffix -an. Matarrubia Guadalajara Mazaira Several places in Galicia ‘Place with reddish shrubs’ Spanish. ‘Apple tree orchard’ from Galician maa ‘apple’ and derived locative maaria ‘place having apples’ Also found in MACEIRA or MACEIRAS. Matela Some locations in Galicia ‘Small mata’ meaning ‘place covered with under shrubs’ Matiena Vizcaya Mazaleón Teruel Prob. ‘Inn by the fountain head’ from Arabic manzil ‘inn’ and al-ayun ‘the fountain head’. ‘Place of Mateo’ from Latin personal name Mateus derived from Hebrew mattiyahu ‘gift from God’ and suffix -ena ‘belonging to’. Mazarambroz Toledo Mato, Matorral Many locations ‘Inn of Amro’ from Arabic manzil ‘inn’ and personal name Amruz ‘Bushy place’ ‘field full of brambles and briars’ Spanish. Mazarete Guadalajara ‘Small inn’ from Arabic manzil ‘lodging house’ and diminutive suffix -ete. Matute La Rioja 1.‘Place squeezed between hills’ from Arabic maqtut. 2.‘Place where smuggling is frequent’ Spanish matute prob. derived from Latin matutinus ‘in the morning’. Mazariegos Palencia Prob. ’Apple-tree orchard’ from Galician maa ‘apple’ derived from Latin malum, mala ‘apple’ and suffix of location -ego. 164 MAZARRÓN MEDINA Mazarrón Murcia Uncertain. 1.‘Smuggler’s hideout’ from Spanish mazarron. 2.‘Inn’ from Arabic manzil and second element prob. Arabic personal name. 3.‘Place with reddish clay soil’ from Arabic almier and Mozarabic augmentative suffix -on. Medina Several places ‘City’ ‘town’ Arabic. Medina Azahara Cordoba ‘Town’ AZAHARA is uncertain 1.‘Radiant’ from Arabic Al-Zhra 2.‘Of lady Az-Zahra’ a popular etymology with reference to the favourite spouse of caliph Abd-er-Raman III. Mazo (El) Tenerife Medinaceli Soria 1.‘Place with apple trees’ from Galician maa ‘apple’ 2.‘The wooden hammer’ from Spanish mazo. MAZO is mainly found in Galicia. Mazuecos Guadalajara ‘Small orchards with apple diminutive plural of MAZO. 1.‘Town on a hill’ from its ancient Celtic name Ocilis or Okelis ‘hill’ 2.‘Town on a hill’ from Arabic adaptation Madina occeli. 3.Sugg. ‘Town of Selim’ adaptation to personal Arabic personal name Selim which means ‘responsible’ ‘sure’ trees’ Medina de las Torres Badajoz Mazuecos de Valdeginate Palencia ‘Small orchards with apple trees’ DE VALDEGINATE ‘by the river of Valdeginate’ unexplained after valde ‘Town’ DE LAS TORRES ‘the one with towers’ for differentiation Mentioned in the Roman Itinerary as Porceiana. Mean Several locations in Galicia Medina del Campo Valladolid ‘The land in the middle’ shortening from late Latin mediana ‘in the middle’. Identical with place names MEANA and MEDIANA. ‘Town’ DEL CAMPO ‘in the field’ second element of an earlier Arabic name Medina Campestris. EL CAMPO is referred to a district in the vicinity of Valladolid. Mecerreyes Burgos ‘Meadows’ from Arabic mazarais Medina de Pomar Burgos Meco Madrid ‘Town’ DE POMAR ‘in the apple grove’ from Spanish pomar reminiscent of French pomme. Unknown 1.’Sheepfold’ from Celtic miccon ‘sheep’ 2.‘Country house’ from Latin miaccum. 3.‘Barren wild land’ from Arabic masksuk Medina de Rio Seco Valladolid ‘Town’ DE RIO SECO ‘by the dry river’ Spanish adaptation of Arabic Medinah Sicca with reference to a river which dries out with droughts. Ancient name is found as EGURRI poss. from Iberian Basque egu ‘light’ and uri ‘town’. Later known as Forum Egurrorum prob. in allusion to a tribe of settlers. Meda Several locations in Galicia ‘Haystacks’ from Latin metam ‘conical object’ Medellín Badajoz ‘Place of Metelo’ from Latin personal name Metellus ‘harvester’ Was Castra Metteli in the time of the Romans. 165 MEDINA MENDIZABAL Mellid La Coruña Medina Sidonia Cadiz Prob. ‘Place of Melito’ from Latin personal name Mellitus ‘with honey’ ‘Town’ SIDONIA from its ancient pre-Roman name Asido poss. in remembrance of Phoenician city of Sidon. Was Caesarina Augusta. Membrilla Ciudad Real 1.‘Quince tree’ from Spanish membrillo derived from Latin/Greek melimelum ‘sweet apple’. 2.‘Small round hillocks’ from Latin mammulae ‘teats’ Medrano La Rioja Unknown. 1.‘Hillock by the river’ of Celtic origin with second element an ‘water’ ‘river’ and first element unknown, poss. ‘hillock’ 2.‘Inherited from mother’ from Latin maternus derived to maderno. 3.‘Improved’ from Spanish verb medrar ‘to obtain something’ Membrillar León Identical with MEMBRILLA with plural locative suffix -ar. Menarguens Lérida Uncertain Sugg. ‘Place of *Menargo’ from assumed Germanic name *Man-Argerico. Meira Lugo ‘Marsh’ derived from Galician meira Menasalbas Toledo Mejorada Madrid ‘White battlements’ Spanish almenas and adjective albas. ‘Improved’ Spanish adjective, prob. in allusion to tax freedom or some other kind of benefit. from Mendavia Navarra ‘Path to the mountain’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ ‘mountain range’ and bide ‘path’ ‘way’. Melgar (de Arriba y de Abajo) Valladolid Uncertain 1.‘Place where lucerne abounds’ a local herb known as mielga. 2.‘Stretch of land between two furrows’ from Iberian Basque melar ‘narrow’ DE ARRIBA ‘upper’ and DE ABAJO ‘lower’ Mendieta Several locations ‘Highland’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ ‘elevated place’ and superlative suffix -eta ‘many’ ‘profuse’ Mendigorria Navarra ‘The red mountain’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ ‘hill’ and gorri ‘red’ with suffix -a ‘the’. Melgar de Fernmental Burgos 1.‘Place where lucerne pasture abounds’. 2.‘Stretch of land between two furrows’ DE FERNMENTAL in allusion to owner Fernando de Armental. Mendiola Álava ‘Mountainous’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ and suffix -ola ‘place full of’ Melgar de Yuso Palencia Mendiondo Vizcaya 1.‘Place where lucerne abounds’ it is a. 2.‘Stretch of land between two furrows’ from Iberian Basque melar ‘narrow’ DE YUSO ‘Down’ an archaic form of ‘below’ ‘Near the mountain’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ and suffix -ondo ‘near’ ‘by’. Mendivil Several places in Navarra ‘Round mountain’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ and adjective bil ‘round’ Melida Navrra Prob. ‘Place of *Melio or *Melina’ from Latin personal name Mellinus ‘like honey’ Mendizabal Alava ‘Wide and open mountain’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ and zabal ‘extensive’ ‘wide’. 166 MENDOZA MESTRE Mendoza Álava Mercadal Balearic Islands ‘The cold mountain’ from Basque mendi ‘mountain’ and otz ‘cold’ with article -a ‘the’ ‘Market place’ from Spanish mercado ‘market’ and locative suffix -al. Merida Badajoz Meneses Palencia ‘Meritorious’ from Latin Emerita ‘retired’, in memory of the ‘retired’ ‘licensed’ soldiers of the Roman legion who conquered Lusitania under Caesar Augustus. ‘People from the valley of Mena’ derived from river Maina a Celtic word of uncertain meaning. Meneses de Campos Palencia ‘Inhabited by settlers from the valley of Mena. DE CAMPOS ‘in the Fields’ an extensive territory known as ‘Gothic fields’ and later populated by Berber invaders. Merino (El) Ávila Mengabril Badajoz ‘Place of Ben Abril’ Arabic name of owner. ‘The high grounds’ from root mesa ‘table’ ‘flat surface’ ‘elevated plain’ also found in meseta. Menjibar Jaen Mesas de Ibor Caceres ‘The place with merino sheep’ a special kind imported from Algiers by the settler Ibn Merin. Mesas (Las) Cuenca ‘Place of Ben Gabir’ Arabic name of owner. ‘The high grounds’ from mesa ‘table’ ‘flat surface’ ‘elevated plain’ DE IBOR ‘in the valley of Ibor’ from Basque ibi ‘riverbank’ and suffix -or ‘at an elevated place’ Menorca Balearic Islands ‘Minor’ from Latin in differentiation from the larger island Mallorca ‘mayor’. The reason why Menorca is called ‘minor’ instead of smaller Ibiza is because Greeks considered two groups of islands: Baleraic, meaning ‘of stone throwers’ and Pyttiussae from Pytis ‘pine tree’ which included Ibiza. Mesegar Toledo Prob ‘Guardian of the harvest’ from Latin messecarius. Mesones de Isuela Zaragoza ‘Inns’ Spanish from French maison ‘house’ DE ISUELA ‘near the river Isuela’ from Arabic algezira ‘island’ ‘peninsula’ or Latin insula with diminutive suffix -ela. Mequinenza Zaragoza Uncertain. 1.‘Place belonging to Miqneza’ a Berber tribe. A similar placename Mequinez can be found in Morocco. 2.‘The place of half an ounce’ from its Roman name Octogesia identical with Greek Emisumkia. Mestanza Ciudad Real Meran Lugo Mestas Several places in Asturias ‘Market place for owners of big and small cattle’ from Spanish mezclar ‘to mix’ of both types of animals. 1.‘Terrain reserved for cattle after it has been harvested’ 2.‘Place where two water streams converge’ from Spanish mezcla ‘mixtures’ 1.‘Allotment’ a local custom of dividing the land in lots and allocating them each year to different farmers. 2.‘Place of Mario’ from Latin personal name Marius ‘dedicated to the god of war Mars’. Mestre Lugo ’Place of magister. 167 the teacher’ from Latin MEZQUITA (LA) MINGORRIA Mezquita (La) Orense Mijas Malaga Prob, ‘Place with millet’ Was Mixas in Arab times. Uncertain 1.‘The Mosque’ prob. Spanish phonetic adaptation of an earlier name. 2.‘The oakwood’ from Iberian Basque aritz Mijala Burgos Prob, ‘Place with millet’ from Spanish mijo ‘millet’ derived from Latin milium and locative suffix -ala. Miajadas Caceres ‘Millet fields’ from Spanish mijo ‘millet’ and suffix of repetition -adas. Milagro Navarra 1.‘Place commanding extensive view’ from Latin miraculum. Recorded Miraglo and Miragium 2.‘Field cultivated with millet’ from Latin milium ‘millet’ and agri ‘cultivated land’ Miedes de Atienza Guadalajara Poss. ‘Place where two or more fruits are grown alternatively’ from Spanish mier. DE ATIENZA ‘near the village of Atienza’ pre-Roman name of meaning unknown. Poss. site of ancient Titriya. Milmarcos Guadalajara Poss. ‘Millet field belonging to Marco’ from Latin milium ‘millet’ and personal name Marcus ‘dedicated to the god Mars’ Mier Asturias 1.‘Place where two or more fruits are grown alternatively’ 2.Sugg. ‘Millet fields’ from Spanish mijo modified to mijares and mieres Millana Guadalajara ‘Field with millet’ from Spanish mijo ‘millet’ derived from Latin milium and locative suffix -ana. Mieres Asturias Uncertain 1.‘Place where two or more fruits are grown in succession’ 2.‘Millet fields’ Shortening of Spanish mijares. 3.‘Place of *Merio’ derived from assumed Latin personal name Merius Millanes Cáceres ‘Fields with millet’ from Spanish mijo and suffix of abundance -anes. Minas de Rio Tinto Huelva ‘Mines of the red river’ Spanish selfevident Mierla (La) Guadalajara Uncertain Poss. ‘The landmark’ from Latin millaria ‘stone or column marking distance on roads’ Minaya Albacete Uncertain 1.‘Pasture with asphodel herbs’ from Iberian Basque minaya 2.‘Wide track’ ‘the road’ from Arabic alnahiya Miguel Esteban Toledo ‘Place of Miguel Esteban’ Spanish for Michael and Stephen. No doubt early settler. Minglanilla Cuenca ‘Small pomegranate tree’ from Latin minglanus ‘pomegranate’. Miguelturra Ciudad Real Prob. ‘Tower of Miguel’ from Spanish Miguel ‘Michael’ and torre ‘tower’. Mingorria Ávila 1.‘Place with sorrel plants’ from Basque mingarratz ‘sorrel field’ 2.‘The place with red seeds’ from Basque min ‘seed’ and gorri ‘red’ with middle article -a ‘the’ Mijares Ávila ‘Millet fields’ from Spanish mijo ‘millet’ and suffix of repetition -ares. 168 MIRON (EL) MIÑO 5.‘Place with laurel trees’ from Arabic iranda ‘laurel’. Miño River in Galicia Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Bright’ ‘metal’ from Celtic root and Latin minimum. 2.‘Walk’ from pre-Hindu-European element mei ‘to go’ ‘to walk’. 3.‘River of red colour’ on account of its being abundant in minimum Spanish minio 4.‘Running stream’ from HinduEuropean root min and Celtic mino. Miranda de Arga Navarra Same meanings as MIRANDA DE ARGA ‘by the river Arga’ from Hindu-European element arg ‘shiny’ ‘whitish’. Miranda de Duero Soria Miñon Burgos ‘Iron mine of earthy aspect’ local noun miñon from Basque mea ‘mineral’. Cf. MIRANDA DE DUERO ‘the one by the river Duero’ for disambiguation. A meaning ‘gift’ derived from Celt-Iberian dy-ero has been suggested. Mira Cuenca Miranda de Ebro Burgos Unknown Poss. ‘The river’ from pre-Roman mir-a ‘river-the’. Cf. MIRANDA DE EBRO ‘the one by the river Ebro’ See entry. Mirabel Caceres Miranda del Castañar 1.Prob. ‘Good looking river’ from Iberian mir ‘river’ and second element Spanish bello ‘beautiful’ 2.‘Beautiful view’ commendatory like Italian Mirabello or French Mirabel. 3.‘Place with plum-trees’ from myrobolan ‘fruit of the plum tree’ from Old French mirobalan Salamanca Cf. MIRANDA DEL CASTAÑAR chestnut grove’ Miraflores de la Sierra Madrid Uncertain. 1.‘Lookout over the valley’ from Spanish compound of mirar ‘to look’ and valle ‘valley’ 2.‘River valley’ from Iberian Basque mir ‘river’ and second element Spanish for ‘valley’ ‘the one by the Mirandilla Badajoz ‘Little Miranda’ Miravalles Vizcaya ‘Flowery sight of the mountain range’ a xvii century Spanish place name replacing older Porquerizas ‘pigsties’ Mirambel Teruel Uncertain 1.Poss.‘River of amber’ from pre-Roman mir ‘river’ and Arabic ambar. 2.‘Pleasant view’ from Spanish mirar ‘to look’ and bella ‘beautiful’. ‘Home by the river’ from Iberian Basque mir ‘river’ and etxe ‘home’ ‘house’ Miranda Several locations Miravet Tarragona Miraveche Burgos Uncertain 1.‘Place of the Hermit’ with reference to a Mahomedan religious person, marabit in Arabic. 2.‘River with sweet water’ from Iberian Basque mir ‘river’ and uetzi ‘sweet water’ Uncertain 1.‘The little river’ ‘from Iberian preRoman mir ‘river’ and Basque suffix referring to small size -anda. 2.‘Vantage point’ from Spanish mirar ‘to look’ 3.‘The frontier’ from Celtic combination of elements miro-randa. 4.‘Admirable’ from Latin ad mirandus Mirón (El) Ávila Prob. ‘The look out’ ‘The vantage point’ 169 MIYAR MOLINA from Spanish verb mirar ‘to look at something’. First element poss. ‘hill’ from Latin mons. Arabs kept its original name calling it Moxen. Miyar Asturias ‘Millet field’ from Spanish mijo ‘millet’ and locative suffix -ar ‘place with’. Moguer Huelva Uncertain ‘The cavern’ Arabic magur, derivation of pre-Roman name Urium from Iberian uri ‘city’ with the addition of Latin mons ‘mountain’ ’hill’. Mo Pontevedra Uncertain. 1.‘Milestone’ ‘grindstone’ from moa derived from Latin molare ‘to grind’. 2.‘Place of *Monus’ from personal name of hypothetical settler. 3.‘Hillock’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ ‘hill’. 1.‘Extremity’ ‘limit’ from Arabic moahar. 2.‘Sharp’ ‘pointed’ from Arabic moharrib Mocejón Toledo Mohernando Guadalajara Uncertain. 1.‘Place of Mostonio’ from Latin assumed personal name of settler. 2.‘Place of Mustio’ from Celtic personal name. 3.‘Place of Muzio’ Mozarabic derived from Italian personal name. In Arab times referred to as Mozaxon. Mojacar Almería Moharras Albacete ‘Hillock of Ferdinand’ from Latin mons and Germanic personal name meaning ‘daring’ ‘brave’. Unknown. Prob derivation of poss. site of preRoman town Murgi (Ptolemy and Pliny). Was known as Murgiracer. The Arabs retained original name calling it MoXacre. Suggested 1. ‘Sacred mountain’ from Latin mons sacrum. 2 ‘Promontory of Murgis’ from Greek akra ‘elevated terrain’ ‘cape’. Moclin Granada Uncertain 1.‘District of the mountain’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and Arabic iqlim ‘district’. 2.‘Castle of the district’ from Arabic iglim and hisn ‘castle’. 3.‘Place for the eyes’, from Arabic hisn-al muqlin ‘castle of the eye’s pupils’ with reference to its utilization as a watching point. Mola Tarragona ‘Mill stone’ from Latin mollam ‘grinding stone used in mills’ and Spanish muela, meaning the same. Molar (El) Madrid ‘Place where grinding obtained’ Spanish. Mochales Guadalajara Uncertain 1.‘Truncated’ from Spanish verb mochar ‘to lop of’. 2.‘Humid ground’ from Spanish moho from Latin humus and locative suffix ales. stones are Molina de Aragón Guadaajara ‘Place with several mills’ from Spanish molino ‘mill’ and generic suffix -a. DE ARAGON ‘in the kingdom of Aragon’ unknown, poss. meaning ‘plough land’ or ‘elevated land’ Moeda Lugo Uncertain 1.‘Thick wood because of many bushes’ derived from moa ‘wet’ ‘humid’. 2.‘Wild terrain with rock roses’ Arabic. Molina de Segura Murcia ‘Place with several mills’ DE SEGURAS ‘the one in valley of the river Segura’ unknown, from pre-Roman Sucro Mogente Valencia Unknown. 170 MOLINOS MONDRAGON Moncayo La Rioja Molinos Teruel ‘Place with several mills’ from Spanish molinos. ‘Mountain of Cayo’ from Latin personal name Caius ‘rook’ or Gaius ‘gay’ ‘contented’. Molinos (Los) Madrid Moncofar Castellón ‘The mills’ Unknown Original name was Macofa. In its present form seems to refer to Latin mons Molins de Rey Barcelona ‘Mills’ DEL REY ‘of the King’ ‘belonging to the Crown’ Monda Málaga ‘Stronghold’ ‘Protected’ from Germanic Munda. Prob. site of two important battles. One was between Roman emperors Julius Caesar and Pompei Magnus. Another between Scipio Africanus and the Carthaginians. Molle Lérida ‘Place of relaxation’ from Latin mollis ‘soft’ ‘smooth’ and Spanish muelle. Mollerusa Lérida Uncertain. 1.‘Soft, humid field’ from Latin mollis and unexplained second element. 2.‘Inn of the bride’ from Arabis moaia-al arusa ‘the house of the bride’ Mondáriz Lugo Unknown Poss. ‘Inn of the Visir’ ‘from Arabic moaia-al-wazir ‘minister’s house’. 1.‘Fortress of Alarico’ Gothic personal name from Germanic mund and Ala-rici ‘all’ ‘king’ 1.‘Hillock with oak trees’ from Latin mons ‘hill’ ‘mountain’ and Basque aritz ‘oak wood’. Monbuey Zamora Mondejar Guadalajara Molvizar Granada 1.‘Round mountain’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and Iberian Basque boil ‘round’. 2. ‘Mountain of the peak’ Catalan from boi Uncertain. First element is Latin mons ‘hill’ ‘mountain’ and sec. el. is no doubt Arabic poss. tejar ‘to weave cloth’ ‘to knit’ without apparent connection other than metaphoric for ‘difficult to walk on’ In ancient time was Mantua (Ptolemy) which may explain a mutated Mondejar. Monachil Granada ‘Monastery’ from Arabic monastir. A place name Monastir can be found in Tunisia. Mondoñedo Lugo Unknown. 1.‘Mountain where water can be found’ from mons and Celtic onnav ‘water’. 2.‘At the foot of the mountain’ from same first element and Iberian Basque oña ‘foot’. 3.‘Place with flowers’ from Arabic monnauar prob. in allusion to the presence of almond trees. Was Midonia until it became Mindonia and later Latinized Mindonium. Monasterio de Rodilla Burgos ‘Monastery’ DE RODILLA original name of the village prob. meaning ‘the round one’ Monasterio de Vega Valladolid ‘Monastery’ DE LA VEGA ‘by the riverside’ referred to the river Duero. Moncada Valencia ‘Monte de Catuno’ personal name derived from the documented name Monscatunus. Mondragón Guipuzcoa ‘Dragon Mountain’ Spanish name given by king Alfonso X in substitution for its 171 MONEO MONTALBO ancient Basque name Arrasate which means ‘mountain pass’ identical with Arrate. from fariza ‘estate’ which in turn might be a transposition of its pre-Roman name Moneo Burgos Monreal del Campo Teruel Uncertain. Poss. ‘Promontory’ from Basque muna ‘prominence’ and locative suffix -on ‘just there’ ‘Royal hillock’ Spanish name given by king Alfonso ‘The Battler’. DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the field’ Spanish, added for differentiation. Monforte del Cid Alicante Monreal del Llano Cuenca ‘Fortified hill’ from Latin mons fortis, name given by king Alfonso ‘The Benign’ in substitution of Nompot. DEL CID ‘near the mountain range of El Cid’ a modern addition of its inhabitants who rejected an earlier appellative de la Rambla, preferring the memory of hero El Cid. ‘Royal hillock or uncultivated field’ Spanish meaning ‘under the protection of the king’ DEL LLANO ‘the one situated in a plain’ Spanish, added for disambiguation. Monroy Caceres ‘The king’s hillock’ also meaning wild terrain’ from Latin mons and second element rey ‘under the direct rule of the king’ Monforte de Lemos Lugo Fortified hill’ from Latin mons fortis, DE LEMOS ‘in the Lemos area’ a district name recently added for disambiguation. Its meaning is uncertain. It has been suggested: 1)‘Fertile and humid terrain’ from Celtic lama and Spanish limo ‘slime’ 2)‘Belonging to the *Lemavos’ a documented tribe of settlers. Monistrol Barcelona ‘Little monastery’ monasteriolum. from late Monsalupe Ávila ‘Wild land frequented by wolves’ from Latin mons and Spanish monte with second element lupus ‘wolf’ Montserrat Barcelona 1.‘Mountain range’ from Latin mons cerratus and 2.Derived from Catalan serrat presenting a ‘saw-like horizon’ from serra ‘saw’ Latin Monóvar Alicante Montalbán Teruel Uncertain 1.‘Place with flowers’ from Arabic monnauar prob. in allusion to the presence of almond trees. 2.‘Beacon of light’ from Arabic monnauir. Montalbanejo Cuenca Monreal Navarra Montalbo Cuenca ‘Whitish colour mountain’ from Latin mons albanus. ‘Little Montalban’ a previous place name. diminutive of ‘White mountain’ from Latin mons albus. ‘Royal hillock or uncultivated field’ meaning ‘under the protection of the king’ therefore excluding it from other Medieval dependence. Montalbo en Cameros La Rioja ‘White mountain’ EN CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ meaning ‘winding’’ from Hindu-European kamp ‘curved’ Monreal de Ariza Zaragoza ‘Royal hillock’ DE ARIZA ‘near Ariza’ an Arabic name . 172 MONTALVAN MONTEJO Montalvan Cordoba ‘White mountain’ from Latin mons albus Monteagudo de las Vicarias Soria ‘Sharp mountain’ DE LAS VICARÍAS ‘belonging to the vicars’ Montan Castellon Prob. ‘Place of Montano’ from Latin personal name Montanus ‘highlander’ Monteagudo del Castillo Montánchez Cáceres Teruel ‘Sharp or pointed mountain’ DEL CASTILLO ‘the one with a castle’ Uncertain. Prob. ‘Mountain of Angio’ from early name Mons Angius later Arabized in Al Hange ‘the tenth’ an estate tax. Was 1) ancient fort Castrum Columbi ‘fort frequented by doves’ 2) Roman camp Sorores, ‘sisters’ Montealegre Valladolid ‘Sunny mountain’ from Latin mons mountain and adjective alacris ‘quick’ ‘joyful’ metaphoric for ‘sunny’ when referred to a place. Montaña Many locations Montealegre del Castillo ‘Mountain’ Spanish Albacete ‘Sunny mountain’. DEL CASTILLO ‘the one with its castle’ Montaña Huesca ‘Mountain’ Spanish Documented Montañana ‘Mountain of Aniano (or Anna)’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and Latin personal name Anianus derived from Hebrew Anna ‘graceful’ ‘compassionate’ Montefrío Granada ‘Cold mountain’ from Latin mons fredus retained by the Arabs. Ancient pre-Roman name was Hiponova. Montañana Burgos Montejaque Malaga ‘Mountain of Aniano’ Uncertain 1.‘The holy mountain’ from Latin mons sacris ‘sacred mountain’ and Mozarabic munt-Saquir 2.‘The lost mountain’ from Mozarabic munt-xaquez. Montarron Guadalajara Prob. ‘Mountain of Arrio’ from Spanish monte ‘mountain’ and Berber personal name Aryus derived from Greek Areios ‘of the god Ares’. Montaure Balearic Islands Uncertain. 1.‘Mountain of Arrio’ 2.‘Promontory’ from montorium. Latin Montejícar Granada The holy mountain’ from Latin mons sacris ‘sacred mountain’ and Mozarabic munt-Saquir pro- Montejo Salamanca Montblanch Tarragona ‘White hill or mountain’ from Catalan mont and blanch ‘white’ ‘Little mountain or wild field’ from Latin monticulum and Spanish diminutive (or peyorative) -ejo. Monte Many locations Montejo de Cebas Burgos 1.’Hill’ ‘mountain’ 2.’Land space left uncultivated because of its inferior quality and often used as pasture or hunting grounds’ ‘Little mountain or wild field’ DE CEBAS poss. ‘of the caves’ from Spanish cuevas. Montejo de la Vega de la Serrezuela. Segovia Monteagudo Navarra ‘Sharp pointed mountain’ from Latin mons acutus ‘sharp’ ‘acute’ ‘Little mountain’ 173 MONTEJO MONTURQUE DE LA VEGA DE LA SERREZUELA ‘the one by the valley of La Serrezuela’ meaning ‘valley of the small Sierra’ 1.‘Little hill or small wild terrain’ from Latin mons and Spanish diminutive -illa. 2.‘Little Munda’ with reference to the ancient city of Munda, where an important battle was fought between two Roman emperors. 3.‘Hill of *Aulo’ from Etruscan personal name Aulo derived from Greek Aulide ‘native of Aulida’ Montejo de San Miguel Burgos ‘Little mountain or wild field’ DE SAN MIGUEL ‘of Saint Michael’ with reference to a close hermitage on top of a hill. Montizón Jaén Montellano Sevilla Uncertain 1.‘Hill near Mentesa’ from its pre-Roman name Mons Mentesanus with reference to the ancient city of Mentesa 2.‘Mount of the smudge’ from Spanish compound of monte and tizón. 3. ‘Mount Sion’ from Hebrew. ‘Flat uncultivated land’ Spanish. Montemayor de Pililla Valladolid ‘Large mountainous territory’ DE PILILLA ‘small pile’ from Latin pila ‘pillar’ and Spanish pila ‘water container for cattle made of stone’ Montjuich Barcelona ‘Mountain consecrated to Jove’ from Latin mons Jovis. Montenegro de Cameros Soria ‘Black mountain’ from Spanish negro. DE CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ vast ‘undulated’ zone from Hindu-European kamp ‘curved’ Montoliu Lérida ‘Hill of the olive’ from Catalan compound of mont ‘mountain’ and oliu ‘olive’ ‘oil’ Montoro Cordoba Monterrey Orense ‘The king’s mountain or his hunting ground’ Spanish. ‘Golden mountain’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and aurum ‘gold’. Prob site of ancient city Epora. Monterrubio de la Serena Montoto Asturias Badajoz ‘Yellow uncultivated land DE LA SERENA ‘the one in the Serena region’ the name is elusive perhaps ‘district laboured by tenants’ ‘High mountain’ from Latin mons altus which mutated to mantaltu and mantauto. Montreal del Campo Tarragona ‘Royal mountain’ Spanish DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the district of Alto Campo’ which means ‘high fields’ Montesa Valencia Unknown. Derived from its ancient pre-Roman name Mentesa. Montroig Tarragona Montiel Ciudad Real ‘Red mountain’ Catalan compound of mont ‘monte’ and roig ‘red’. ‘Little hill or small wild terrain’ from Latin mons and Mozarabic diminutive el. Monturque Córdoba Montijo Badajoz Prob. ‘Mountain of the tower’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and turris ‘tower’ with locative suffix -que as in Manzaneque or Tembleque. ‘Little hill or wild terrain’ from Latin mons and Mozarabic diminutive -ijo. Montilla Córdoba Uncertain. 174 MONZON MORATILLA Monzón Huesca ‘mulberries’ with pejorative suffix -eja. 2. ‘A place to stay for a while’ from late Latin moradia. Uncertain. 1.‘The small mountain’ from Latin montione where the suffix -ione, is diminutive. 2.‘Mount Sion’ from Latin and Hebrew. In any case, a derivative of its preRoman name Mons Toulous giving Monzous. Moraleja de Enmedio Madrid ‘Terrain with blackberry bushes’ Cf. MORALEJA DE EN MEDIO ‘the one placed in between’ with reference to Moraleja la Mayor ‘the largest’ and Moraleja de los Boyeros ‘of the cattle keepers’ Monzón de Campos Palencia Obscure DE CAMPOS ‘the one which is situated in the Campos region’ Morales de Campos Valladolid ‘Place where blackberries abound’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the district of Campos’ a territory first conquered by the Goths from Galicia, recorded as Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Mora Toledo 1.‘Place where blackberries can be found’ from Spanish noun mora ‘blackberry’ 2.‘Moorish village’ from Spanish mora ‘Moorish’. Moralzarzal Madrid ‘Blackberry bush’ Spanish. Mora de Ebro Tarragona Moranchel Guadalajara 1.‘Place with blackberries’ 2.‘Moorish village’ DE EBRO ‘on the banks of the river Ebro’ pre-Roman, prob. from Celtic root aber ‘water’, assumed also in the word IBERIA ‘Place with blackberry bushes or mulberry trees’ Spanish with Mozarabic ending chel as in CARABANCHEL Morata de Jalón Zaragoza 1.‘Place with blackberry bushes’ from Spanish mora ‘blackberry’ 2.‘Hostal’ derived from Latin moradia. DE JALON ‘on the river Jalón’ name derived from pre-Roman ancient name Salo ‘running with waves’ Mora la Nueva Tarragona 1.Place with blackberries’ 2.‘Moorish village’ LA NUEVA is descriptive of ‘the new one’ Mora de Rubielos Teruel Morata de Tajuña Madrid 1.’Place where blackberries can be found’ 2.‘Moorish village’ DE RUBIELOS ‘the one by the river Rubielos’ which means ‘small and red’ from Latin ruber ‘red’ and diminutive suffix -ello. 1.‘Place with blackberry bushes’ 2.‘Hostal’ derived from Latin moradia. DE TAJUÑA ‘on the river Tajuña’ of obscure etymology poss. ‘the cut’ ‘the ravine’ or be a derivative from sugg. anthroponym Tagonio Moradillo de Roa Burgos Moratilla de Henares ‘Inn’ from late Latin moradia ‘place where one can stay’ DE ROA ‘near the town of Roa’ ancient city named Rauda ‘rough’. Guadalajara ‘Little MORATA’ DE HENARES ‘on the river Henares’ meaning ‘fields of hay’ Moral Segovia ‘Place with blackberry mulberry trees’ Spanish. bushes Moratilla de Meleros or Guadalajara ‘Little MORATA’ DE MELEROS ‘the place beekeepers can be found’ Moraleja Cáceres 1. ‘Terrain having blackberry bushes’ or 175 where MORCUERA MOTA wall’ from Spanish muro ‘wall’ and pejorative suffix -ejo. 2.‘A little field with blackberries’ 3.‘Homestead inhabited by Moorish people’ from Spanish Moros ‘Moors’ and suffix -ejo pejorative for its smallness. Morcuera Soria Uncertain 1.Sugg. ‘Hillock of Mercury’ from Latin Mercurius Collis where pilgrims left their shells to leave a landmark. 2.‘Unprotected’ from a sort of medieval jacket named malacuera ‘bad leather’ Morón de Almazán Soria ‘Village inhabited by Moors’ from Latin genitive Maurorum ‘of the Moors’ DE ALMAZAN ‘near the city of Almazán’ Arabic for ‘apple grove’. Moreda Granada ‘Place with blackberry bushes’ or ‘place with mulberry trees’ Identical with MOREIRA, MORERA, MORILLAS, MOREDA, MORENTE. Morella Castellon ‘Place with blackberry mulberry trees’ bushes Morón de la Frontera Sevilla ‘Place with blackberry bushes or mulberry trees’ Spanish. DE LA FRONTERA ‘the one near the frontier with the Arabs kingdoms’ or Mores Zaragoza Mos Pontevedra Uncertain 1.‘Place with blackberry bushes or mulberry trees’ from Spanish moras 2.‘The place inhabited by Moorish people’’ from Spanish Moros. 3.‘Muddy, humid soil’ from pre-Roman morea ‘lagoon’ ’muddy soil’ 4.‘Place with black stones’ from Latin moreas. Unknown 1.‘Fertile earth’ from Celtic moss 2.‘Place with mills’ from Galician moa ‘grinding stone’ synecdoche for ‘mill’. 3. ‘Place of Malon’ from Latin personal name Malonus ‘apple grove’ Mosqueruela Teruel ‘Place in the shadow where cattle rest’ from Spanish mosqueruela no doubt associative with the presence of flies. Morgoviejo Leon 1.‘Old hillock’ from Celtic moor ‘stone’ ‘promontory’ and Spanish viejo ‘old’. 2. Sugg. ‘Protected granary’ from Iberian Basque moker ‘solid’ and bitegi ‘granary’ Mosteiro Many places in Galicia 1.‘Place with a kind of fruit remindful of cherries called mosteyas’ Galician vernacular. 2.‘Monastery’ from Latin monasterium. Moriles Córdoba Prob. ‘Hamlets inhabited by Moors’ from Spanish moros and suffix of Mozarabic origin -iles ‘places’ The plurality in the name derived from the unification of two neighbourhoods. Móstoles Madrid Unknown Prob. a derivation of its pre-Roman name Metecorsa. Morillas Álava Mota Several locations Uncertain 1.‘Little fields with blackberry bushes’ from Spanish moras ‘black-berries’ and diminutive suffix -illas ‘little’ 2.‘Place surrounded by walls’ from Spanish murallas derived from Latin murus ‘wall’. ‘Watch point’ ‘elevated terrain’ from Spanish mota derived from Germanic mott ‘pile of earth’ Mota del Marqués Valladolid ‘Watch point’ ‘elevated terrain’ DEL MARQUÉS ‘of the marquis’ with reference to Rodrigo de Ulloa, marquis of la Mota, a title given by Philip II. Morillejo Guadalajara 1.‘Place surrounded by a poorly made 176 MOTILLA MUNILLA aristocratic commoner. Motilla del Palancar Cuenca mother married to a ‘Small watch point’ from Spanish mota and diminutive -illa. DEL PALANCAR ‘the one near a pinewood’ from Latin palanga derived from Greek phalanx ‘trunk’. Muel Zaragoza Prob. ‘Place with a millstone’ ‘circle around an object’ from Spanish muela. Motrico Guipuzcoa Muez Navarra Unknown. A derivation of its ancient name Tritium. The city is mentioned by Ptolemy as belonging to the Tubori tribe, a branch of the Barduli nation. Muga Burgos Unknown. Derived from hypothetical ancient name Molis perhaps related to ‘mill’. ‘Frontier’ ‘limit’ from Basque muga. Motril Granada Mugaire de Oronoz Navarra Unknown. Derived from its Roman name Motrilium or Firmium Roman Motrilium. Sugg. ‘Place of myrtle plants’ from hypothetical ancient name Murteto. ‘Frontier’ from Basque muga and locative suffix -aire, reminiscent of Latin -arius ‘of the’ DE ORONOZ ‘of owner *Orinio’ poss. from personal name Urus or Uranius. Mountemolin Badajoz Mugardos La Coruña ‘Mill on a mount’ Spanish. Poss. ‘Indivisible inheritance’ from Hindu-European mok ‘elevated terrain’ and Basque muga ‘limit’. The word mogardo supports the sense suggested. Moureira Several places in Galicia 1.‘Place with blackberries’ from Galician moura ‘blackberry’ and Spanish mora. 2.’Place inhabited by Moors’. Muguerza Guipuzcoa ‘Place with abundance of flint-stones’ from Basque muger ‘flint-stone’ and suffix of plurality -tza. Mourelos Several places in Galicia 1.‘Place with blackberries’ from Galician moura ‘blackberry’ and Spanish mora. 2 ‘Place inhabited by Moors’. Mula Murcia ‘Place of the grindstone’ from Latin mollam and Spanish muela. Could be metonymy for ‘mill’. Mouta Several places in Galicia ‘High place’ ‘watch point’ identical with MOTA. Muneta Navarra Moya Barcelona 1.‘Hillocks’ from Basque muno ‘hillock’ and suffix -eta meaning ‘several’. 2.‘Littlegarden’ from Arabic munia ‘garden’ and Basque locative -eta. ‘Portion of land producing a given amount of wheat’ from Latin mosius ‘custom’ ‘usual’ Applies to other places like MOIA in Barcelona and MOYANO in Málaga. Munguía Vizcaya ‘The slope of the hill’ Basque compound of mun ‘elevated place’ mid element gui ‘side’ ‘slope’ and final article a ‘the’. Muchamiel Albacete Unknown. Prob. a derivation of unknown pre-Arab and pre-Roman name. Or from personal name of owner. Munilla La Rioja ‘Little mountain’ from Latin mons ‘mount’ and Spanish diminutive suffix illa. Mudarra (La) Valladolid ‘Place of the half-caste’ with reference to ownership of a person born of an 177 MUNOTELLO MURO Munotello Ávila Muriel de la Fuente Soria ‘Place of Nuño Tello’ compound anthroponym made of Nonnius ‘ninth’ (born) and Germanic thyld ‘patient’. ‘Small wall’ from Latin murus ‘wall’ and Mozarabic diminutive suffix -iel. DE LA FUENTE ‘by the fountain’ with reference to a very deep siphon known as La Fuentona Muñeca de la Peña Palencia ‘Top of the hill’ from Iberian Basque mun ‘elevated place’ and aitz ‘big stone’ DE LA PEÑA ‘of the stone’ a Spanish repetition of first name. Muriel Viejo Soria ‘Small wall’ VIEJO ‘the old one’. Murillo de Gallego Zaragoza Muñoz Salamanca 1.‘Place high and cold’ from Basque mun ‘elevated place’ and otz ‘cold’ 2.‘Hight on a plain’ from Iberian Basque munno 3.‘Top of the hill’ from Basque mun and adjective itz ‘high’ ‘top’. ‘Small wall’ DE GALLEGO ‘on the river Gallego’ prob. meaning ‘Gallic’ ‘French’ Murillo de Rio Leza La Rioja ‘Small wall’ DE RIO LEZA ‘on the river Leza’ from Basque leze ‘cave’ ‘hole’. Murcia Murcia Uncertain. 1.‘Stagnant waters’ from late Latin murtzia and murcha ‘lifeless’ 2.‘The walled town’ from Latin assumed name Murus Tader ‘the wall of *Tader’ The Arabs adopted its original name with the addition of Medinat descriptive of ‘city’ Medinat Mursiya. Prob. a mutation of an ancient name Murgi placed by Pliny in the Baetica province. ‘Broken & small wall’ from late Latin murellus and fractum ‘broken’ ‘in ruins’ Modified to mean ‘the one with the fruit’ Murga Álava Murita Burgos Murillo El Cuende Navarra ‘Small wall’ EL CUENDE ‘belonging to the Count’ from Latin comes ‘companion’ and Spanish conde. Murillo (El fruto) Navarra 1.‘Place with a small wall’ from Latin murus ‘wall’ and Spanish diminutive suffix -ita. 2.‘Place where pinecones are easy to obtain’ from Basque mur ‘pinecone’ and -eta ‘many’. 3.‘Hillock’ from Basque muru ‘small hill’ and locative suffix -eta ‘having more than one’ Uncertain 1.‘Frontier’ ‘border’ identical with MUGA in Burgos. 2.‘The burg’ from Basque burgi-a 3.‘Walled’ from Latin murus ‘wall’ and the locative Basque suffix -a. Murguía Vitoria Uncertain Same options as in MURGA Murla Alicante Murias de Paredes Leon Poss. ‘Walls’ from Latin murus. DE PAREDES ‘with walls’ the repetition Latin/Spanish is may be recognition of ruins in two places. 1.Prob. ‘Pleasant place’ shortening from Latin adjective modulanus giving morlanus. 2.‘Place of *Morlano’ from assumed French owner Morland Muriel Guadalajara Muro Balearic Islands 1.‘Wall’ from Latin murus. 2.‘Place inhabited by Moors’ Spanish Moro. ‘Small wall’ from Latin murus ‘wall’ and Mozarabic locative & diminutive suffix -iel. 178 from MURO MUTILOA 2.‘Piles of straw containing left over grain’ from Basque murri and locative suffix -eta ‘having many’. Muro en Cameros La Rioja ‘Wall’ from Latin murus. EN CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ descriptive of an ‘undulated’ region, from Hindu-European kamp ‘curved’ and Spanish suffix -ero, in plural for Camero Nuevo ‘new’ and Camero Viejo ‘old’. Murueta Vizcaya ‘Place of hillocks’ from Basque muru derived from Latin murus and locative of plurality -eta. Muruzabal Navarra Muros La Coruña ‘Mountain pass’ via metaphor ‘open wall’ from Basque compound muru ‘wall’ and second element zabal ‘wide open’. ‘Walls’ from Latin murus. Muros de Nalón Asturias ‘Walls’ DE NALON ‘on the Nalon river’ from its ancient pre-Roman name Meisos later Nalius with meaning unknown. Musara (La) Tarragona Prob. ‘The humid place’ from Celtic moss ‘wet’ related to Spanish moho and Arabic suffix -ara. Murrieta Vizcaya 1.‘Enclosure made of unburnt bricks’ from Basque murreta. Mutiloa Guipuzcoa ‘The forge on a hill’ from Basque loa ‘forge’ and moto or muti ‘rock’ ‘hill’ . 179 NABAIS NAVACONCEJO DE LA OCA ‘the one dedicated to the goose’ in allusion to the historical veneration towards geese promoted by the Templars. N Nabais Lugo Narcea River in Asturias Unknown. Ancient name was Melsos and became Noega due to its proximity with an Iberian town with the same name, now called Noya. ‘Place planted with turnips’ from Latin napus ‘turnip’. Identical with NABEIRA. Nacimiento Almería ‘Place on the river Nacimiento’ NACIMIENTO ‘fountainhead’ from Spanish meaning ‘birth’, derived from Latin nascere ‘to be born’ Narros del Castillo Avila ‘Place inhabited by settlers from Navarra’. DEL CASTILLO ‘the Narros village with a castle’ for differentiation. Nadal Lugo ‘Birth’ ‘celebration of winter solstice’ shortened from Latin nativitate. Nasarre Huesca Nadela Lugo ‘Grain pipeline’ Galician ‘Village on the verge of a ravine’’ from Basque nasa ‘ravine’ ‘pit’ ‘hole’ and second element erri ‘village’. Naharros Some locations Nava (La) Many locations ‘The fertile plain surrounded by trees or hills’ elusive term from medieval Latin of pre-Celtic origin, prob. from Hallstatt Culture. It can also be found in Iberian Basque naba. ‘Place inhabited by settlers from Navarra’ from Spanish Navarros. Nájera La Rioja ‘Place situated between two hillocks’ from Arabic Naggara. Identical with NAJARA (Cadiz) and NAJAR (Almería) The pre-Roman name of Najera was Megalum and with the Romans became Tritium. Navacepedilla de La Corneja Avila ‘Fertile plain surrounded thorny plants used as coal’ compound from nava and Latin cepus ‘trunk of plants’ DE LA CORNEJA ‘the one by the cornel tree’ Nalda La Rioja 1. ‘Slope’ ‘hill’ from Basque alda. 2.‘High fertile enclosure’ shortened compound of nava ‘fertile land among hills’ and alta ‘high’ Nava de Roa Burgos ‘Fertile plain surrounded by uncultivated land’ DE ROA ‘near Roa’ here poss. derivative of name of ancient Roman town Rauda, though roa can be found in other instances meaning ‘round’ Nalon River in Asturias Obscure Known as Nahalon, or Navilubium according to Pliny and Naelus after Ptolemy, the root nau is indicative of its being partially navigable. Navacerrada Segovia ‘Fertile plain surrounded by hills’ with a Spanish second element meaning ‘enclosed’ ‘difficult to reach’. Nanclares de la Oca Alava Obscure 1.Prob.‘High valley’ from Iberian Basque aran ‘valley’ and garai ‘elevated’. 2.‘Rainy’ ‘misty’ from Basque langar. Navaconcejo Cáceres ‘Fertile plain surrounded by hills’ second 180 NAVAS NAVAFRÍA comites ‘companion’ whence ‘the fields of the Count’ 2) Celtic personal name Marcovindus ‘white horse’ element refers to its ‘Council’ from Spanish Consejo. Navafría Segovia ‘Fertile plain surrounded by followed by the adjective ‘cold’. Navares de Enmedio Segovia trees’ ‘Fertile plain’ DE ENMEDIO ‘in between’ with reference to its position between Navares de Ayuso which means ‘at the bottom’ -from Latin ad deorsum- and Navares de las Cuevas meaning ‘the one near the caves’ Navahermosa Toledo ‘Fertile plain surrounded by hills’ with sec. el. commendatory ‘beautiful’ ‘fair’. Naval Huesca ‘Fertile plain surrounded by abrupt terrain’ With affirmative suffix -al Navaridas Alava ‘Fertile plains’ Its second element could arise from 1) Basque lari ‘big’ or 2) from personal name of settler Navarius ‘native of Navarra’ Navalafuente Madrid ‘Fertile plain surrounded by abrupt terrain’ LA FUENTE ‘the one known for its fountain’ Spanish. Navarra Navarra ‘Land of fertile fields surrounded by hills and with muddy soil’ compound from Basque nabar, identical with Spanish nava, and second element herri ‘land’ Navalcan Toledo ‘White plain’ second element can is ‘white’ from Latin canus. Navarredonda Madrid Navalcarnero Madrid ‘Fertile plain surrounded by abrupt terrain’ the second element means round in Spanish. ‘Fertile plain known for its ram’ second element, Spanish carnero is derived from Latin carnarius ‘good for meat’ Navarrete Logroño Navalmoral Avila ‘Fertile plain surrounded by abrupt terrain’ with diminutive suffix -ete ‘little’. ‘Fertile plain’ its second element, moral, means ‘blackberry’ from Spanish derived from late Latin morus ‘mature’ ‘late’ Navas Many locations Navalmorales (Los) Toledo ‘Fertile plains surrounded by trees or hills’ Cf. NAVA ‘Fertile plain with blackberry trees’ with morales derived from Latin morus ‘mature’ Navascués Navarra ‘Village on luxuriant plain’’ compound of naval ‘fertile plain’ and villar ‘group of villas’ DE PELA ‘the one near the Pela mountains’ of meaning unknown poss. a derivative of personal name Pelayo from Greek Pelagos ‘ocean’ Obscure 1.‘Place of Navo’ anthroponym indicating ownership by a member of the Navascos gens. 2.‘Fertile plain within a hilly area’ from Basque naba and plural locative suffix ko 3.‘Plain on a hill frequented by rabbits’ from Basque naba and sec. el. kui ‘rabbit’ Navamorcuende Toledo Navas de Bureba Burgos Navalvillar de Pela Badajoz ‘Nava of *Morcuende’ an anthroponym from: 1) Arabic al-mury ‘the fields’ and cuende ‘count’ derived from Latin ‘Fertile plains’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ of unknown meaning from ancient Borobia 181 NAVAS NESTARES Celtic suggested hypothetical god documented. Navas de ‘dedicated to a Borovio’ but not la Nebreda Burgos Uncertain. 1.‘Place of *Nebridio’ from hypothetical Roman personal name Nebrios ‘priests’ dedicated to the cult of goddess Ceres. 2.‘Place where ginger grew’ from genebreda derived from French genievre ‘juniper’ 3.‘Cloudy’ from Latin naebula, in Spanish niebla ‘mist’ Concepción Sevilla ‘Fertile plains’ DE LA CONCEPCIÓN ‘in honour of the birth of our Lady’ a name which replaces older De las Puercas derogatory since it meant ‘of the pigs’ Neda La Coruña Navas del Madroño Cáceres Uncertain 1.‘Place of the nymph Neda’ Greek name of nymph living in the home of Zeus. 2.‘The chosen one’ from its Arabic transposition which means ‘voice’. ‘Fertile plains’ ‘ DEL MADROÑO ‘the one with the arbutus tree’ a meeting point for shepherds on occasion of yearly sheep migrations. Negrales (Los) Madrid Navas del Marqués Ávila ‘Fertile DEL MARQUÉS ‘the one with the castle of the marquises of Avila’ ‘Grove of black oak trees’ from vernacular noun referred to the type of oak tree known in Botany with the name of quercus tozza Navas del Rey Madrid Neila de San Miguel Ávila ‘Fertile plains’ DEL REY ‘the one belonging to the Crown’ Unknown 1. ‘Place of Nayla’ Arabic woman name which means ‘big eyes’ DE SAN MIGUEL 'the one in Saint Michel’s parish’ in dissimilation from another NEILA village in Burgos. Navas de San Juan Jaen ‘Fertile plains’ DE SAN JUAN ‘the one ruled by the Order of the knights of Saint John of Jerusalem’ also known as the Order of Malta. Nerja Málaga ‘Fountain of abundant water’ from its Arabic name Narija assimilated from its ancient Greek name Narix, a city of the Locri people. Navas de Tolosa Jaén ‘Fertile plains’ DE TOLOSA ‘of the flagstone’ from its earlier name La Losa. Nerpio Albacete Unknown. Navata Gerona Nerva Huelva ‘Small & fertile plain’’ compound of nava and Spanish diminutive suffix -ita ‘little’. ‘Honouring Roman emperor Nerva’ A flagstone dedicated to this emperor was uncovered in the vicinity of the village. This Roman name of a person comes from the appellative nervalis ‘vigorous’ Navia de Suarna Lugo ‘Shipyard’ from Latin navis ‘ship’ and locative suffix -a. SUARNA means ‘under the sand’ from Galician compound su-a-arena. Nestares La Rioja ‘Broom fields’ from late Latin Yenesta, ‘broom’ Bot. genista. Nazar Navarra ‘Place with a small dam related to a river mill’ from Basque descriptive natza. 182 NOVELADA NESTAR Nogales (Los) Lugo ‘The walnut orchards’ from Latin nux ‘nut’ preceded by article los ‘the’ Nestar de Aguilar Palencia ‘Broom field’ from late Latin Yenesta DE AGUILAR ‘near the city of Aguilar de Campos’ the name means ‘eagle’s nest’ or ‘Place frequented by eagles’ Nevada (Sierra) Granada ‘Mountain Spanish range covered in Nogales de Pisuerga Palencia ‘Wal nut orchards’ DE PISUERGA ‘the one on the banks of the river Pisuerga’ an elusive hydronym of Celtic ancestry prob. from a camp Pisorica pointing to personal name Pisaurus combined Greek pisos ‘meadow’ and second element Latin ‘golden’. Alternatively, the name may arise from an Iberian Basque compound made of bi ‘two’ and ur ‘river’ with locative -aga. snow’ Niebla Huelva Unknown Ancient name Roman was Ilipa which may be derived from Iberian ili ‘city’ ‘town’ and Celtic valon ‘wall,’ whence ‘walled town’. With the Goths became Elepta, and the Arabs chose to call it Lebla. The Spanish derivative Niebla is ‘mist’ Nogueira Many locations in Galicia ‘Walnut wood’ from Latin nux ‘walnut’ and Late Latin nuce with vernacular suffix -eira indicating ‘abundance of’ Nieves (Las) Pontevedra ‘The snow falls’ from Spanish. Nombela Toledo Níjar Almería ‘Fallow land’ from Latin noval ‘new’ in the sense ‘prepared for new culture’ Second element -ejo is a diminutive suffix used for differentiation from several places called Noal in Galicia Was the site of a Roman camp with the name vicus viniolis ‘vineyard’s village’. Uncertain 1.‘Small hill’ from Latin lumba ‘hill’ and diminutive suffix ella. 2.‘Watch point on a hill’ from Latin mons ‘mount’ and Spanish vela ‘act of watching’ 3.‘Place of Dom Vela’ from suggested personal name of settler, meaning Lord Raven. 4.‘No watch required’ popular and unlikely etymology from exception to vigil due to vicinity of a castle. 5.‘Beautiful name’ improbable from commendatory Latin nomen bellus. Noblejas Toledo’ Noreña Asturias Obscure. Prob. site of ancient Turaniana ‘tower of Aniano’ Arabized as Nayira which remains unexplained. Noalejo Jaén Uncertain. 1.‘Fields with red-grape vines’ from Latin nobielas. 2.‘On a hillock’ from Celtic on-briga. ‘Small water pump’ from Spanish noria ‘water pump’ and Asturian diminutive -eña. Ancient name was Nardinium, doubtless first origin before alterations. Noceda León Novais Several places in Galicia ‘Place where walnut trees are abundant’ from Latin nux derived from late Latin noce and Spanish nuez ‘walnut’ ‘Newly cultivated fields’ from late Latin novellas ‘the new ones’ Identical with NULES, NOVELAS, Nofuentes Burgos Novelada Alicante ‘On the fountains’ from Spanish en las fuentes. ‘Land that has been reclaimed from a forest area’ from Late Latin novella ‘new’ and Spanish suffix -ada ‘completed’ 183 NOVILLAS NUMANCIA Novillas Zaragoza A derivative of ancient name Carteia existing near Algeciras, with reference to settlers from that town, or from Carteya, near Cordoba. First element is Spanish nueva ‘new’ ‘Newly cultivated fields’ Identical with NULES and NOVAIS, NUEVALOS. Noya La Coruña Unknown Surely derived from its ancient name Noega. Pliny mentions this name twice, once in Asturias. ‘Newly cultivated fields’ from late Latin novellas ‘the new ones’ Identical with NULES and NOVAIS. Nuestra Señora de (appearing Nuevo Baztán Madrid Nuevalos Zaragoza 1.‘Forest’ from Basque bastan. 2.‘Blackberry bush’ from Basque azta First term is Spanish nuevo ‘new’ as first part) ‘Our Lady of’ first element of numerous place names with second element made of Mary’s invocations from local churches or convents. The following are examples: De las Angustias ‘of Anguishes’ (Granada), De las Mercedes ‘of Mercies’ (Sevilla). De las Nieves ‘of the Snow’ (Malaga), Del Camino ‘of the Way’ (Navarra), Del Carmen ‘of mount Carmel’ (Cadiz), Del Consuelo ‘of Comfort (Cadiz)’, Del Rocio ‘of the Dew’ (Huelva), De los Angeles ‘of the Angels’ (Granada), De los Dolores ‘of Pain’ (Granada), Del Rosario ‘of the Rosary’ (several), Del Socorro ‘of Help’ (several). It may be noticed that all of them are frequent women’s names in Spain. Nuez Zamora, Toledo, León Walnut grove’ from Late Latin nuce ‘walnut’ Nules Valencia ‘Newly cultivated fields’ from late Latin Novolas and Noulas ‘the new ones’ Numancia Soria Uncertain Prob. ‘Dedicated to Numa’ with reference to a person or a divinity with that name. This ancient Iberian city became famous for its numantine resistance to a prolonged siege by the Romans. Nueva Carteya Córdoba Unknown. 184 OBANOS OJÉN Otzanda ‘the she-wolf’ derived from otzo ‘wolf’ and article -a ‘the’ O Ocon La Rioja ‘Place of Octavio’ shortening from its Roman name Octavi Loca in memory of its founder the Roman emperor Octavius, which means ‘eight born’’ Obanos Navarra Uncertain 1.‘Sloe tree grove’ from Basque aban ‘sloe’ 2.‘Place of Obonio’ from supposed possessor personal name of unknown origin. ‘Little river’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and Mozarabic diminutive -el. Obarenes Burgos Odon Teruel Odiel river in Huelva Uncertain 1.‘The high one’ from Latin altus ‘high’ and Celtic locative ending -on. 2.‘Otto’s place’ from hypothetical possessor Otto ‘owner of riches’ Prob. ‘Place of Oberto’ derived from French Aubert ‘noble and bright’ of Germanic origin athala and second element bhereg ‘shiny’ Obon Teruel Ogijares Almería ‘Place of Obon’ from Latinized personal name Obone in French Aubon. Obscure Sugg. ‘Holy orchard’ from Latin hortum sacrum modified by the Arabs as urxicar and Mozarabic ojicar. Obregon Cantabria Obscure A derivation of ancient name Obraecu. Current form explained from Asturian obriga ‘meat shop’ and augmentative suffix-on ‘big’ Ohanes Almería Obscure Sugg. ‘Place of John’ from Catalan Joan. Oimbra Orense Ocaña Toledo Obscure 1.‘Bridge’ first element unknown and second from pre-Roman brig-a ‘bridge’ 2.‘Fortress’ sec. el. containing the preRoman suffix -bra ‘fortress’ and first unexplained. ‘Rich in olive oil’ from Latin Oleania, documented historical name. In Roman times was known as Vicus Cuminarius ‘village where cumin can be found’. Ocio Alava ‘Place with rush’ from Basque ozio ‘rush’ ‘germ’ Ojastro La Rioja ‘Fort by the river Oja’ from Latin castrum ‘fort’ and first element Oja. OJA could mean ‘wood’ from Basque oia or ‘carrier of leaves’ from Latin folia ‘foliage’. Ochagavia Navarra ‘Cold river crossing’ from Basque otza ‘cold’ aga ‘place’ and ibia ‘river’ Ochandiano Vizcaya 1.‘Place of the big wolf’ from Basque otso ‘wolf’ and andi ‘big’ ‘colossal’ with generic suffix -ano ‘place of’ 2.‘Place of Lope’ from personal name with the same sense ‘big wolf’ and possession locative -ano ‘property of’ Ojeda Burgos ‘Foliage’ from documented old name Hojeda derived from Latin folleda ‘place with leaves’ Ojen Malaga Uncertain 1.‘Rough place’ from Arabic adjective iasan ‘rough’ ‘hard’ Ochanduri La Rioja ‘Place of Ochanda’ Basque female name 185 OLAVARRE OJÉN ‘house’, ait ‘rock’, and ti ‘more than one’ 2.‘Place of Oleto’ from Greek personal name Auletes ‘flute player’ which is Olet in Catalan. Its original name was Saetabis mentioned by Pliny. 2.‘Bunchberry field’ from the same Arabic iasan with a second meaning ‘bunchberries’ The Arab name was pronounced Hoxen and Hoxan. Ojen Orense ‘Place of Julio’ from its Roman name Julianus, mutated to Olianus in the Middle Ages. The last syllable is indicative of ownership. Olite Navarra Uncertain Derived from recorded Olet and Holeti and Ologite 1.Sugg. from hypothetical medieval name not documented Olivetum ‘olive tree’ which appears in the coat of arms of the village. 2.‘Place of Oleto’ as in OLIETE The town was founded by Suintila king of the Spanish Goths. Ojos Almería 1.‘Pits’ derived from Spanish hoyos 2.‘Water springs from underground currents’ from Arabic ayn which has two meanings 1) ‘eyes’ or 2) ‘waters coming to surface’. This double meaning has been transposed to Spanish toponym ojos. Oliva de Plasencia Caceres Olaberria Guipuzcoa ‘The new blacksmith forge’ from Basque compound of ola ‘smith’, berri ‘new’, and suffix -a, ‘the’ ‘Village with olive trees’ DE PLASENCIA ‘near the town of Plasencia’ commendatory Latin adjective noun which means ‘pleasant’ Olazabal Vizcaya Olivares Sevilla ‘Large iron-works’ from Basque ola ‘forge’ ‘factory’ ‘ironworks’ and zabal ‘wide’ ‘ample’ Spanish. Olivares de Duero Cuenca ‘Plantations of olive trees’ ‘ DE DUERO ‘by the river Duero’ named Durius before the Romans who changed it slightly for Dorius sounding like ‘Doric’ Oliana Lerida ‘Place of Julia’ from women’s Roman personal name Julia, with genitive suffix -ana. Olivares de Jucar Cuenca Olias Malaga ‘Plantation of olive trees’ DE JUCAR ‘on the valley of the river Jucar’ a pre-Roman name Sucro Arabized Xuqer of unknown meaning. Uncertain. 1.‘Heights’ from Arabic olya. 2.‘Olive tree plantation’ from Latin oleum ‘oil’ and oliva ‘olive’ Ollauri La Rioja Olias del Rey Toledo 1.‘Place of the hen’ from Basque ollo ‘hen’ poss. hypocoristic for possessor’s name and uri ‘town’ 2.‘Village of the oat field’ from Basque olo ‘oat’ and uri ‘village’ 3.‘Village of the blacksmith shop’ from Basque ola-uri 1.‘Heights’ 2.‘Olive DEL REY ‘the one belonging to the King’ meaning directly dependent to the Crown, for distinction from the homonym OLIAS in Malaga. Oliete Teruel Ollavarre Alicante 1.‘Tinder field’ from Basque ollaba ‘tinder’ and erri ‘field’ 2.‘New forge’ from Basque ola ‘iron works’ and berri ‘new’. Unknown. 1. ‘House on top of two rocks’, from preRoman Iberian Basque compound of sa 186 ONDARA OLLEROS Olleros Several locations ‘Place of the pot makers’ from Spanish olla ‘pot’ and occupational suffix -eros. DEL REY ‘depending directly to the Crown’ after a period under the Order of Malta. Olmeda Badajoz Olot Gerona ‘Elm wood’ from Latin ulmus ‘elm tree’ and Spanish olmo with locative suffix of abundance -eda. Obscure 1.‘Place where barley can be found’ from Iberian Basque olo ‘barley’ 2.‘Dedicated to king Ulo’ a legendary figure. Olmeda de la Cuesta Cuenca ‘Elm wood’ DE LA CUESTA ‘the one by the slope’ Oluena Huesca Uncertain 1.‘Place of Ulo’ from Latin personal name Ulvienus 2. ‘Place where olva plants grew’ aquatic species in Bot. posidonia marina Olmeda del Extremo Guadalajara ‘Elm wood’ DEL EXTREMO prob. ‘the one at the end’ Olula de Castro Almería Olmeda del Rey Cuenca Obscure 1.‘Place of Leyla’ Arabic maiden name which means ‘long night’ 2.’Place of Ulaila’ Arabic surname 3. ‘High place’ from Arabic ulawa 4.‘Place of Gaulo’ either from Latin personal name Galus or from Nordic Olaus DE CASTRO ‘by the fort’ from Latin castrum ‘fortress’ ‘Elm wood’ DEL REY ‘the depending directly to the King’ Olmedilla del Campo Cuenca ‘Little grove with elms’ from Latin ulmus ‘elm tree’ and Spanish olmo and diminutive suffix -illa. DEL CAMPO ‘in the Campo district’ with reference to a larger open area shared by several villages. Olula del Rio Almería See above DEL RIO ‘by the river’ with reference to the river Almanzora ‘victorious’ Olmedilla de Roa Burgos ‘Little grove with elms’ DE ROA ‘near the village of Roa’ which means ‘round’ being surrounded by a circle of hillocks Olvera Cadiz ‘Field of olive trees’ from Spanish Olivera derived from oliva ‘olive’. Said to be the ancient town Ilipa Minor. Olmedo Valladolid ‘Elm wood’ from Latin ulmus and Spanish olmo Oncebreros Murcia 1.‘Fountain surrounded by holy trees’ first element is shortening of fons fountain’ while cebreros could derive from cebro ‘holy tree’ 2.‘Fountain frequented by wild donkeys’ from Spanish cebro a noun reminiscent of cebra ‘zebra’ with locative -eros. Olobte Gerona ‘Cottage’s walk’ from Basque ‘cottage’ and bide ‘path’ ‘walk’. olotz Olocao del Rey Castellon 1.‘The castle of someone named Ol’ from Arabic kaff ‘castle’ and first element personal name Ol 2. ‘Village on the coast’ from Arabic Al ucab ‘the coast’ Onda Castellon Uncertain 1.‘Round’ shortening from Latin rotunda and Spanish adjective oronda 187 OQUILLAS ONDARA 2.‘Near the waves’ from Latin unda. Ancient name was Sepelaco Ontiveros Toledo Uncertain. 1.‘Fountain of Tiberio’ Latin personal name Tiberius of Roman emperor who governed Spain in his youth. 2.‘Iberian fountain’ from ancient name of Spain Iberia 3.‘Fountain of Besos’ name of Celtic settler Ondara Alicante ‘Sandy terrain’ from Basque onda ‘residue’ ‘sand’ and locative suffix -ar ‘place with’ Ondarroa Vizcaya ‘To the sandy terrain’ from Basque onda ‘residue’ ‘sand’ and suffix -otz. Ontoria Cantabria ‘Fountain of gold’ from Latin fons aurea. Identical with HONTORIA Onil Alicante Prob. ‘Little fountain’ abbreviation from Latin fons and diminutive -illa ‘little’ Ontur Murcia Onraita Alava Uncertain 1.‘Fountain by the tower’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and turris ‘tower’. 2.‘Fountainhead’ from Latin fons and pre-Hindu-European ur ‘water’ Uncertain 1.‘Place where hazel nuts grow’ from Basque onra ‘hazel’ and suffix of plurality -eta. 2.‘Place with junipers’ from Basque orradi ‘juniper’ which forms the locative orreaga ‘juniper grove’ 3. ‘Place of mineral water’ from Basque orra ‘mineral water’ 4.’Narrow place’ from Basque arte narrow’ and locative suffix -eta. Oña Burgos Uncertain 1.‘At the foot of the mountain’ from Basque oin ‘foot’ 2.‘Place of Onia’ hypocoristic of Petronia ‘Peter’s daughter’ 3. ‘Place where most things can be found’ from Latin omnia ‘everything’. Onus Jaen ‘Fountains’ shortened from Latin fons ‘fountain’. Oñate Guipuzcoa ‘At the foot of the mountain’ from Basque oin ‘foot’. Second element is almost tautology -ate ‘by the side’ Similar meaning can be found in OÑAZ and OÑARDI. Ontañon Cuenca ‘Anio’s fountain’ from Latin personal name Anianus ‘in honour of goddess Anna Perenna’ and first element fons ‘fountain’. Oñarte Vizcaya Onteniente Valencia 1.‘At the foot of the holm oak’ from Basque oin ‘foot’ and arte ‘holm oak’ 2.‘Mountain pass’ from Basque oro ‘mountain’ and suffix -arte ‘crevice’ 1.‘Antonio’s fountain’ from Latin personal name Antonianus and prefix Ons- abbreviation of fons ‘fountain’ 2.‘Ustino’s fountain’ from Latin personal name Ustinianus. Ontigola Toledo ‘Little fountain’ from diminutive fonticuli. late Oñoro River Unknown From pre-Roman name Saio, base of Arabic xalun Latin Oquillas Burgos Ontiñena Huesca Poss. ‘Place of Acilio’ from personal name Acilius derived from Greek Acies ‘sharp’ ‘Fountain of Nen’ Catalan hypocoristic personal name identical with Senen derived from Greek, referred to Zeus. 188 OQUINA ORGAZ Ordenes La Coruña Oquina Alava ‘Place where barley can be found’ from Galician orxo ‘barley’ derived from Latin hordeum Bot. ‘barley’. Without doubt, derivative from its ancient name ORDES. Uncertain 1.‘Place of reeds’ from Basque oki ‘place’ and iña ‘reed’ 2.‘Baker shop’ from Basque oin ‘bakery’ Orba Alicante Orduña Vizcaya 1.Prob. ‘Place where arbutus trees grew’ from Iberian Basque root orba ‘arbutus’ also known as ‘madrone’ 2. ‘Water stream’ if related to pre-Hindu European orv ‘to flow’ and Basque ur ‘water’ ‘Plain fields’ from Basque ordo ‘plain’ and locative suffix -uña. Was Blanes Orea Guadalajara ‘Golden’ from Latin adjective aurea. Orbaneja del Castillo Burgos Oreja Guipuzcoa ‘Small Orba’ DEL CASTILLO ‘the one with a castle’ for differentiation at the time, no longer standing. 1.‘Visible stone’ from Basque or ‘elevated’ and aitz ‘large stone’ 2.‘Golden’ from Latin adjective aurelia Orbiso Alava Orellana de la Sierra Badajoz 1.Poss. ‘Windy brook’ from Basque ur ‘water’ and bisuts ‘wind episode’ with locative suffix -o 2. ‘Converging waters’ from Basque bis ‘two’ and first el. ur ‘water’ 1.‘Place of Aurelio’ from Latin personal name Aurelianus ‘made of gold’ 2.’Golden’ from Latin aureliana DE LA SIERRA ‘the one at the foot of the Orellana mountains’ Orce Granada Orellana la Vieja Badajoz ‘Place of Aurelio’ or ‘Golden’ LA VIEJA ‘the old one’ for differentiation Unknown. Reduction of ancient name Orcelis located in the Roman Itinerary near Granada and perhaps derived from Germanic personal name Ort ‘sword’. Orense (Ourense) Orense 1.‘Warm waters’ from Germanic wurm ‘warm’ and see ‘waters’ 2.‘City in a territory where gold can be found’ from Latin Auriensis ‘having gold’ Earlier names were Burgas which means ‘city’ in Celtic, also Amphilochia from Greek personal name Amphiloko, a hero of the Troyan war. Poss. Orense was the site of pre-Roman Guizo, mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. Orcera Jaen Unknown Poss. derived from Germanic personal name Ort ‘sword’ in Catalan Ortari Orcheta Alicante Unknown 1.‘Small gorge’ from Latin urca ‘jar’ and diminutive suffix -eta. 2.‘Place of Octavio’ from assumed Latin personal name of settler meaning ‘eighth’ Orgaña Lerida Prob. ‘Place of Organiano’ from Latin personal name meaning ‘harmonius’ Ordejon de Arriba Burgos ‘Place of Ordelio’ from Latin personal name of hypothetical settler or owner Ordelione. DE ARRIBA ‘Upper’ different from Ordejón de Abajo ‘lower’ Orgaz Toledo Obscure 1.‘Shadowy’ from Greek orgas 2.‘Fertile land’ also from Greek orgas 3.‘Arbutus grove’ from Basque orbaiz 189 ORTIGUEIRA ORIA 4.‘Olive tree grove’ from Latin orcha 5.‘Road’ from Basque orgatz ‘road for carts’ Possible site of ancient town Barnacis Oropesa Castellón ‘Gold-like’ ‘yellow’ from Latin Aurea Unknown Poss. ‘At the foot of the mountain’ from Greek oros ‘mountain’ and Latin pedis ‘foot’ Was Tenebrio and Alcocerb with the Arabs Oriamendi Guipuzcoa Oropesa Toledo Orihuela Alicante Obscure 1.Suggested from name of the legendary hero Sic-Oro 2.Popular etymology from Spanish ‘its weight in gold’ from folk tale of ransom paid for captive lady. Doubtless derived from pre-Roman Otobesa. Oria Almería ‘Yellow mountain’ from Basque orio ‘yellow’' derived from Latin and mendi ‘mountain’. ‘Yellowish’ ‘gold-like’ from Latin Auriola and Aurariola During the Middle Ages its name was altered and became Orcelis. The Arabs wrote Oryoul and Auriola. Orotava (La) valley in Canary Orio Guipuzcoa ‘Gold-like’ ‘yellow’ from Latin Aureo Islands Domain of the Taoro people’ in the Guanche indigenous language. Orjiva Granada Orrantia Burgos Uncertain Poss. ‘Orchard by the river’ from Latin hortus ‘orchard’ and Iberian Basque ibar ‘river’ Identified with ancient town Exhoche. Was Albatch ‘flat’ in Arabic. Uncertain 1.‘Orchard of hazel nut trees’ from Basque urradi and suffix -anitz ‘plenty’ 2.‘Fennel field’ from Basque orradi ‘fenel’ 3.‘Place where yeast can be obtained’ from Basque orraitz ‘yeast’ Ormaiztegui Guipuzcoa ‘Walled site’ from Basque ormaitz ‘wall’ and suffix -tegui ‘place’ ‘site’ Orrios Teruel ‘Place at the top’ from Basque urri ‘rounded top’ with the same root as of Greek oros ‘mountain’ Ormaza Cantabria ‘Place of Formio’ from Latin personal name Formius ‘well formed’ or Formacius ‘handsome’ Ortega La Coruña Uncertain 1. ‘Place abundant in flinging nettle’ from Latin urtica and Spanish ortiga 2. ‘Orchard’ from Latin hortus, horta and pre-Roman locative suffix -eca. 3.‘Place frequently flooded’ from Basque urte ‘flood’ Ormijana Badajoz Prob ‘Oat field placed in the middle’ from Basque oro ‘oat’ and late Latin mijana ‘the middle one’ ‘the one in-between’ Oron Burgos ‘Heights’ from Basque oro ‘elevated place’ and locative suffix -n. Ortigosa Several locations ‘Place abundant in nettles’ from Latin urtica and Spanish suffix -osa ‘full of’. Oronz Navarra ‘Heights’ from Basque oro ‘elevated place’. Same as ORON. Ortigueira La Coruña ‘Place abundant in nettles’ from Latin urtica and Galician suffix -eira ‘full of’. 190 ORUETA OYARZUN During Arab times became Awtura ‘high place’, identical with Spanish altura. Orueta Guipúzcoa ‘Several plots’ from Basque oru ‘land reserved for building’ and plural suffix -eta. This place is too small to appear but got a special permission. Outeiro La Coruña and other provinces in Galicia ‘Hilloc’ Galician version of Spanish otero. Orusco Madrid Oviedo (Uviéu) Asturias Uncertain 1.‘Small plot’ from Basqe oru ‘plot’ and diminutive suffix -sko. 2.‘In the vicinity of an oat field’ from Basque oru ‘plot’, mid-term us ‘oat’, and suffix -k ‘near to’ Uncertain 1.‘Old city’ from Latin urbs ‘city’ and adjective vetusta ‘old’ 2. ‘Fields for sheep pasture’ from Latin ovis ‘sheep’ and locative suffix -etum ‘proper for’ 3. ‘Sanctuary for the cult of Jove’ from Latin Jovis and suffix etum ‘given to’. 4. ‘Whitish place’ from Latin albietum derived from albus ‘white’ The city was mentioned by Pliny with the name Ovetum. Os de Balaguer Lérida Obscure pre-Roman DE BALAGUER ‘near the town of Balaguer’ from Catalan balec ‘broom’ Documented Balagium Osera Zaragoza Oyarzun Guipuzcoa 1.‘The den of the bear’ from Spanish oso ‘bear’ and locative suffix -era ‘place of’ 2.‘Place with gorse shrubs’ from Basque ote and suffix of location -o. 1.‘Rough terrain’ from Basque oyar ‘uneven’ 2.‘Wood’ from Basque oyan ‘wilderness’ ‘forest’ and suffix -un ‘by the side’ ‘near with’ 3.‘Place where the echo is heard’ from Basque oyartzun ‘the sound of echo’ Otero Several locations ‘Hillock’ ‘medium sized hill’ Spanish otero from Latin altarium Otura Granada ‘Hillock’ 191 PALACIOS PACIO ‘homestead’ and possession suffix -anus ‘property of’ P Pago some places ‘Homestead’ Spanish pago from Latin pagus. Pacio Several locations in Galicia 1.‘Mansion’ from Latin Palatinum the hill in Rome known for its superb buildings. Spanish palacio. 2.‘Cattle yard in the fields’ derived from pre-Roman palatio Paduerne Several locations Painza several places in Galicia ‘Place abundant in maize’ from Latin panis ‘bread’ and locative suffix -inza ‘abundant’ Identical with PAINCEIRA and PAINZAL. in Galicia 1.‘Place owned by Paterno’ from Latin personal name Paternus ‘belonging to the father’ 2.‘Place under paternal protection’ from Latin alternative meaning of paternalis Pajares Guadalajara ‘Ricks of straw’ from Latin palearis genitive of palearium ‘deposit for keeping straw’ Palacios de Campos Valladolid Padierna Caceres ‘Place with distinguished houses’ derived from mons Palatinum ‘Palatine hill’ in Rome. DE CAMPOS ‘in the territory of Campos’ which means ‘fields’ an extensive area called ‘Tierra de Campos’ from late Latin Campus Gothorum ‘Goth’s cultivated land’ Identical with PADUERNE. Padilla de Arriba Burgos 1.‘Bakery’ early Spanish from Latin patella ‘frying pan’ derived from patera ‘wine vase’ 2.‘Small pool’ diminutive of Latin padul DE ARRIBA ‘Upper’ Palacios del Alcor Palencia Padilla de Hita Guadalajara ‘Place with distinguished houses’ DEL ALCOR ‘the one by the hill’ from Arabic article al ‘the’ and Arabic version of Latin coll ‘hill’ ‘Small pool’ or ‘Oven for making bread’ DE HITA ‘the one near the city of Hita’ which prob. means ‘fixed,’ from Latin ficta, with reference to a landmark. Palacios de la Sierra Burgos Padron some places in Galicia ‘Distinguished houses’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one near the mountains’ with reference to the Sierra de Neila, apparent woman’s name. ‘Big stone’ from Spanish piedra ‘stone’ and augmentative suffix -on. Padrones de Bureva Burgos ‘Big stones’ from Spanish piedra ‘stone’ and augmentative suffix -ones. DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from ancient Iberian name Borovia Palacios de Valduerna León ‘Distinguished houses’ DE VALDUERNA ‘the one in the valley of the river Orna’ from Spanish valle ‘valley’ and pre-Roman unknown Orna Padul Granada ‘Swamp’ from Latin palus ‘swamp’ ‘pool’ Palacios del Rio Pisuerga Burgos ‘Distinguished houses’ DEL RIO PISUERGA uncertain origin of the river Pisuerga could be from personal name Pisaurus after Greek pisos ‘meadow’ and hence Pisorica. Paganos Ávila ‘Place of someone from the village of Pago’ derived from Latin pagus 192 PALACIOS PALOMAR DE EBRO ‘located on the river Ebro’ which could mean Iberian or simply ‘river’ from Celtic aber Palacios Rubios Salamanca ‘Place with distinguished houses’ RUBIOS ‘Reddish’ from late Rubeus Latin Palma del Condado (La) Huelva ‘Palm tree’ DEL CONDADO ‘the one in the County’ with reference to the county of Niebla, lit. ‘mist’ though originally Ilipa of meaning unknown. Palagruell Gerona ‘Mansion of Frugelio’ shortened from Spanish palacio and personal name Frugelus ‘fruitful’ Palamos Gerona Uncertain 1.‘Mansion of Moises’ from Spanish palacio and Hebrew personal name Moses 2.‘Palaimo’s place’ from assumed Greek personal name Palaimon ‘fighter’ 3.‘Old city’ from Greek Paleopolis Palma (Isla de la) Canary Islands ‘Island of the palm tree’ toponym repeated by settlers from Mallorca for their capital Palma, replacing the native name Benahoave. Mentioned by Pliny as Planaria Palau de Noguera Lérida Palma de Mallorca ‘Mansion’ DE NOGUERA ‘the one near the village Noguera’ which means ‘wall-nut tree plantation’ Balearic Islands ‘The village with palm trees’ in remembrance of the reception with palms given to Roman general Quintus Celio Metelo. DE MALLORCA ‘on the larger Island’ from Latin major Palazuelos Guadalajara ‘Small place with mansions’ from Spanish palacio ‘palace’ and diminutive suffix -elos. Palma de Rio Cordoba ‘Village of Palma’ with reference to its Roman founder Aurelius Cornelius Palma. Named Balma by the Arabs. DEL RIO ‘the one on the river’ pointing at the Guadalquivir an Arabic hydronym meaning the ‘big river’ from Wadi-lKabir Palencia Palencia Obscure 1.‘Tombstone’ from Italian Ligurian root pala ‘tombstone’ and locative suffix -antia. 2.‘Swamp’ from Latin pallus ‘swamp’ ‘fern’ and same suffix -antia 3.‘Rock on the slope’ from HinduEuropean palla ‘rock’ and suffix -nt ‘elevated’. Its ancient name according to Pliny was Stabo and Appian refers to this city as Pallantia. Palmas (Las) de Gran Canaria Canary Islands ‘The village with palm trees’ so named by settlers in remembrance of their hometown in Mallorca DE GRAN CANARIA ‘on the larger of the Canary Islands’ called Canary in allusion to the abundance of wild dogs from Latin Canis. Palenzuela Palencia ‘Little Palencia’ with diminutive -uela which seems derogative but only avoids the more common -illa. Palomar (es) many locations Palma de Ebro (La) Tarragona ‘Dove cote’ from Spanish paloma ‘dove’ and locative suffix of concurrence-ar. ‘The village with a palm tree’ 193 PARADOR PALOMAR Palomar de Arroyos Teruel Pancorbo Burgos ‘Dove cote’ DE ARROYOS ‘near the brooks’ from Old Spanish arrugia ‘channel opened in mining activity’ 1.‘The crow’s fountain’ from Latin fonte and corvus ‘crow’ 2.‘Curved bridge’ from Latin ponte and adjective corvo. Palomares del Campo Cuenca ‘Dove cotes’ DEL CAMPO ‘situated in the district so named’ which means ‘on the open fields’ Pando several locations 1.‘Made flat’ ‘doubled up’ from Latin pandus ‘arched’ with reference to grounds opened for agriculture. 2.‘Millet (or maize) field’ from Latin panis ‘bread’ Palomas Badajoz ‘Dove cote’ Spanish. Pantoja Toledo Palos de Moguer Huelva ‘Maize field’ from Latin panucula a diminutive of panis ‘bread’ Asturian panocha. ‘Lagoon’ from Latin pallus ‘lagoon’ ‘swamp’ ‘pool’ DE MOGUER from Arabic Moguar derived from Iberian Urium of unknown meaning. Paracuelles Santander ‘Nets prepared in a gorge for hunting purposes’ Literally ‘stop rabbits’ from Latin parare ‘to prepare for’ ‘to stop’ and late Latin coello ‘rabbit’ derived from cuniculus ‘burrow’. Palls Gerona ‘Pools’ from Latin pallus. Pallaresos Tarragona ‘Place with ricks of straw’ from Latin palearis genitive of palearium ‘deposit for keeping straw’ Paracuellos de Jarama Madrid ‘Nets placed in a gorge for catching animals’ DE JARAMA ‘located on the river Jarama’ a pre-Roman name Sarama of meaning unknown. Pallota some places in Galicia ‘Hut made of straw for keeping farming utensils’ Galician from Latin palla ‘straw’ Pampaneira Granada ‘Vine shoots (place abundant with)’ from Latin pampinus ‘branch on which grapes grow’ The occurrence of Galician toponyms, like this one replacing Bocaria, is explained by the arrival of Galician settlers after the reoccupation of Arabic territory in the xvi century, Parada several places in Galicia Uncertain 1.‘Prepared’ from Latin parata referring to a place suitable for stopping over. 2.‘Paired’ from Latin par ‘pair’ descriptive of fields farmed by two owners. 3. ‘Place suitable for the mating of horses or mares’ from Spanish aparear ‘mating’ Pamplona Pamplona ‘Pompeian’ dedicated to Roman emperor Pompey Magnus. Originally a Greek settlement named Iruna and later Martua and Atanagria. Emperor Pompey rebuilt the town and called it Pompeiopolis ‘city of Pompey’ Consecutive versions were Pompaelo, Pompelonem, Pomplona and finally Pamplona. Its Arabic name was Sansueña Paradinas Salamanca ‘Small walls’ a diminutive plural of Spanish pared ‘wall’ derived from Late Latin parietinas. Parador several places ‘Stop over’ from Latin paratus ‘prepared’ referring to a place suitable for the rest of travellers. 194 PASCUALCOBO PARAJAS paradeisos ‘park’ derived from Persian paerdis ‘enclosure’ ‘within walls’ Parajas Asturias ‘Paired’ from Latin par ‘pair’ descriptive of fields cultivated in successive times by two farmers. Paredes Cuenca ‘Walls’ frequent descriptive of ruins from Spanish pared Parajes Lugo ‘Paired’ identical with PARAJAS Paredes de Buitrago Madrid ‘Walls’ DE BUITRAGO ‘near the town of Buitrago’ which means ‘vulture’s fort’ Paramo de Boedo Palencia ‘Moor’ ‘cold and useless territory’ Spanish from pre-Roman prob. Celtic root adopted by Latin in paramus ‘uncultivated, high and rough land’ DE BOEDO ‘for the oxen’ from Latin bovis ‘ox’ and locative suffix -etum Spanish -edo. Paredes de Escalona Toledo ‘Walls’ DE ESCALONA ‘near the town of Escalona’ which prob. means 1) ‘place of Ascalon’ or lit. 2) ‘big step’ Paramo del Sil Leon ‘High plateau’ DEL SIL ‘on the banks of river Sil’ its uncertain name may derive from preHindu-European root sei ‘to leak’ Paredes de Nava Palencia ‘Walls’ DE NAVA ‘the ones in the Nava district’ from Spanish nava ‘fertile land surrounded by higher territory’ Parauta Malaga Pareja Guadalajara Prob. ‘Walled’ from Latin parietal ‘Wall from ruins’ from late Latin parietina, whence Spanish paredilla, here with diminutive -eja. Parcent Alicante 1.‘Place of Partenio’ from Latin personal name Partenius derived from Greek Partheniai ‘virginal’ 2.‘Place of Persio’ from Latin personal name Persius ‘native of Persia’ Parga La Coruña ‘Stacks of barley left on the ground during the harvest process’ vernacular Galician. Pardilla Burgos Parla Madrid 1.‘Small wall’ from late Latin parietina and Spanish paredilla 2.‘Grayish place’ from Spanish pardo ‘grey’ 3.‘Small hunting grounds’ from Latin pardus ‘panther’ and diminutive -illa. Prob. ‘Walled place’ abbreviation of parelada ‘walled’ Parra de Arenas (La) Avila ‘The place with climbing vines’ Prob. shortening of Latin parata ‘prepared’ DE ARENAS ‘near the town of Arenas de San Pedro’ ARENAS means ‘sands’ in Spanish. Pardillo (El) Ciudad Real ‘Small hunting territory’ from Spanish pardo derived from Latin paratus ‘prepared’ or from Greek paradieso ‘park’. Suffix -illo is diminutive. Parilla (La) Cuenca ‘The small bower of grape diminutive of parra ‘grapevine’ Pardiñas some places in Galicia ‘Small hunting territory’ identical meaning with PARDILLO with Galician feature suffix. Pardo (El) Madrid ‘The hunting territory’ from paratus ‘prepared’ or from Greek vines’ Pasajes Guipuzcoa ‘Passage’ derived from Latin passare ‘to pass’ Pascualcobo Avila Latin ‘Estate of Pascual Cobo’ Spanish name 195 PEDRERA PASARON which means ‘born at Easter or Passover’ and surname Cobo ‘cave of animals’ ‘homestead’ and Spanish mojo derived from late Latin motulo ‘wooden sign’ Pasaron de la Vera Caceres Pazo (s) several locations in Galicia 1.‘Way of the valley’ from Spanish paso ‘pass’ and Basque aran ‘valley’ 2.‘Pass surrounded by rock-roses’ from Basque xara ‘rock-rose’ Bot, cistus ladanifera DE LA VERA so named after a community of farmers in the valley of river Tietar. ‘Mansion’ ‘distinguished house’ backformation from Latin palatinum the exclusive zone on the Palatine hill of Rome Paso Canary Islands Pechina Almería Peal del Becerro Jaen ‘Cow’s trail’ from Spanish peal ‘footpath’ and second part becerro ‘a yearling calf’ Unknown Its Arabic name was Bayyana. ‘Pass’ Spanish Pastrana Guadalajara ‘Place of the father’ from its Roman name Paterniana doubtless derived from mutation of ancient Bastra and Pastram Pedralbes Barcelona Paterna del Campo Huelva Pedraja del Portillo Valladolid ‘White stones’ from Catalan pedres ‘stones’ and albes ‘white’ ‘Place covered with stones’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and suffix -aja ‘abundant with’ DEL PORTILLO ‘near a small mountain pass’ from Spanish Puerto and diminutive -illo ‘Place of the father’ or ‘place of Padierno’ from Latin personal name Paternus DEL CAMPO ‘on the Campo district’ meaning ‘open field’ Paterna del Madera Albacete ‘Place of the father’ or ‘place of Padierno’ DEL MADERA ‘the one by the river Madera’ prob. ‘river (carrying) wood’ Pedrafita Pontevedra ‘Fixed stone’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and ficta ‘fixed up’. Paterna de la Ribera Cadiz Pedraza Segovia ‘Place of the father’ or ‘place of Padierno’ DE LA RIBERA ‘the valley of the river’ meaning the Guadalete. ‘Big stone’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and augmentative suffix -aza here indicating a prominent hillock Paterna del Rio Almería Pedraza de Campos Palencia ‘Place of the father’ or ‘Place of Padierno’ DEL RIO ‘the one by the river Paterna’ ‘Big stone’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the territory of Campos’ with reference to the Campi Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Patos (Los) Avila Prob. ‘The place frequented by ducks’ from Spanish pato. Pedreguer Alicante ‘Place with stones’ from Latin with feature suffix -guer. Paular (El) Madrid ‘The poplar grove’ from its ancient name El Pobolar, site of a Carthusian monastery. Pedreira several places in Galicia ‘Stone quarry’ from Latin petra and suffix of abundance. Paymogo Huelva Prob. ‘Landmark of the hamlet’ compound from Latin pagus ‘hamlet’ Pedrera Sevilla ‘Stone quarry’ identical with PEDREIRA. 196 PENCHES PEDRO DE LA PRESA ‘at the foot of the water dam’ Pedro Abad Córdoba ‘Village of Pedro Abad’ personal name meaning ‘Peter Abbot’ Peleas de Arriba Zamora Unknown Doubtless, derived from its Iberian preRoman name Baedro modified by the Arabs to Bitrawsh. 1.‘Place of Peleas’ from personal name Pelles ‘fishermen divinity’ derived from Greek pelayos ‘oceanic’ 2.‘Place of Peleas’ from personal name Pelleas, homonym with name of knight found in King’s Arthur saga and French legend of Pelleas and Melisande. DE ARRIBA ‘the upper one’ to differentiate from ‘the lower one’. Pedrola Zaragoza Pelea Gonzalo Zamora Pedro Bernardo Ávila ‘Village of Pedro Bernardo’ personal name of owner or settler. Pedroche Córdoba ‘Village of Pelayo Gonzalo’ personal. name of prob. owner or settler. Anthroponym Gonzalo is derived from Germanic Gundisalv ‘fighter’ ‘leader in war’ ‘Place covered with stones’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and locative suffix -ola. Pedro Muñoz Ciudad Real ‘Place of Pedro Muñoz’ personal name meaning ‘Peter Hill’ with surname derived from Basque muño ‘hill’ Pelegrina Guadalajara ‘Village of a Peregrino’’ from Latin Peregrinus ‘pilgrim’ ‘foreigner’ Pedrosa del Rey Valladolid ‘Place covered with stones’ from Latin petra with suffix of abundance -osa. DEL REY ‘patrimony of the King’ Peligros Granada Uncertain Sugg. ‘Small swamp’ ‘muddy place’ from late Latin paluculus, derived from paludiculum Surely a transposition to a Spanish sounding name, meaning ‘dangers’, from its Arabic unexplained name Bericlox Pedroso La Rioja ‘Place covered with stones’ from Latin petra and suffix of abundance -oso. Pegalajar Jaén ‘Homestead with slates’ from Latin pagus ‘homestead’ ‘hamlet’ and Spanish laja ‘thin and flat stone’ with plural suffix -ar. Pena several places in Galicia ‘Rock’ from Galician and Portuguese pena and Spanish peña. Origin is Latin pinna ‘battlement’ Pego Alicante Penaguila Valencia ‘Homestead’ from Latin pagus ‘Rock of the eagle’ from Spanish peña ‘rock’ and second element águila Peguerinos Avila ‘Places reserved for the obtention of pitch’ from Latin picaria ‘holes in the earth where sticks were burnt for the making of pitch’ Peneda several places in Galicia ‘Rocky place’ from Spanish peña ‘rock’ and feature locative -eda. Identical with PENEDO, PENIDO. Pelayos de la Presa Madrid Penches Burgos ‘Place of Pelayo’ Latin personal name Pelagius ‘sailor’ from Greek pelayos ‘ocean’ Uncertain. 1.‘Slope’ from Basque pendiz and suffix of location -es 197 PERAL (EL) PENELA 2.‘Place with thorny thistle’ from Latin pungens ‘stingy’ Peñalcazar Soria ‘Rock by the castle’ its second element is derived from Arabic alcazar ‘the castle’ Penela several places in Galicia ‘Small rock’ from Galician and Portuguese pena ‘rock’ and diminutive suffix -ela. ‘Rockery’ from Spanish peñal ‘rockery’ and locative suffix -en. Peña Navarra Peñalver Guadalajara Peñalen Guadalajara ‘Rock’ Spanish. ‘Place with white rocks’ from Spanish peñal with adjective albo ‘white’ and suffix of location -er. Peñacerrada Alava ‘Rock’ its second element is derived from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ ‘circled’ Peñaranda de Bracamonte Leon ‘Round rock’ from late Latin penna ronda. DE BRACAMONTE ‘in remembrance of French lady Jeanne de Bracquemont’ who married the lord of this town in the xv century. Peñalsordo Badajoz ‘Rock’ its second element is abbreviation of anthroponym El Sordo ‘the deaf person’ in allusion to owner or settler. Peñazul Canary Islands ‘Blue rock’ Spanish. Peñaranda de Duero Burgos Peñacorba Teruell ‘Rounded rock’ DE DUERO ‘the one on the river Duero’ ancient name Durius Celtic unknown modified by the Romans to Dorius suggesting sense Doric, ‘Curvy rock’ Spanish compound with Latin curvus ‘curved’ Peñafiel Valladolid ‘Rock of the faithful’ Spanish peña with adjective fiel ‘constant’ ‘faithful’ Peñarroya Córdoba ‘Reddish rock’ derived from rubeam ‘reddish’ ‘fair colour’ Peñaflor Sevilla ‘Rock of the flower’ self- evident Spanish Latin Peñarroya de Tastavins Teruel Peñaflor de Hornija Valladolid ‘Reddish rock’ DE TASTAVINS ‘of the wine testers’ Catalan occupational. ‘Rock of the flower’ DE HORNIJA ‘the one in the valley of Hornija’ name of another town which means ‘oven for public use’ Peñascosa Albacete ‘Small rock’ its second element is diminutive suffix -osa Peñalba Huesca ‘White rock’ with Spanish adjective alba ‘white’ Peñausende Zamora ‘Rock of Ausonio’ from Latin personal name Ausonius ‘native of Ausonia’ an alternative name of Italy. Peñalba de Castro Burgos White rock’. DE CASTRO ‘in the Castro district’ which means ‘fortified’ from Latin castrum. Peñiscola Castellon ‘Small peninsula’ Latin Peninsicula. Its Greek name was Chersonesus Tiriche and the Carthaginians called it Acra Leuke ‘white rock’ Peñalba de Santiago Leon White rock’ DE SANTIAGO ‘under the protection and authority of the knights of the Order of Santiago’ equivalent to Saint James. Peral (El) Cuenca ‘The pear orchard’ Spanish. 198 PETROLA PERALEJOS Pertusa Huesca Peralejos de las Truchas ‘Village by the trenched Roman causeway’ from Latin pertusam ‘caved in’ ‘partially hidden’ Guadalajara ‘Small town with pear orchards’ DE LAS TRUCHAS ‘of the river abundant in trout’ Pesadas de Burgos Burgos Perales Palencia ‘Pear orchards’ Spanish. Prob. ‘Inns of Burgos’ from Spanish posada ‘boarding house’ ‘inn’ Perales de Tajuña Madrid Pesoz Asturias ‘Pear orchards’ Prob. ‘Homestead of Petio’ from Latin personal name Petiosus of assumed first settler. DE TAJUÑA ‘the ones on the banks of the river Tajuña’ unknown lit. ‘smaller than Tajo’ Pesquera de Duero Valladolid Perarrúa Huesca ‘Fish-market place’ from Spanish verb pescar ‘to fish’ DE DUERO ‘by the river Douro’ known as Durius before the Romans who mutated it to Dorius. Prob, ‘Round rock’ from Latin petram and early Spanish roa ‘round’ Pereira multiple locations in Galicia ‘Pear-tree orchard’ from Spanish pera and Galician locative suffix -eira. Pesquera (La) Cuenca ‘The fish-market place’ from the Spanish verb pescar ‘to fish’ and occupational suffix -era. Peral (El) Cuenca ‘The pear-tree orchard’. Peralta Navarra Petilla de Aragón Navarra ‘Tall rock’ from Spanish piedra ‘stone’ and alta ‘high’ 1.‘Home of Pentilio’ Latin personal name of assumed owner or settler Pentilius ‘fifth’ 2.‘Small portion of land’ from Celtic pettiam ‘piece’ DE ARAGON ‘the one in the kingdom of Aragon’ for differentiation with another PETILLA in Navarra. Peraleda Caceres ‘Pear-tree orchard’ from Spanish peral and locative suffix -eda. Perelada Gerona Uncertain 1.‘Pear-tree orchard’ from Spanish pera and locative suffix -eda. 2.‘Paired fields’ in allusion to the practice of alternative cultivation by two owners of the same plot. Identical with Parellada. Petra Balearic Islands Uncertain 1.‘Rock’ from Latin petra 2.‘Place of Pedro’ from Latin Petrus ‘Peter’ Petrel Alicante Perlora Asturias ‘Place having many stones’ from Latin petra or Spanish piedra ‘stone’ followed by Mozarabic locative -el. Unknown Sugg. ‘By the shore’ from Latin perillam-ora ‘by that shore’ Peroniel del Campo Cuenca Petrer Alicante Pero ‘Peter’ with Mozarabic locative suffix -el. DEL CAMPO ‘in the fields’ a wide district. Petrola Albacete ‘Place having many stones’ with locative suffix -er identical with -era. ‘Village of Pedro’ from anthroponym Uncertain 199 PINILLA PEZA (LA) Poss. ‘Place of Pedro Egas’ from French Pierre ‘Peter’ and Germanic anthroponym Egas. 1.‘Place of Pedrolo’ from Latin Petrus ‘Peter’ and genitive olus. 2.‘Rocky terrain’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and locative of abundance -ola. Pilona region in Asturias Peza (La) Granada ‘At the foot of the river Oña’ from Spanish pie ‘foot’ and Onna, name of river nearby. Unknown Sugg. ‘Small portion of land’ from Celtic pettiam ‘piece’ Pinarejo Cuenca Pezuela de las Torres Madrid ‘Small pinewood’ from Spanish pinar ‘pinewood’ and diffident suffix -ejo. Poss. ‘Small portion of land’ DE LAS TORRES ‘the one with towers’ Pineda de Cigüela Cuenca Picazo Gadalajara ‘Pinewood’ DE CIGUELA ‘by the river Cigüela’ from its ancient name Suela renamed by the Arabs as Sigula. ‘Big peak on a hill’ from Spanish pico ‘peak’ and augmentative suffix -azo Picon Ciudad Real ‘Big peak’ from augmentative -on. pico and Pineda de la Sierra Burgos suffix ‘Pinewood’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one at the foot of the mountain range’ Piedra Buena Ciudad Real ‘Place having useful stones’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and commendatory bona ‘good’ Pineda de Trasmonte Burgos ‘Pinewood’ DE TRASMONTE ‘the one beyond the mountain’ from Spanish prefix tras ‘further’ and Latin mons ‘mountain’ Piedrahita Avila ‘Place with a landmark of stone’ from Latin petra ‘stone’ and ficta ‘fixed up’ Once known as Vicus Aquarius ‘village with plenty of water’ Pinedo Álava ‘Pinewood’ from Spanish pino ‘pine tree’ and locative suffix -edo. Piedralaves Avila Pinell de Bray Tarragona ‘Pinewood’ from Spanish pino ‘pine tree’ and Catalan locative suffix -ell. DE BRAY ‘by the river Ebro’ Uncertain 1.‘Place located at the foot of a tainted area’ from recorded Old Spanish original name Pié de Labe which means the same ‘foot on brownish land’ 2.‘Place located at the foot of a stony area’ with second element derived from Latin lapis ‘stone’ Pinilla de Buitrago Madrid ‘Small pinewood’ from Spanish pino ‘pine tree’ and diminutive suffix -illa. DE BUITRAGO ‘near the town of Buitrago’ which means ‘fort of the vulture’ Piedramillera Navara ‘Milestone’ from Latin millaria ‘stones placed on road measuring one thousand feet of distance’. First element is piedra ‘stone’ Pinilla de Jadraque Piera Barcelona ‘Apiary’ from its Latin Roman name Castrum Apiaria Guadalajara ‘Small pinewood’ DE JADRAQUE ‘near the town of Jadraque’ from Arabic sadrat ‘your highness’ Piernigas Burgos Pinilla de Trasmonte Burgos Uncertain. As PINEDA de TRASMONTE. 200 PLANA (S) PINOS Pinos de Bureba Burgos Piqueras several places ‘Mountain pass’ from Spanish pico ‘summit of a high place and descriptive -eras.’ ‘Place with pine trees’ from Spanish pinos DE BUREVA ‘in the district of Bureva’ present name of pre-Roman zone called Borovia. Pirineos (Los) Mountain range Obscure. Derived from ancient name Pirene, a town near cape Creus, mixed with Greek element Pyr ‘fire’, whence ‘burning’ ‘luminous’ which could explain the legend of silver pouring from its mountains. Pinos Puente Granada ‘Bridge with pine trees’ Pinoso Alicante ‘Place where pine trees abound’ from Spanish pinos and suffix of plurality oso. Pisuerga river in Central Spain Pintano Zaragoza Uncertain. 1.‘Plateau on a meadow’ from Greek pisos ‘meadow’ and oros ‘high place’ followed by Gaelic suffix -aca ‘place’ 2.‘Place of Pisauro’ a hypothetical name of owner or settler. Doubtless derived from ancient city Pisorica mentioned by Ptolemy and Castorius, and eventually destroyed by the Goths. ‘Place of Pinto’ a Latin personal name Pintius ‘spotted’ ‘dotted’ with suffix indicating ownership -ano. Pinto Madrid ‘Painted’ from Latin Spanish pintado. pinctum and Piña de Campos Valladolid ‘Rock’ identical with PEÑA derived from late Latin pinna. DE CAMPOS ‘in the territory of Campos’ with reference to recorded Campi Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Pitarque Teruel Uncertain. 1.‘Rocky stone’ from Gascony dialect pitar ‘stone’ and roc ‘stone’ 2.‘Place of Abu Tariq’ name of owner of the water channel built during the Arab dominion of the town. Piña de Esgueva Valladolid ‘Rock’ DE ESGUEVA ‘by the river Esgueva’ of meaning unknown. Pitillas Navarra ‘Small prominences’ from HinduGermanic root pitts ‘places with parts sticking out’, followed by diminutive suffix -illas. Piñeiro Multiple locations in Galicia ‘Place with pine trees’ Galician Piñeiro de Abajo Valladolid ‘Place with pine trees’ DE ABAJO differentiation with several PIÑEIRO’s Pitres Granada Unknown Sugg. ‘Place showing painted objects’ from Latin picturas ‘pictures’ Piñuecar Madrid ‘Place with pine trees’ with archaic locative -ecar. Pla places in Catalonia and Valencia Pipaón Alava Plan Huesca ‘Plain terrain’ from Latin planus. Unknown Sugg. ‘Place where red or green pepper grows’ from Basque piper derived directly from Latin and followed by Basque affirmative -on ‘here’. ‘Plain territory’ from Latin adjective planus ‘flat’. Plana (s) Several locations ‘Plain fields’ Spanish plana from Latin 201 POLA PLANES planus ‘flat’ whence planicies. ‘plains’ DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ prob. from Latin cirratus which means ‘undulated’ or poss. from Spanish cerrado ‘enclosed’ topographic Planes Alicante ‘Plain fields’ Pobla de Granadella Lérida Plantío (El) Madrid ‘’Village’ Catalan equivalent to pueblo DE GRANADELLA ‘the one with the pomegranates’ Also known as Guardabella ‘watchpoint with beautiful view’ ‘The plantation of new trees’ Spanish derived from Latin plantatio. Plasencia Caceres ‘Pleasant to God’ commendatory name given by its founder King Alfonso VIII. Pobla de Lillet (La) Barcelona ‘The village’ DE LILLET ‘the one with lily flowers’ Catalan. Plasencia de las Armas Guipuzcoa ‘Pleasant’ from Latin verb placere ‘to please’, the name was given by its founder king Alfonso XI to Basque settlers from the close neighbourhood of Soraluce. DE LAS ARMAS ‘the one having a weapons factory’ Pobleta de Bellvehi Lérida ‘Small village’ DE BELLVEHÍ ‘the one with a good view’ from late Latin bel ‘beautiful’ and vedere ‘to see’ Poblete Ciudad Real Plasenzuela Caceres ‘Small village’ from Spanish pueblo and diminutive suffix -ete. ‘Little PLASENCIA’ from Latin placere ‘to please’ and Spanish diminutive and almost pejorative suffix -uela. Pobo (El) Teruel Prob. ‘Plain fields’ from Latin planus ‘flat’ identical with PLA and PLANAS. 1.‘The village’ vernacular pobo equivalent to Spanish pueblo 2.‘The white poplar’ from Latin poulus ‘poplar’ Plencia Vizcaya Pobo de Dueñas Guadalajara Plenas Zaragoza ‘Pleasant’ is shortening of PLASENCIA ‘Village’ ‘DE DUEÑAS ‘the one of the ladies (or nuns)’ a derivation from Latin dominas Pliego Murcia Uncertain 1.‘Place where horses can be shoed’ from Spanish priego’ ‘nail of horse-shoe’ 2.‘The document’ hypothetical paper of ownership from Spanish pliego ‘doubled sheet of paper’. Poboleda Tarragona ‘Town of settlers’ from Spanish verb poblar ‘to inhabit’ Pola de Gordon (La) Asturias ‘Town’ identical with puebla DE GORDON ‘in the district of Gordon’ which owes its name to a dry riverbed documented as flumen Gordon poss. from Celtic ‘spacious’ Población de Campos Palencia ‘Town of settlers’ from Spanish verb poblar ‘to inhabit’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ whose name is derived from the recorded expression Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Pola de Laviana Asturias ‘Town’ DE LAVIANA ‘of Lavinia’ Latin personal name Laviniana ‘native of Lavinia’ in Roman Italy. Población de Cerrato Palencia ‘Town of settlers’ 202 POLA PORTILLO Pola de Lena Asturias ‘Town’ DE LENA ‘in the district of Lena’ of obscure etymology poss. abbreviation of Helenus, meaning ‘territory of *Heleno or of *Lenio’ Pons Lérida Pola de Somiedo Asturias Pontevedra Pontevedra ‘Village with a bridge’ from Latin pons. Ponte Several locations ‘Village with a bridge’ from late Latin ponte ‘City of the old bridge’ from late Latin ponte and adjective vetera ‘veteran’ Its pre-Roman name was Hellene ‘Greek’ which the Romans changed to Ad Duas Pontes ‘by the two bridges’. The expression Pontus Veteris dates from the xii century. ‘Town’ DE SOMIEDO ‘in the district of Somiedo’ of unknown meaning. Sugg. from Latin summetum ‘summit’ ‘top of the zone’ Polientes Cantabria Prob. ‘Place of Polentino’ from Latin personal name Polentius ‘native of the Pollentia’ in Majorca. Pont de Suert Lérida ‘Village with a bridge’ DE SUERT ‘the one known as Suert’ since its ancient name was Suverte perhaps derived from Basque zubiri ‘by the bridge’ unfolding to assumed Subirete. Polop Alicante ‘Village with poplar trees’ from Latin populus ‘poplar’ Pollensa Balearic Islands ‘The powerful’ from the Latin verb polleo ‘to exert power’ and name of goddess Pollentia ‘the powerful one’. Origin from homonym city POLLENSA in Liguria Porcuna Jaén Unknown Poss. ‘Village frequented by wild pigs’ from Latin porcus and locative suffix una. Its most ancient name was Obulco perhaps origin of current form Porcuna. Under Roman domination was referred to as Municipium Pontificense ‘Pontiff’s town’ Pollos Valladolid ‘Elevated fields’ from Latin podium and Spanish podio. Identical with POYO and PUEYO. Pomar several locations ‘Apple tree grove’ from Latin pomarium Porqueira Orense Pombal several places in Galicia ‘Village frequented by wild boars’ from Latin porcus and locative suffix -una. ‘Dove cot’ from Latin columba in Spanish paloma ‘dove’ and suffix of location -al. Portillada (La) Teruel Pomer Zaragoza ‘Apple tree grove’ from Latin pomarium ‘The village with a small (and ornate?) gate’ from late Latin portila and suffix ada ‘having’ Pompean Pontevedra Portillo Valladolid ‘Place of Pompey’ from Latin personal name Pompeus and Pompeius ‘pompous’ ‘solemn’ ‘ostentatious’ ‘Narrow hill pass’ from Spanish puerto ‘mountain pass’ and diminutive -illo. Ponferrada León ‘Narrow hill pass’ from Spanish puerto ‘mountain pass’ and diminutive -illo DE TOLEDO ‘the one near the city of Toledo’ for disambiguation. Portillo de Toledo Valladolid ‘Place with a bridge of iron’ from Latin pons ‘bridge’ and ferratus made of iron’ 203 PORTO POZUELO ‘Peter’s harbour’ ‘Cristian harbour’ from Latin portus ‘harbour’ ‘haven’ 1.‘Well of Aldo’ from Germanic personal name of uncertain origin, poss. ‘old’ from ald. 2.‘Place of Gonzalo’ anthroponym from Germanic Gundis Alv ‘ready to fight’ 3.‘Place of Ponciano’ from Latin Pontianus which means ‘seaborn’ Porto Pi Balearic Islands Pozoalcon Jaen Porto Cristo Balearic Islands ‘Cristian harbour’ from Latin portus ‘harbour’ ‘haven’ Porto Petro Balearic Islands ‘Harbour with pine trees’ from Latin portus ‘harbour’ and Catalan pi ‘pine tree’ ‘The hawk’s well’ compound ‘from Spanish pozo ‘well’ and halcón ‘hawk’ Posada del Rio Leon ‘White well’ Spanish Pozoblanco Cordoba ‘Inn by the river’ Spanish Pozo de Almoguera Guadalajara ‘The well’ Spanish derived from late Latin puteum ‘vertical hole in the ground’ DE ALMOGUERA ‘by the cave’ from Arabic al-moguer Posadas Cordoba ‘Inns’ ‘stop overs’ from Latin pausare ‘to stop’ ‘to pause’ and Spanish posada Potes Cantabria 1.‘Place where pots are manufactured’’ from Celtic potts ‘holes’ ‘pits’ and Spanish potes ‘pots’ 2. ‘Pits’ ‘cavities’ from the same root. Pozo de la Serna Ciudad Real ‘The well’ DE LA SERNA ‘a territorial division for cultivating purposes’ from Celtic senara. Pousada many places in Galicia ‘Inn’ identical with POSADA. Pozohondo Albacete ‘Deep well’ from Spanish hondo ‘deep’ and Latin fundus ‘lower part’ Poveda several locations ‘White poplar grove’ from Latin populus ‘white poplar tree’ Pozoseco Cuenca ‘Dry well’ Spanish seco is derived from Latin siccus which in turn comes from pre-Hindu-European sekh. Poyales La Rioja ‘Raised grounds’ from Latin podium. Poyales de Hoyo Ávila Pozuelo Albacete ‘Raised grounds’ DE HOYO contradictory ‘the one in the hole’ It seems that the ‘raised grounds’ where leftovers from the manufacturing of linen clothes in the area. ‘Little well’ from Spanish pozo and derogatory or simply diminutive suffix uelo. Pozuelo de Alarcon Madrid ‘Little well’ DE ALARCON ‘in the district of Alarcón’ which means ‘the battlefield’ in Arabic. Poyatos Cuenca ‘Raised grounds’ from Latin podium ‘platform’, here in plural with diminutive suffix. Pozuelo de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘Little well’. DE CALATRAVA ‘situated in the domains of the knights of the Order of Calatrava’ descriptive of ‘fortress on flat territory’ from Arabic Kala Al Ribbat‘ Poza de la Sal Burgos ‘Village with a well’ from Latin puteal ‘curb-stone of a well’ DE LA SAL ‘the one with salt-works’ Pozaldez Valladolid Uncertain 204 PRIEGO POZUELO Prat de Llobregat Barcelona Pozuelo de la Orden Valladolid ‘Prairie’ Catalan from Latin pratus. DE LLOBREGAT ‘on the banks of river Llobregat’ which means ‘reddish’ from Latin rubricatus ‘Little well’ DE LA ORDEN ‘commended to the Order of Santiago’ a transfer in 1347 from its previous dependence of the Order of the Temple. Prats de Llusanes Barcelona Pozuelos del Rey Palencia ‘Little wells’ DEL REY ‘under the direct authority of the King’ ‘belonging to the Crown’ ‘Prairies’ Catalan DE LLUSANES ‘the ones from Lucas’s place’ derived from Latin personal name Lucanus. Prada (La) Burgos Prats del Rey Barcelona ‘The prairie’ from Spanish prado and pradera derived from Latin pratus. ‘Prairies’ DEL REY ‘of the King’ ‘belonging to the Crown’ Pradejón La Rioja Pravia Oviedo ‘Large prairie’ identical with PRADA with augmentative suffix -jon. Uncertain 1.‘Uncultivated area’ from late Latin adjective pravus ‘unworked’ ‘wild’ 2.‘By the river’ from Latin per Avia containing the Celtic root avia ‘river’ with reference to the river Nalon 3.‘Place dedicated to Flavio’ a name Flavionavia was mentioned by Ptolemy. Sugg. site of ancient city Noega Pradena Segovia Uncertain 1.‘Place of the brother’ from Latin frater and ownership suffix -ena. 2.‘Place of *Prieto’ from archaic Spanish appellative prieto ‘compressed’ ‘dark’ 3.‘Place of Pedro’ from late Latin Petro derivation of Petrus ‘Peter’ 4.‘Prairie’ if derived from Latin pratus. Préjano La Rioja Prob. ‘Rough and sterile terrain’ from archaic garmo derived from Basque garmin ‘burnt out’ Prades Barcelona ‘Prairies’ Catalan prades from Latin pratus. Priaranza del Bierzo León Pradilla León ‘Place of the Priory’ from Spanish Priorato and ownership suffix -anza. DEL BIERZO ‘in the region of El Bierzo’ which means ‘mountainous’ from Germanic berg and bergidum. ‘Small prairie’ identical with PRADA, followed by diminutive suffix -illa. Pradillo La Rioja ‘Small prairie’ with suffix -illo. Priego Cuenca Prado (El) many locations Uncertain. 1.‘Prairie’ from Latin pagus 2.‘Place where horses can be shoed’ from Spanish priego ‘horseshoe nail’ ‘The prairie’ Spanish derived from Latin pratus. Prado del Rey Cádiz ‘Prairie’ DEL REY ‘of the King’ ‘belonging to the Crown’ Priego de Córdoba Cordoba As PRIEGO in Cuenca DE CORDOBA ‘in the province of Cordoba’ perhaps ‘olive mills’ from Phoenician Corteba. Under the Arabs, Priego was known as Bago and Medina Baiga which reinforces its Latin origin from pagus. Pradoluengo Burgos ‘Long prairie’ compound of prado ‘prairie’ and luengo Old Spanish for ‘long’ 205 PUEBLA PRIMONT Primont León ‘Prominent hill’ from Latin primus ‘first’ and mons ‘mountain’ ‘hill’ DE ARGANZON ‘the one belonging to Argantonio’ from Greek anthroponym Argantonius ‘silvery’ Prioro León Puebla de Beleña Guadalajara ‘Village’ DE BELEÑA ‘the one with henbane herbs’ from Spanish beleño derived from Celtic behl ‘shinny’ ‘brilliant’ ‘Priory’ from Latin prior ‘above others’ Proaza Oviedo Poss. ‘Place of Probacio’ from Latin anthroponym Probatius ‘proven’ Puebla de Cazalla (La) Sevilla Provencio (El) Cuenca Poss. ‘The place of Probencio’ from Latin Probentius ‘proven’ ‘The village’ DE CAZALLA ‘of the castle’ from late Latin castella Pruna Sevilla Puebla de Don Fadrique Unknown Poss. ‘Place of Pedro’ from Latin Petrum and locative suffix -na Without doubt a derivative of its Phoenician name Prunna. Granada ‘Village’ DE DON FADRIQUE ‘a donation of the Catholic Kings to the second duke of Alba, don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo’ Puch (Puig) Vallencia Puebla de Don Rodrigo Ciudad Real ‘Village’ DE DON RODRIGO ‘under the rule of don Rodrigo Téllez de Girón, master of the Order of Calatrava’ ‘Hillock’ ‘promontory’ Catalan from French puy and Latin podium ‘platform’ Puebla (La) Balearic Islands ‘The village’ from Latin populata ‘with people’ adjective Puebla de Guzman Huelva Puebla de Alcocer Badajoz ‘Village’ DE ALCOCER ‘the one near Alcocer’ which means ‘small fortress for royal persons’ in Arabic ‘Village’ DE GUZMAN ‘under the protection of don Juan de Guzmán, count of Niebla’ the name Guzmán is a Spanish version of Germanic Gutmann. Puebla de Almoradiel Toledo Puebla de la Calzada Badajoz ‘Village’ DE LA CALZADA ‘of the Roman road’ calzada meaning ‘paved’ ‘Village’ DE ALMORADIEL ‘the one near Almoradiel’ which in Arabic means 1) ‘small and walled’ containing the Latin root murus ‘wall’ 2) ‘place where marjoram herbs grew’ 3) ‘small castle’ Mozarabic from murad ‘castle’ and diminutive -iel. Puebla de la Mujer Muerta Madrid ‘Village’ DE LA MUJER MUERTA ‘at the foot of the mountain called Mujer Muerta’ because of its profile in the form of a lying woman. Puebla de Arenoso Castellón ‘Village’ DE ARENOSO grounds’ ‘the one on sandy Puebla de la Reina Badajoz ‘Village’ DE LA REINA ‘of the Queen’ once under the protection of the Order of Knights of Santiago, it became a possession of the Crown in 1873. Puebla de Arganzón Burgos ‘Village’ 206 PUENTEDURA PUEBLA Puebla de Caramiñal Puebla de Sanabria Zamora ‘Village’ DE SANABRIA ‘in the district of Sanabria’ territory of an ancient Iberian tribe named Sena. Sugg. pre-HinduEuropean compound of sen ‘hill’ and brig ‘fortress’, hence ‘fortress on a hill’ La Coruña ‘Village’ DE CARAMIÑAL ‘Place where corema herbs grow’ from Spanish caramiñal Bot. Corema Puebla del Dean La Coruña Puebla de Sancho Pérez ‘Village’ DEL DEAN ‘property of the Dean’ Badajoz ‘Village’ DE SANCHO PÉREZ ‘property of Sancho Pérez’ Master of the Order of the Knights of Santiago. Puebla del Maestre Badajoz ‘Village’ DEL MAESTRE ‘of the Master’ with reference to Alonso de Cárdenas, Master of knights of the Order of Santiago. Puebla de Trives Orense ‘Village’ DE TRIVES ‘of Trives’ genitival of the Tiburi an Iberian tribe who were settlers in the area. Puebla de Los Infantes Sevilla ‘Village’ DE LOS INFANTES ‘feud of the Infants’ Infantes is the Spanish title for the descendants of governing kings. In this case, Henry the Old and Henry Senator of Castille, successive son, and grandson of Ferdinand the III. Puebla Nueva (La) Toledo ‘The new village’ from Latin populata ‘village’ and Spanish nueva.’ Puenteáreas Pontevedra Puebla del Príncipe ‘Bridge over sandy soil’ from Spanish Puente ‘bridge’ and arenas ‘sands’ Ciudad Real ‘Village’ DEL PRINCIPE ‘which belongs to the prince’ in honour of prince Philip, later Philip the II. Puente de Domingo Flórez León ‘Bridge’ DE DOMINGO FLÓREZ refers to the merchant family and owners and of the municipality in the XVIII century. Puebla del Prior Badajoz ‘Village’ DEL PRIOR ‘the one which is under the rule of the Priory’ Puente del Arzobispo Toledo ‘Bridge’ DEL ARZOBISPO ‘of the bishop’ with reference to bishop Pedro Tenorio, who ordered the building of the bridge in the time of King Juan I of Castile, founder of the town. Puebla del Salvador Cuenca ‘Village’ DEL SALVADOR ‘for Our Saviour’ Puebla de Montalbán Toledo ‘Village’ DE MONTALBAN ‘of the white mountain’ a place name which occurs in several territories. Puentedeume La Coruña ‘Bridge over river Eume’ Derivation of its ancient name Pontumio with second element umio unknown. Puebla de Obando Badajoz Puentedura Burgos ‘Village’ DE OBANDO ‘of the marchioness of Obando’ a donation to her from Emperor Charles. Uncertain 1.‘Bridge over the river Ura’ poss. ancient name of the river Arlanza. 2.‘Bridge over (waters with) gold’ from Latin aurea. 207 PULGAR PUENTECANDELAS María, replacing the Arabic AL Canatif with reference to its salt-works. Puentecaldelas Pontvedra Prob. ‘Bridge over warm waters’ from Latin adjective caldas ‘warm’ Puerto Lápice Ciudad Real ‘Pass through the mountains in an area abundant in flagstones’ from Latin lapis and its Spanish derivative lapida ‘flagstone’ Puentegenil Córdoba Unknown ‘Bridge over the river Genil’ Genil is surely a derivative of the ancient name Singilis. Puertollano Ciudad Real Puente la Reina Navrra ‘Bridge of the Queen’ Spanish ‘Flat mountain pass’ compound from Latin portus planus. Puentelarrá Álava Puertomarín Lugo Uncertain 1.‘Mountain pass of Marinus’ personal name meaning ‘sea fearer’ 2.‘Transitable mountain pass’ with second element containing the Germanic commendatory mer ‘excellent’ 3.‘Mountain pass (not far from) the sea’ if accepting the Latin adjective marinus. ‘Village with bridge over wild terrain’ from Basque larratz ‘sticks’ ‘wild ground’ Puerta de Segura (La) Jaén ‘The mountain pass’ from puerta ’door’’ ‘mountain pass’ DE SEGURA ‘within the area of the Sierra de Segura’ of uncertain meaning poss. in allusion to the fountain-head of the river Segura, called Fontana Segura ‘secure fountain’ Puerto Moral Huelva ‘Pass through the mountains by the blackberry tree’ from Spanish moral ‘blackberry -tree’ Puerto de Béjar Salamanca ‘Pass through the mountain range’ DE BEJAR ‘of Bejar’ mountains with a name of pre-Roman origin and meaning unknown. Puerto Real Cádiz ‘Royal harbour’ in remembrance of its refoundation and appropriation by the Catholic Kings. It was the site of a Portus Gaditanus built by a Phoenician general of the Balbo family to overcome the lack of space in the port of Cadiz. Mentioned by Strabo. Puerto de la Selva Gerona ‘Harbour’ from Spanish puerto ‘port’ ‘harbour’ DE LA SELVA ‘close to the village of Selva del Mar’ in allusion to a forest that descended from land towards the sea. Puerto Serrano Cádiz ‘Mountain pass through the Sierra’ Puerto de Santa Cruz Ciudad Real ‘Mountain pass at the foot of the Sierra de Santa Cruz’ or simply ‘Hills of the Saint Cross’ Pueyo Navarra ‘Promontory’ from Latin ‘platform’ ‘raised space’ podium Pujerra Malaga Puerto de Santa María Cádiz ‘Mountain peak in the Sierra’ abbreviated pleonasm from Catalan puig ‘mountain’ and Spanish sierra ‘mountains’ ‘Saint Mary’s harbour’ Ancient name was Porthus Mnestel or Mnesteo a legendary Greek hero. In Roman times was known as Ciciline Vicus, Iunionis Templus, and Iuniones Promontorium, always in dedication to the goddess Juno. King Alfonso X ‘the Wise’ renamed her Puerto de Santa Pulgar Toledo 1.‘Place where fleas are abundant’ from Spanish pulga derived from Latin pulica ‘flea’ 208 PURCHENA PUMAR 2.‘Place of Pulgario’ personal name derived from Latin Pulcharius ‘clean’ Purujosa Zaragoza ‘Rough hillock’ from Spanish punta rugosa ‘wrinkled peak’ Pumar several locations Purullena Granada Punta Umbria Huelva ‘Apple orchard’ from late Latin pomus or French pomme, with locative suffix -ar. Identical with PUMARES, PUMARIÑO, PUMEDA and PUMMEDO. ‘Shadowy point’ from Spanish punta ‘an extreme point’ and sombria ‘in the shadow’ from Latin umbra. Uncertain 1.‘Oliano’s point’ from assumed personal name of settler. 2 ‘Place of Pureliano’ from a different anthroponym Purelius. Modified under the Arabic domination as Bayana. Purchena Almería ‘Place of Porcia’ Latin anthroponym Portuis or Portia with prob. meaning of ‘gift brought’ ‘offering’ but also ‘pig-like’. Under the Arabs became Hisn Burxana ‘Burtana’s castle’ certain origin of present name. Purroy Zaragoza ‘Red promontory’ from Latin Podium Rubeum ‘handsome’ 209 QUINTANARROZ QUEBRADA Quijano Santander ‘Place of *Quilio’ from Latin personal name Quilius, assumed first settler and owner. Q Quebrada Several locations ‘Gorge’ ‘ravine’ from Spanish adjective quebrada ‘broken’ derived from Latin crepare ‘to crisp’ Quijorna Madrid ‘Place with pointed stones’ from archaic Spanish quixo related to Latin aquileta ‘pointed’ and Spanish aguja ‘needle’ Quiroga La Coruña 1.‘Rocky place’ from Celtic quer ‘rock’ and locative suffix - oga. 2.‘Place where heaths abound’ vernacular queiroga meaning ‘heath’ Bot. Erica Lusitanica or calluna vulgaris from Greek kalluno ‘to adorn’ ‘to cleanse’ Quintanadoniga La Coruña ‘Country manor of the lady’ from Spanish compound of quinta ‘estate mansion’ derived from the usual rent paid by tenants (one fifth of the harvest) with second element shortening of Domenica, origin of title Doña ‘lady’ Queiros La Coruña ‘Place where heaths grow’ Quintana several locations in Asturias ‘Country manor’ so named because the owner received one fifth or quinto of the fruits of the land. Quejigal Several places ‘Cork tree grove’ from Celtic kax ‘cork’ and its Latin derivative a-quercus ‘cork tree’ forming a compound of Spanish quejigo and locative -al Quintana Álava As above. Quel La Rioja 1.‘Slope on a hill’ from Germanic kiel 2.‘Protected place’ from an archaic Basque root contained in the word magal ‘lap of a woman’ ‘protection’ Quintana Bureba Burgos Quemada Burgos Quintanalez Burgos ‘Country manor’ DE BUREBA ‘in the district of Bureba’ from an old Iberian obscure Borovia. ‘Country manor’ where second element remains unexplained. Poss. a surname with patronymic suffix -ez, such as Gonzalez ‘Burnt up area’ Spanish adjective. Quer Guadalajara ‘Rock’ from pre-Roman Celtic kar. Quintana Loranco Burgos Quero Toledo ‘Rock’ identical with QUER. ‘Country manor of Lorenzo’ from Latin Laurentius ‘laureate’ Querol Lérida Quintana Ortuño Burgos ‘Rock’ ‘Country manor of Ortuño’ from Latin Fortunius ‘lucky’ Was named Quintana Fortunius. Quesada Jaén 1.‘Narrow’ from Latin capsa or capsella ‘boxed in’ 2.‘Knocked down’ from Mozarabic quassiata derived from Latin caseus origin of Spanish caja ‘box’ and queso ‘cheese’. Quintanarroz Burgos ‘Country manor of the ravine’ second element is derived from Basque arru ‘ravine’ ‘dell’ 210 QUINTANA QUINTUELES Quintana María Burgos ‘Country manor of Mary’ Spanish. Quintanilla del Agua Burgos ‘Small quintana’ DEL AGUA ‘of the water’ with reference to an old fountain called Fuente de San Pedro. Quintanavides Burgos Uncertain 1.‘Country manor with vineyards’ second element from Spanish vides. 2.‘Country manor of *Bidas’ hypothetical personal name of owner. 3.‘Country manor on the Way’ from Basque bide ‘way’ ‘road’ in allusion to Saint Jacques Way, the Camino de Santiago followed by pilgrims. Quintanilla de Losada León ‘Small quintana’ DE LOSADA ‘near the village of Losada’ which means ‘paved with flagstones’ Quintanilla del Monte Zamora ‘Small quintana’ DEL MONTE ‘of the forest’ because of it being near an oakwood. Quintana Martín Galíndez Burgos ‘Country manor of Martín Galindez’ second lord of this Quintana, who reinforced the ramparts in mid ix century. Quintanilla de Nuño Pedro Soria ‘Small quintana’ DE NUÑO PEDRO ‘of Nuño Pedro’ personal names of early tenant or owner. derived from Latin Nunnus ‘ninth (born)’ Quintana del Pidio Burgos 1.‘Country manor as a fortress’ second element is derived from Latin opidum ‘fortress’ 2.‘Country manor of Pitio’ from possible lord or owner named Pietius ‘pious’ Quintanilla de Trigueros Valladolid ‘Small quintana’ DE TRIGUEROS ‘the one with wheat fields’ from Spanish trigo ‘wheat’ and suffix of abundance -eros. Quintana del Puente Palencia ‘Country manor with a bridge’ over the river Arlanza. Quintas multiple locations in Galicia ‘Plots of land which must pay one fifth of their fruits as rent’. The name became associated with the farmhouses and country manors within. Quintanar de la Orden Toledo ‘Village of quintanas’ from Spanish quintana ‘country manor’ the etymology being ‘places taxed with one fifth of the fruits’ DE LA ORDEN ‘belonging to the knights of the Order of Santiago’ Quintero Orense Identical with QUINTANA and QUINTAS Quinto Zaragoza Quintanar de la Sierra Burgos ‘Village of manor homes’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one at the foot of the mountains’ for disambiguation. Same meaning as QUINTANA Quintueles Asturias 1.‘Village consisting of several country manors’ from Spanish quintana and Asturian suffix -ueles indicating plurality 2 ‘Country house of Felix’ from corruption of name giving Eles. Quintanar del Rey Cuenca ‘Village of manor homes’ DEL REY ‘tributary to the Crown’ Quintanilla de Abajo Valladolid ‘Small Quintana’ DE ABAJO ‘placed on the low part’’ Quiñones del Río León ‘Shared portions of valuable property’ 211 QUIROGA QUISMONDO Galician queiroa ‘heath’ from the noun quiñon ‘a system of land partition addressing equal opportunity’ DEL RIO ‘on the banks of the river Orbigo’ of meaning obscure. Sugg. from Iberian Basque orb ‘to carry’ and igo ‘up’ Quirós Asturias Quiroga Lugo Quismondo Toledo Has the same meaning as QUIROGA with different locative suffix -os Uncertain 1.‘Stony place’ from Celtic ker or kerius ‘stone’ and locative suffix -aga. 2.‘Place where heath plants grew’ from ‘Place of Quismondo’ from Germanic personal name, meaning approx. ‘the watchman of the tower’ 212 REAL RABAL Ranedo Huelva R ‘Place visited by frogs’ from Latin and Spanish rana Raña several places in Galicia Rabal some places in Galicia 1.‘Terrain eroded by the action of water’ from Galician and Portuguese ragnar ‘to scratch’ 2.‘Stone ground at the foot of a hill’ from Arabic rag. ‘Suburb’ derived from Arabic Ar-Rabad Rabanera de Cameros La Rioja ‘Field of radish’ from Greek raphanos. DE CAMEROS ‘in the district of Cameros’ a toponym of Hindu-European origin describing a ‘curved’ ‘undulated’ territory. Rañadoiro several places in Galicia Identical with RAÑA ‘eroded’ Galician locative suffix -oiro. with Ras La Coruña Rabe de las Calzadas Burgos ‘Flat place’ from Spanish raso ‘flat’ derived from Latin rasus ‘worn out’ Unknown Poss. ‘Field of radish’ from Greek raphanos. DE LAS CALZADAS ‘the one near the Roman roads’ for differentiation with RABE DE LOS ESCUDEROS ‘of the Squires’ Rascafría Madrid ‘Cold boulders’ shortening of rocas ‘rocks’ and frías ‘cold’ Rasillo (El) La Rioja ‘The small and flat diminutive of raso ‘flat’ Rabida (La) Huelva ‘The hermitage’ from Arabic ripat Identical with LA RAPITA found also in Granada and Jaen. field’ Spanish Rasquera Tarragona Prob. ‘Craggy place’ from late Latin resecu ‘step rock’ ‘crag’ Rada de Haro Cuenca 1.‘Road’ a derivative of Celtic root ridan through French rade, meaning ‘road’ as well as ‘cove’ ‘enclosure’ 2.‘Place of rest’ ‘pastures within wooded area’ of Mozarabic origin DE HARO ‘in the region of Haro’ from Latin arvum ‘cultivated land’ Rasueros Ávila ‘Place founded by Nuño Rasuro’ Originally written Rasuros. Rauda region of Murcia ‘Mausoleum’ from Arabic rauda. Razamonde Orense Rafales Teruel ‘Farmhouses’ from Arabic rahl ‘house within farm’ ‘A flat field somewhat protected’ compound from Latin raus ‘razed’ and Germanic mund ‘protection’ Rafol de Salem Valencia Real de la Jara Sevilla ‘Farmhouse’ DE SALEM ‘belonging to Salim’ personal name from Arabic Salim ‘Saviour’ ‘Royal camp’ selected by Kings during wartime expeditions, from Arabic rahal ‘settlement’ DE LA JARA ‘the one where cistus grow’ Rambla (La) Cordoba and other places ‘The sandy patch (produced by a river)’ from Arabic ramla. Real de San Vicente Toledo ‘Royal camp’ DE SAN VICENTE ‘the one at the foot of the mountain of Saint Vincent’ 211 REINOSO REALEJO Realejo de Arriba Redondela Pontevedra Canary Islands ‘Small royal camp’ like REAL with derogatory suffix -ejo. DE ARRIBA ‘the upper one’ Redueña Madrid ‘Village round and small’ from Spanish redonda with diminutive suffix -ela. Prob. ‘Round village’ from Spanish redonda and locative suffix -eña Reboredo multiple locations ‘Oakwood’ derived from Latin robur and Spanish roble with locative suffix -edo. Rega Some locations in Galicia ‘Oakwood’ DE OTEROS ‘of the knolls’ from Latin altairum 1.‘Field prepared for irrigation’ from Spanish verb regar ‘to water’ 2.‘Field with a grove’ from Celtic rica ‘grove’ in allusion to channels suitable for irrigation. Recalde Vizcaya Regil Guipuzcoa Recas Toledo Rego several locations Rebollar de Oteros Leon ‘Along the brook’ from Basque ereka ‘brook’ and suffix -alde ‘by its side’ ‘lateral’ ‘Place where broom abounds’ from Basque -erratz ‘broom’ and locative suffix -il. 1.‘Place of caravans’ from Arabic rakab. 2.‘Place of horse riders’ different sense from the same Arabic root rakab. 1.‘Place with water conduits for irrigation’ from Latin rigare ‘to water’ and Spanish derivative riego. 2.‘Grove’ from Celtic rica ‘grove’ Recuenco (El) Guadalajara Regueira several places in Galicia ‘The hollow place’ from Greek konkhee ‘shell’ and Spanish cuenco ‘cavity’ ‘basin of a river’ ‘Place with water conduits for irrigation’ Second element is Galician locative suffix -eira. Redal (El) La Rioja Reillo Cuenca ‘The sheepfold’ from Latin rete ‘net’ in Spanish red with affirmative suffix -al ‘place where is’ ‘Small plot of tilled earth’ from Latin regula ‘plough-share’ ‘colter’ and Spanish diminutive -illo. Redecilla del Camino Burgos Reina Badajoz ‘Small sheepfold’ from Latin rete ‘net’ and Spanish diminutive -illa. DEL CAMINO ‘situated along the way’ with reference to the pilgrim’s Way of Saint Jacques or Camino de Santiago. ‘Queen (of the Tuduli nation)’ from its ancient name Regina Tudulorum. Reinosa Cantabria 1.‘Place frequented by frogs’ from late Latin ranosa ‘full of frogs’ 2.‘Castle of the Queen’ an Arabic version of earlier name in the form Hisn Motlerina, intended to mean reynosa ‘queenly’ Redecilla del Campo Burgos ‘The sheepfold’ from Latin rete ‘net’ DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the field’ for differentiation with previous village. Redonda (La) Salamanca Reinoso de Bureba Burgos ‘The round place’ Spanish from Latin rotunda ‘round’ ‘Place frequented by frogs’ from Latin rana ‘frog’ and suffix of abundance -oso 212 RETORTILLO REINOSO Renera Guadalajara DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ a name of Germanic origin, once Burueba from a Celtic form Borovia of meaning unknown. 1 ‘Place inhabited by frogs’ from Spanish rana ‘frog’ 2.‘Field with two growths mentioned in the labour contract conditions’ as in RENA. Reinoso de Cerrato Palencia ‘Place with frogs’ DE CERRATO ‘in the region of Cerrato’ from Medieval Latin cirratus ‘winding’ Rentería Guipuzcoa ‘Village where the rents are paid up’ from Spanish renta, with reference to the tribute taxing local ironworks. Relleu Alicante Uncertain 1.‘Flattened ground’ from Spanish relleno in vernacular idiom. 2.‘Homestead of Raillo’ from assumed French anthroponym Raillon. Requejo several places in Galicia 1.‘Slope before a plain’ vernacular descriptive poss. from Iberian root arrugia ‘Spanish arruga ‘wrinkle’ 2.‘Hide away’ from Latin arrugia ‘gallery of a mine’ taken from Iberian a-rrugia Rello Soria ‘Plot of tilled earth’ from Latin regula ‘plough-share’ ‘colter’ and Spanish diminutive -ello. Requena Valencia Uncertain 1.‘Farm’ from Arabic rakkana 2.‘Place of Recario’ from Germanic with first element Ric ‘rich’ Latinized as Recarius, and suffix of ownership -ena. Rena Badajoz Uncertain 1.‘Field capable of producing a second growth’ from Latin renatus ‘reborn’ 2.‘Property of Renato’ from Latin personal name Renatus 3.‘Frog area’ from Latin and Spanish rana ‘frog` Respenda de la Peña Leon ‘Residence of Pentio’ from Latin personal name Pentius ‘fifth (born)’ and Latin res ‘property’ DE LA PEÑA ‘the one by Sierra de la Peña’ meaning ‘rocky’ in differentiation from RESPENDA DE AGUILAR ‘the one frequented by eagles’ Renadoiro La Coruña 1.‘Field with two crops’ Identical with RENA with and ending in Galician locative -oiro. 2. ‘Frog area’ Retamal Badajoz ‘Broomfield’ ‘broom’ Renales (Los) Ciudad Real from Spanish ‘Fields with two crops’ Second element is suffix indicating repetition -ales. Retiendas Guadalajara Renales Guadalajara Retortillo Cantabria retama Prob. ‘Round fields’ from Latin rotundas ‘Crooked ground’ from Latin retortus ‘twisted’ ‘oblique’ and diminutive suffix -illo. ‘Fields with two crops’ Renedo Valladolid ‘Fields with two crops’ -edo is descriptive Retortillo de Soria Soria ‘Crooked ground’ DE SORIA ‘the one in the province of Soria’ so named from Basque Oria ‘urb’. Renedo de Esgueva Valladolid ‘Fields with two crops’ DE ESGUEVA ‘on the river Esgueva’ poss. meaning ‘by an oakwood’ from Germanic root ezq ‘oak tree’ 213 RIBAS RETUERTA which contains the Iberian root aza ‘bramble’ The name Assa appears documented. For some time, it was called Aldeaherreros ‘hamlet of ironworkers’ Retuerta Burgos Identical with RETORTILLO without diminutive. Reus Tarragona Prob. ‘Crossroads’ from Latin reddis. It was named Redis in Roman times. Riba (La) Tarragona ‘The riverbank’ from Greek rhysas Revenga de Campos Palencia ‘Regained village’ from Latin Revindicta. DE CAMPOS ‘in the extensive district of Campos’ recorded Campus Gothorum with reference to ‘fields occupied by Goths’ Ribadavia Orense Revilla de Campos Palencia ‘On the banks of river Eo’ from Latin Ripa Ego mentioned by Pliny. Its etymology might be related to Gaelic houve ‘water’ ‘On the banks of river Avia’ from Latin Ripa Aviae containing the HinduEuropean root ab ‘water’ Ribadeo Lugo ‘Along the river’ from Latin expression ripa illa ‘that riverside place’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the extensive district of Campos’ Ribadesella Asturias Revilla Vallejera Burgos ‘Along the river’ VALLEJERA ‘the one placed in a valley’ On the banks of the river Sella’ from Latin Ripa Salia from Hindu-European sal ‘stream of water’ ‘wave’ Revillagodos Burgos Ribaforada Navarra ‘Place of Richmond’ personal name of owner from Germanic Ric ‘rich’ and Mund or Mond ‘protection’ 1.‘Riverside with holes’ compound from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ and Spanish adjective horadada ‘borne through with holes’ 2.‘Village along the river and with privileges granted by law’ from Latin ripa and Spanish aforada ‘possessor of fueros’ meaning ‘grants’ Rial places in Galicia Ribagorza Navarra ‘Along the river’ Second element Godos in allusion to Goth settlers. Rezmondo Burgos ‘Abrupt riverbank’ from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ and second element Curtia ‘cut’ ‘uneven’ in Latin. Uncertain 1.‘Riverbed’ from Latin ripa and Greek rhyas. 2.‘Royal site’ from Spanish Real expressed in Galician. 3.‘Irrigated field’ from Latin irrigare. Ribaredonda Guadalajara ‘Round riverbank’ compound name from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ and ‘round’ from Latin rotunda. Rialp Lérida ‘Whitish brook’ from Greek rhyas and sec. el. Latin albus ‘white’ Ribarroja Valencia ‘Red riverbank’ from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ and ‘red’ from Spanish roja Riaño Leon ‘At a bend of the river’ compound from Greek rhysas and Latin angulus ‘angle’ Was known as Riangulo. Ribas de Campos Palencia ‘Banks of the river’ from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the fields’ stands for the extensive district documented as Riaza Segovia ‘On the river Aza’ its old name was Assa 214 RIOJA (LA) RIBAS Campus Gothorum so named from the time of the Gothic occupation of the zone Rielves Toledo ‘Place governed by Ruy Alves’ first personal name abbreviation of Rodrigo from Germanic Rod Ric ‘famous’ ‘powerful’. Second name poss. 1) from Germanic suffix -alvo ‘elf’ or 2) ‘son of Albo’ from Albus ‘white’ Ribas de Freser Gerona ‘Riverbanks’ from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ DE FRESER ‘along the river Freser’ of uncertain meaning poss. from personal name Fredari Riera Tarragona ‘Riverside’ Catalan. Ribas de Jarama Madrid ‘Riverbanks’ DE JARAMA ‘along the river Jarama’ containing the Celtic root sar ‘running water’ and its Arabic transposition Sarama ‘no man’s land’ Rigoitia Vizcaya ‘High village’ from Basque erri ‘village’ ‘town’ and goiti-a ‘high’ ‘on that place’ Riguiero several places in Galicia ‘Riverside’ in Galician Ribatajada Cuenca ‘Cut riverbank’ Its second element tajada means ‘cut’ ‘uneven’ in Spanish. Rinconada (La) Sevilla ‘Homestead in a corner’ from Spanish rincon and locative suffix -ada. Ribatejada Madrid ‘Cut riverbank’ ‘Uneven identical with RIBATAJADA riverbank’ Rincón de Soto La Rioja ‘Dwelling in a corner’ from Spanish rincon. DE SOTO ‘the one by the grove’ from soto ‘grove’ ‘thicket’ Riba de Cardos Lérida ‘Riverbank’ DE CARDOS ‘abundant of thistle plants’ Riobo Lugo Ribera del Fresno Badajoz ‘Good (looking) river’ from Latin rivus bonus ‘river good’. Alternatively, from commendatory bellus ‘beautiful’ with bo Galician reminiscent of French beau ‘Riverbank’ DEL FRESNO ‘by the ash-tree’ Ricla Zaragoza Obscure 1.‘Place of Riko’ assumed Gothic personal name pointed by form -rico ‘rich’ 2.‘Place with stones’ from Iberian Basque root arri stone’ It seems to have been the ancient city of Nertobriga Riodeva Teruel ‘Village by the river Deva’ from Spanish río and Latin Diva ‘Goddess’ mentioned by Pomponius Mela. Riofrío Several locations ‘Cold river’ from Latin rivus frigidus. Riogordo Málaga Ricote Murcia ‘Swollen brook’ from Latin rivus ‘brook’ and Spanish adjective gordo ‘gross’ ‘Place owned by Ricot’ from Germanic personal name RicWaldan ‘powerful governor’ Rioja (La) La Rioja ‘The land of the river Oja’ a river name which may derive from pre-Romanic Oia ‘leave’, Germanic foliage, and Latin folium. Riego Asturias ‘Irrigated field’ from Spanish riego derivative from Latin verb irrigare. 215 ROBREGORDO RIOPAR Rivilla de Barajas Ávila Riopar Alicante Uncertain 1.‘Northern town’ from Iberian Basque erri ‘town’ and ipar ‘North’ 2.‘Windy town’ from Iberian Basque erri ‘town’ and same ipar here with the sense ‘Northern wind’ ‘Smaller than RIVA’ a diminutive for differentiation from common placename Riva ‘along the river’ DE BARAJAS ‘in the paired fields’ with reference to a ‘joint exploitation’ of a plot of land. Rioseco Cantabria Roa de Duero Burgos ‘Dry river’ rom Spanish seco ‘dry’ not necessarily throughout the year. Uncertain 1.‘Rounded field’’ abbreviation from Latin adjective rotunda related to Spanish noun rueda ‘wheel’ 2.Most prob. a derivative from her ancient name Rauda, a city of the Vaccei tribe, mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. DE DUERO ‘on the river Duero’ Cf. entry. Riotinto river in Huelva ‘Stained river’ from Latin tinctus derived from verb tingere ‘to submerge something in coloured water’ pointing at the colour from copper mines. Sugg. ancient Iberus origin of the name Iberia. Roales de Campos Valladolid Ripoll Gerona ‘Road for carts’ from Spanish rodal which is derived from Latin rotalis ‘having wheels’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the extensive district of Campos’ formerly named Campus Gothorum ‘fields occupied by the Goths’ Obscure 1.‘Convergence of water streams’ from Greek Ryv-poli ‘brooks-several’ indicative of rivers Ter and Freser 2.‘Town near a brook’ from Greek rhysas ‘riverside’ and polis ‘town’ 3.‘Place with hens by the brook’ from Latin rivus ‘brook’ and pullus ‘hens’ Robledillo several places ‘Small oakwood’ a diminutive of Spanish roble ‘oak’ Riquelme Murcia Robledo Albacete Prob. ‘Town of Riquelme settlers’ Germanic family name meaning ‘protected by the rich man’ compounded from rico ‘rich’ and yelmo ‘helm’ ‘Oakwood’ from Spanish roble with locative suffix -edo, a straight derivative of Latin roburetum. Risco Canary Islands Robledo de Chavela Madrid ‘Terrain rocky and abrupt’ from Latin resecus ‘cut in several places’ ‘Oakwood’ DE CHAVELA ‘of the little key’ a derivative of Spanish llave with reference to the method of land partition after king Alfonso VI recovered the village. Riudecañas Tarragona ‘Brook running amongst cane fields’ from Spanish río ‘river’ and cañas ‘canes’ Robredo-Temiño Burgos Riudoms Tarragona ‘Brook running amongst elm trees’ from Spanish río ‘river’ and olmos ‘elms’ ‘Oakwood’ TEMIÑO is poss. the personal name of an early settler. Rivas several locations Robregordo Madrid ‘River banks’ of a stream’ from Latin ripas Same etymology is found in places such as RIBA, RIVEIRA, RIBES and RIVERO. ‘Extensive oakwood’ second element could be understood to mean ‘extensive’ from Spanish gordo ‘gross’ 216 ROSAS ROCA Rojas Burgos Roca de la Sierra Badajoz ‘Rock by the mountain range’ second part is from Spanish Sierra ‘saw-like mountains’ added for differentiation 1.‘Reddish fields’ from Latin russeas ‘like roses’ and Spanish rojas ‘reds’ 2.‘Rocks’ from late Latin roccas. Rocafort Navarra Romancos Guadalajara ‘The fort by the rock’ Spanish obvious compound Uncertain 1.‘Village owned by Roman settlers’ from Spanish Romanos. 2.‘Place where wheat grains were found’ from French garance Spanish granzas Rociana Huelva Prob. ‘Village founded by Roscio’ from Latin personal name of owner Rosius ‘fresh’ ‘rose-like’ and its derivative ‘dew’. Romangordo Cáceres Prob. ‘Village of Roman the Goth’ assumed Northern settler Rocha several locations ‘Fort’ ‘fortress’ is derived from preRoman French root roche or Italian rocca. Romanones Guadalajara Prob. ‘Village inhabited by Romans’ Same meaning found in ROMANOS and ROMANILLOS Roda Murcia 1.‘Circled’ from Latin rota ‘wheel’ ‘circle’ 2.‘Wheel’ as in Spanish rueda with poss. reference to the wheel inside windmills. Romero various locations ‘Rosemary field’ Bot. Rosmarinus. Identical with ROMERAL, ROMARIS, ROMEA, ROMIEDO and ROMIÓ Roda de Andalucía Sevilla 1.‘Rounded’ from Latin rota ‘wheel’ ‘on a circle’ 2.‘Wheeled’ with poss. reference to a road. DE ANDALUCIA ‘the one in Andalucía’ a difficult name which could mean ‘the land reaching the Atlantic’ Cf. entry Ronda Málaga ‘The round town’ from Latin arrunda. During the Carthaginian period it was called Acinido ‘raised place’ which stood north from the city, and later became Ronda, La Vieja ‘the old Ronda’ In Roman times was prob. Munda from Germanic mond ‘protected’. Described as near the battlefield where Julius Caesar defeated his son-in-law Pompey ‘fighting more for life than for glory’ Roda de Bará Tarragona ‘Rounded place’ DE BARÁ ‘settlement belonging to Bara’ a pre-Roman personal name of owner which could mean ‘productive’ Ronquillo Sevilla Roda de Isábena Huesca ‘Little uneven place’ from Latin raucus ‘unclear’ ‘confuse’ ‘Rounded place’ DE ISABENA ‘the one by the river Isabena’ prob. from the Basque root iz ‘water’ and zabal ‘wide open’ Roquetas de Mar Almería ‘Small rocks by the sea’ Spanish. Rodal frequent in Valencia Rosal de Cristina Huelva ‘Round and enclosed property’ Spanish. ‘Christine’s rosebush’ Spanish Rodezno La Rioja Rosas Gerona ‘City of the people from the island of Rhode’ with reference to the first known settlers who named this place Rhoda from Greek Rodos ‘Roses’. Lit. ‘Place with a wheel assembled from more than one piece’ Spanish, but poss. ‘small round place’ 217 RUZAFA ROTA Rueda Valladolid Rota Cádiz 1.‘Round place’ from Latin adjective rotunda and Spanish rotonda. 2.‘Place of wheel-mills’ from Spanish rueda ‘wheel’ 1.‘Robust’ from its ancient name Robuta ‘oak like’ first Arab geographers refer to this town as Rabeta Ruta. 2.‘Fort round and protected’ from later Arabic Ribata from Latin ripata ‘with border lines’ Rueda de Jalón Zaragoza Uncertain 1.‘Round fortress’ from Arabic name Ruta derived from Latin Rota. 2. ‘Customs’ from Arabic Rutba DE JALÓN ‘by the river Jalón’ containing the Celtic root sal ‘running water’ ‘wave’ Rozas Burgos ‘Wild land broken up to be cultivated’ from the Latin verb rumpere ‘to brake’ or ruptiare ‘to erase’ In English this etymology is found in the word razor. Rozas (Las) Madrid Rueda de la Sierra Guadalajara ‘Made arable’ with plural article las suggesting joint efforts. 1.‘Round place’’ 2.‘Customs’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one by the mountain range’ for differentiation with RUEDA DE JALÓN Rozas de Puerto Real Madrid ‘Made arable from wild land’ DE PUERTO REAL ‘near a mountain pass of royal custody. Ruesta Zaragoza Obscure Poss. ‘Narrow sheepfold’ from Iberian Basque arru ‘dell’ and estegi ‘sheep enclosure’ Its ancient name was Arruesta. Rubena Burgos ‘Riverside along the Vena’ unknown perhaps from Latin goddess Venus. Rubi de Bracamonte Valladolid ‘Yellow’ derivative of her pre-Roman name Rabe which was Latinized Rubeus DE BRACAMONTE ‘belonging to the Bracamonte family’ surname from Scandinavian brak-thveit ‘open land’ Ruidera Ciudad Real and lagoons Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Place of Ruy’ from an assumed Germanic personal name Hrod ‘glorious’ 2.Unlikely suggestion ‘Noisy’ in allusion to the ruido ‘noise’ produced by the river Rubielos Altos Cuenca ‘Yellow fields’ Spanish diminutive of rubios ‘fair coloured’ with altos meaning ‘placed high’ Rus Jaén ‘Wild terrain that has been ploughed for grain crops’ from its ancient name Ruradia derived from late Latin Rotavia. Rubielos Bajos Cuenca ‘Yellow fields’ with sec. el. meaning ‘placed low’ from Spanish adjective bajos Rute Córdoba Obscure 1.‘Ruth’s castle’ from Arabic Hisn Ruth ‘beautiful’ 2.‘Customs’ from Arabic rutba 3.‘Town of Harold’ from assumed ancient name Araldunum Rubite Granada ‘Village with blackberry bushes’ from Latin rubus ‘bramble’ Bot. Rubus fruticosus Rublacedo de Arriba Burgos Ruzafa gardens in Cordoba ‘Garden’ from Arabic Rusafa. ‘Large plantation of oak trees’ from Spanish roble ‘oak tree’ and phytonym suffix -acedo. 218 SAELICES SAA DEL RIO ‘the one by the brook’ S Sacedón Madrid 1.‘Willow tree grove’ from Latin salix 2.‘Place where hedge mustards can be found’ from Latin salax. Ancient names poss. Celtic Ercavica and Latin Acquee Termidae ‘lukewarm waters’ Saa Several locations in Galicia ‘House’ referred to a hearth with a single room. From old Germanic sal ‘hall’ ‘house’ which in Spanish became sala and salon ‘reception room’ Saavedra Several locations Saceruela Ciudad Real in ‘Grove of willows’ from Latin salix with suffix in pejorative form. Galicia ‘Old house’ first element is Galician saa ‘house’ ‘hearth’ and second Latin vetera ‘veteran’ Sacramenia Segovia Prob. ‘Place with bitter apples’ from Basque sagar ‘apple ’min ‘bitter’ and aga ‘place’ Sabadell Barceloma ‘Town of Saben’ from its ancient name Sabendunum of Celtic origin dun ‘town’. The Romans changed it slightly to Sabatielum which could be interpreted as ‘Town of Sabatt’ meaning 1) ‘Saturday’ or 2) personal medieval name Sabatielo. Sada La Coruña Unknown Sadaba Zaragoza Uncertain. A derivative from its Phoenician name Sebub which later became Sudebay. There followed a Germanic adaptation Sabobriga with sec. el. meaning ‘high place’ Sabando Álava ‘Large granary’ from Basque sabia ‘loft’ ‘granary’ and andi ‘large’ ‘big’ Sabiñánigo Huesca ‘Place of Sabianus’ a Latinized version of pre-Roman name Sabiote. The Sabins were the neighbours of first Romans. Saelices Cuenca Unknown This name is the result of phonetic changes from its Roman name Salaria> Sabaria. ‘Place dedicated to Saint Felix’ from Latin Sanctus Felicius meaning ‘happy’ Poss. site of a town close to historical Segobriga, a disputed ancient city by SEGORBE (Castellón) and CABEZA DEL GRIEGO (Cuenca). The meaning of Segobriga is from Celtic sego ‘victorious’ and brig ‘high place’ also ‘city’ Sabugo Asturias Saelices del Rio León Sabiote Jaén ‘Elder tree’ from Latin sabucum. Can be found also in SABUGEIRO, SABUCEDO, XABUGO and JABUGO. 1.‘Place dedicated to Saint Felix’ 2.‘Salty or sandy ground’ from Spanish sal derived from Latin sal, salis. DEL RIO ‘by the river’ in allusion to the river Cea. Sacecorbo Guadalajara 1.‘Bent willow tree’ from Latin salix and curvus ‘curved’ 2.‘Willow tree grove frequented by crows’ with second element Latin corvus ‘crow’ Saelices de Mayorga Valladolid ‘Saint Felix’ DE MAYORGA ‘the one near Mayorga’ ‘place planted with heaths’ from Basque aiar ‘heath’ and locative suffix -agar. Saceda del Río Cuenca ‘Grove of willow trees’ from Latin salix ‘willow’ 219 SAELICES SALAS and Hermantica, Plutarch Saelices El Chico Salamanca ‘Saint Felix’ EL CHICO ‘the smaller (village)’ according with Salar Asturias ‘Houses having only one large room’ from Spanish sala derived from Germanic sal ‘building with one large room’ With suffix indicating plurality -ar. Sagaro Gerona Prob. ‘Place of apples’ from Basque sagar ‘apple’ and locative suffix -o. Sagarra Ciudad Real Unknown Derived from its Iberian pre-Roman name Ascerris a town of the Jacetani tribe mentioned by Ptolemy. In its present form, sounds Basque from sagar ‘apple’ Salardú Lérida ‘Place of single room homes’ Identical with SALAR followed by suffix -du after Germanic dun ‘inhabited place’ Salas Several places ‘Single room homes’ from Germanic sal. The meaning ‘single large room’ gradually becomes descriptive of a large reception room, hence a ’distinguished home’ Sagaseta Navarra ‘Apple tree orchard’ from Basque saga ‘apple’ and plural suffix -eta ‘several’. Sagra Alicante 1.‘Place of the harvest’ from Arabic Safra ‘harvest season’ 2.‘Rocky’ from Arabic Sakhra ‘rock’ 3.‘Sacred’ from Latin sacrum ‘holy’ Salas de Bureba Burgos Sagra (La) region ‘Distinguished houses’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ derived from pre-Roman Borovia of meaning unknown Identical with SAGRA, applied to the region. Salas de la Ribera León ‘Place with distinguished houses’ DE LA RIBERA ’on the banks of river Sil’ poss. from pre-Hindu-European sira> sili ‘way’. Sagunto Valencia Poss. ‘City of settlers from Sacinto’ After Saguntum with the Romans, became Morbiter, an adaptation of muris ‘walls’ and veterus ‘old’ resulting in more recent Morvedre and Molvedre ‘old wall’ Salas de Los Barrios León ‘Place with distinguished houses’ DE LOS BARRIOS derived from Arabic barr ‘outskirts’ Sahagún León Salas de los Infantes Burgos ‘Place of San Facundo’ from Latin personal name Facundus ‘talker’ ‘eloquent’ and prefix San ‘Saint’. ‘Distinguished houses’ DE LOS INFANTES ‘from a legend about the Seven Infants of Lara’ a story of jealousy and revenge transmitted orally by troubadours. Salamanca Salamanca Obscure 1.‘Place of soothsayers’ ‘place of prophecy’ from Greek psalm ‘song’ and mantike ‘art of foretelling’ 2.‘City of settlers from Salamina’ a Greek colony in Attica. 3.‘Peaceful’ from Hebrew Shalom. Most prob. a derivative of its pre-Roman name Elmantica mentioned by Poliby Salas del Pallás Lérida ‘Distinguished houses’ DEL PALLÁS ‘in the territory called Pallás’ which may translate for ‘land with straw huts’' from late Latin paleares ‘place for keeping straw’ 220 SALVALEON SALAZAR reference to the hillock which gave its name to the river. Salazar de Amaya Burgos 1.‘Pasture with rock roses’ from Basque sal ‘pastures’ and zara ‘rock rose’ ‘cistus’ 2.‘Old pasture’ from Basque sal and adjective zar ‘old’ 3.‘Old willow grove’ from Basque sararts ‘willow’ and zar ‘old’ DE AMAYA ‘the one near the frontier’ from Basque amai ‘the end’ ‘the limit’ Salinillas de Bureba Burgos ‘Small salt works’ DE BUREBA ‘in the region of Bureba’ from its ancient name Borovia poss. containing the Basque root buru ‘top’ Salobre Murcia 1.‘Healthy’ from Latin salubris. 2.‘Place with lime soil’ from Latin salaria Salcedo Several locations Uncertain. Prob. ‘Forest of willows’ from Latin salcetus ‘willow’ and suffix of abundance. -edo. Identical with SALGUEIRO. Salobreña Granada Appears identical with SALOBRE however, this name is a derivative form Salambina Arabized as Xalubina and Xalubania Saldaña Palencia Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Salty ground’ from Spanish sal derived from Old English salh as it appears in Salhouse and Selehurst. 2.Poss. ‘Forest of willows’ from Latin salix ‘willow’ and locative suffix -edo. Salou Gerona 1.‘Place of Alodio’ a back formation from Catalan Sa Alodio ‘house of Alodio’ personal name of assumed settler. 2.‘Gorge of the wolf’ shortening from Latin saltus ‘gorge’ ‘pasture’ and luparius ‘of the wolf’ Salices Asturias ‘Place dedicated to Saint Felix’ backformation from Sanctus Felicianus. Salsadella Castellón Salinas Various locations ‘Small forest of willows’ from Latin salcetus ‘willow’ and diminutive suffix ella. ‘Saltworks’ Spanish. Salinas de Bras del Port Alicante ‘Saltworks’ DE BRAS DEL PORT ‘on a side of the harbour’ Catalan from bras ‘arm’ and port ‘harbour’ Salteras Sevilla 1.‘Rough and wild ground’ from Latin saltuarius 2.‘Wide pastures’ another meaning of saltuarious 3.‘Wooded area’ third meaning of saltuarious Salinas de Leniz Guipuzcoa ‘Saltworks’ DE LENIZ ‘on the valley of Leniz’ perhaps from Latin personal name Lenicus>Lenici meaning ‘soft’ Salvacañete Cuenca ‘Safe town’ with reference to the privileges granted by kings to settlers in dangerous villages due to their proximity with the Islamic frontier. Thus, salva also means ‘exempt’ Second element CAÑETE means ‘cane field’ from Latin cannetum. Salinas de Pisuerga Palencia ‘Saltworks’ DE PISUERGA ‘the one by the river Pisuerga’ derived from an ancient Roman settlement called Pisoraca. Salvaleon Badajoz Salinillas de Buradón Álava ‘Safe village’ with second element prob. referred to settlers from the kingdom of Leon. ‘Small saltworks’ DE BURADON ‘by the river Buradón’ from Basque buru ‘summit of a hill’ with 221 SAN BARTOLOME SALVATIERRA San Adrian Navarra Salvatierra Álava ‘Saint Adrian’ personal name which means ‘born in the city of Adria’ origin of the name Adriatic. ‘Safe land’ holder of the privilege Salvatierra de Escar Zaragoza ‘Safe land’ actually holder of privileges for not being ‘safe’ DE ESCAR ‘the one by the river Esca’ poss. from Basque ezka ‘thyme’ ‘marjoram’ San Agustin de Guadalix Madrid ‘Saint Agustin’ which means ‘under good omen from the augurs’ DE GUADALIX ‘the one by the river of the alder trees’ Arabic from wad ‘river’ and Mozarabic alix ‘alder’ Salvatierra de los Barros Badajoz ‘Safe land’ DE LOS BARROS ‘the one situated in Tierra de Barros’ name of a zone of the province, which means ‘land of clay’ Sanahuja Lérida Uncertain Prob. ‘Enclosure (for cattle) in flat land’ from Iberian Basque naba ‘plain’ and oia ‘to gather’ Salvatierra de Santiago Cáceres ‘Safe land’ DE SANTIAGO ‘the one under the protection of the knights of the Order of Saint Jacques’ San Andrés del Arroyo Palencia ‘Saint Andrew’ which comes from Greek Andros ‘man’ DEL ARROYO ‘the one by the brook’ Sama de Langreo Asturias Obscure 1.‘Flat and even place’ from Germanic root samo ‘flat’ ‘even’ ‘quiet’ 2.‘Narrow’ from Basque sama ‘neck’ 3.‘Place with dry branches from trees’’ from Basque root samar. DE LANGREO poss. ‘in the valley’ from Celtic lanka ‘riverbed’ San Andrés de las Puentes León ‘Saint Andrew’ DE LAS PUENTES ‘the one by the bridges’ with reference to the river Agurio. San Antolín Asturias ‘Saint Anthony’ from Latin personal name Antoninus, member of the so named Roman gens. Sampayo several places in Galicia ‘Place dedicated to San Pelayo’ shortening from Sanctus Pelagius name of the first king of Asturias. Pelagius means ‘oceanic’ in Greek. San Asensio La Rioja ‘Saint Asensio’ a Christian personal name of uncertain origin prob. from Latin absinthium ‘absinthia’ Sampedor Barcelona ‘Place dedicated to San Pedro’ from Latin Sanctus Petrus ‘Saint Peter’ San Bartolomé de la Torre Huelva ‘Saint Bartholomew’ Hebrew name which means ‘son of Tolmay’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with a medieval tower’ Sanabria region in Zamora Uncertain 1.‘Wild territory with a castle’ from Celtic sen ‘mountain’ ‘uncultivated’ and brigg ‘fortress’ 2.‘Houses on a large plain’ a derivative form Basque etxea ‘house’ and naba ‘fertile and flat territory’ San Bartolomé de Pinares Avila ‘Saint Bartholomew’ 222 SANDOVAL SAN BAUDILIO DE PINARES ‘in the Pinares district’ with reference to the abundance of pine trees’ DE TREMP obscure name poss. the surname of a hypothetical Tremp family’’ San Ciprián de Viñas Orense San Baudilio de Llobregat ‘Saint Cyprian’ meaning ‘native of the island of Cyprus. DE VIÑAS ‘the one with vineyards’ Barcelona ‘Saint Baudilio’ is derived from Latin badus ‘silly’, with genitive suffix -ilius. DE LLOBREGAT ‘by the reddish river’ from rubrigatus, for differentiation with SAN BAUDILIO DE LLUSANÉS ‘in the region of Llusanés’ in allusion to early settler ‘Lucian’ from Latin personal name Lucianus ‘son of Lucius’ which means ‘light bearer’ ‘luminous’ San Clemente Cuenca ‘Saint Clemens’ meaning ‘compassionate’ was the name of early settler Clemente Pérez de Rus. San Clemente de Valdueza Leon ‘Saint Clemens’ DE VALDUEZA ‘the one in the fields of La Valdueza’ which means ‘valley of the river Boeza’’ San Carlos de la Rápita Tarragona ‘Saint Charles’ Adopted in recognition to king Carlos III for the construction of a new harbour. DE LA RAPITA ‘site of the old village known as Rapita’ Arabic from rybat either 1) ‘mosque’ or 2) ‘fortress’, when situated in the outskirts of a village. San Cristobal Balearic Islands ‘Saint Christopher’ from Greek Khristophorus ‘he who carries Christ’ This placename recalls its reconstruction of the village under Christopher Barber Ametller in 1796. San Carlos del Valle de Santa Elena Ciudad Real ‘Saint Charles’ in recognition of the urbanization requested by king Carlos III. DEL VALLE DE SANTA ELENA ‘‘the one on the valley of (the hermitage of) Saint Helen’ San Cristobal de Boedo Palencia ‘Saint Christopher’ from Greek. DE BOEDO ‘in the circumscription of Boedo’ which could mean 1) ‘oxen pastures’ from Spanish buey and boyedo derived from Latin bos or 2) ‘place of reed-mace’ from Latin budetum. San Cebrián de Campos Palencia ‘Saint Cyprian’ meaning ‘native of the island of Cyprus. DE CAMPOS ‘in the Campos district’ from a medieval description of the area Campus Gothorum ‘the fields of the Goths’ Sancti Spiritus Badajoz ‘Dedicated to the Holy Spirit’ Latin advocation repeated in various places. San Cugat del Vallés Barcelona ‘Saint Cucufato’ Catalan name derived from Berber Cucufas. San Cebrián de Mazote San Domingo Salamanca Valladolid ‘Saint Cyprian’ DE MAZOTE prob. Mozarabic ‘the one with masonry work’ Sandoval de la Reina Burgos Saint Domingo’ Latin personal name meaning ‘lord’ from domenicus. ‘Thicket of walnut trees’ from Spanish soto ‘thicket’ ‘grove’ and nogal ‘walnut’ DE LA REINA ‘of the Queen’ in recognition for a royal visit. San Cerni de Tremp Lerida ‘Saint Cerni’’ acronym of Latin personal name Saturninus ‘under the protection of god Saturn’ 223 SAN ILDEFONSO SAN ESTEBAN San Felipe Neri Alicante ‘Saint Philip’ with second word referred to his Italian surname Neri ‘black’ San Esteban de Gormaz Soria ‘Saint Stephen’ a Greek name Stefanos ‘crowned’ DE GORMAZ ‘the one in the Gormaz area’ of uncertain meaning. San Feliu de Guixols Gerona ‘Saint Felix’ Catalan from Latin Felix ‘happy’ DE GUIXOLS has an obscure etymology 1.‘Of the pebbles’ from Catalan guixa and Spanish guijo. 2.‘Of the blue vetchs’ second meaning of guixa Bot. Lathirus sativus Prob. a derivative from Iberian name Gysalis. San Esteban de Litera Huesca ‘Saint Stephen’ DE LITERA ‘the one of Litera’ poss. from Llitére a French personal name. San Esteban de Los Patos Ávila ‘Saint Stephen’ DE LOS PATOS ‘belonging to the Patos family’ San Feliu de Llobregat ‘Saint Stephen’ ‘DEL VALLE ‘on the valley’ an extensive region in Avila. Barcelona ‘Saint Felix’ DE LLOBREGAT ‘the one on the banks of the river Llobregat’ derived from Latin rubrigatus ‘red’ ‘reddish’ San Esteban de Nogales León San Fernando de Henares San Esteban del Valle Avila Madrid ‘Saint Ferdinand’ Germanic name from firthu ‘peace’ and nands ‘dearing’ DE HENARES ‘on the banks of river Henares’ which means ‘hayfields’ from Spanish heno ‘hay’ ‘Saint Stephen’ DE NOGALES ‘the one with a thicket of walnut trees’ San Esteban de Valdezuela León ‘Saint Stephen’ DE VALDEZUELA ‘the one in the fields of La Valdueza’ which means ‘valley of the river Boeza’ ‘ox pasture’ from Latin bos ‘ox’ and suffix of location -eza. San Fulgencio Alicante ‘Saint Fulgentius’ from Latin Fulgentius meaning ‘full of light’ Sangenjo Pontevedra ‘Saint Genesius’ from Greek Genesyo meaning ‘creative’ San Esteban de Villacalbiel León ‘Saint Stephen’ DE VILLACALBIEL poss. with reference to settler from Cal Biel in Catalonia meaning ‘house’ from cal and sec. el. biel hypocorism of Gabriel. Sanguesa Navarra Obscure An evident evolution from earlier name Sancosa. Also, poss. site of ancient Iturisa or Ituren ‘place of the fountain’ in Iberian Basque. San Felices de Buelna Cantabria ‘Saint Feliciano’ derived from Latin Felicianus ‘happy’ DE BUELNA ‘the one located in the valley of Buelna’ a pre-Romanic unknown , San Ildefonso de la Granja Segovia ‘Saint Ildefonso’ Germanic from hild ‘battle’ and funs ‘brave’ ‘valiant’, precedent of more common Alfonso. DE LA GRANJA ‘the one in a farmstead’ 224 SAN LUCAR SAN JORGE San Jorge Madrid ‘Saint George’ Georgos. ‘farmer’ from ‘lion’ and Germanic hard ‘strong’ ‘strong as a lion’ Greek San Lorenzo de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘Saint Lorenz’ from Laurentius ‘laurate’ DE CALATRAVA ‘under the protection of the knights of the Order of Calatrava’ San Juan Several locations ‘Saint John’ from Hebrew Johannan ‘God is merciful’ San Juan Bautista Canary San Lorenzo de la Parrilla Islands ‘Saint John the Baptist’ Cuenca ‘Saint Lorenz’ DE LA PARRILLA ‘of the grill’ with reference to the instrument used for his martyrdom. San Juan de Alicante Alicante ‘Saint John’ DE ALICANTE ‘in the province of Alicante’ which means ‘white promontory’ San Lorenzo del Escorial Madrid ‘Saint Lorenz’ DEL ESCORIAL ‘by the debris of ironworks in the area’. San Juan de la Nava Ávila ‘Saint John’ DE LA NAVA ‘on a nava’ which means ‘flat and fertile land’ San Lorenzo de Morunys San Juan de la Ribera Ávila ‘Saint John’ DE LA RIBERA ‘on the banks of a river’ here referred to the Corneja which means ‘dogwood tree’ Lérida Saint Lorenz’ DE MORUNYS ‘of the Moors’ from Catalan morú ‘Moor’ and Mozarabic genitive -nys. San Juan de las Abadesas Sanlucar de Barrameda Cádiz Obscure 1.‘Down the forest’ from late Latin sub lucare 2.‘Evening star’ derived from an assumed Lucem Dutiam ‘doubtful light’ ‘twinkling light’ 3.‘Light divine’ from Latin Lucem Divam ‘light from the goddess’ with reference to the star Venus cherished by sailors. 4.‘Holy Light’ from Latin Lucem Sanctam 5.‘Luminous port’ from Latin Lucem Portus documented Puerto Lucero DE BARRAMEDA poss. Arabic bar-an maida ‘water well in the plain’ or Spanish barra media ‘middle bar’, pointing at its position near a sand bank in front of the harbour. Various ancient names have been alleged such as Roman Asta Colonia and Arabic Al Mesquid ‘the mosque’ Gerona ‘Saint John’ DE LAS ABADESAS ‘of the Abbesses’ with reference to the monastery founded by them. San Juan del Monte Burgos ‘Saint John’ DEL MONTE ‘at the foot of Monte San Juan’ San Juan del Puerto Huelva ‘Saint John’ DEL PUERTO ‘along the harbour’ for disambiguation San Juan de Ortega Burgos ‘Saint John of Ortega’ name of a Saint born in Burgos, who lived in the monastery of this village. San Leonardo Soria ‘Saint Leonard’ compound from Latin leo 225 SAN MARTIN SAN LUCAR ‘Saint Martin’ DE MONTALBAN ‘in the area of Montalban’ which means ‘white mountain’ Sanlucar de Guadiana Huelva Obscure ‘Place on the oriental side of the river’ from Arabic Xoluca and Solucar, which means ‘East’ and results in Mozarabic Jiloque DE GUADIANA ‘on the banks of river Guadiana’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and earlier name Ana mentioned by Roman historians. San Martin de Oscos Asturias ‘Saint Martin’ DE OSCOS ‘located in a territory once inhabited by the Osci tribe’ San Martin de Pusa Toledo ‘Saint Martin’ DE PUSA ‘owned by Valdepusa’ surname of her landlord. There is a river Pusa of unknown meaning. Sanlucar la Mayor Sevilla Obscure 1.‘Place of the sun’ from Latin Solis which accounts for assumed Solia. 2.‘Forest of the sun’ from Latin alleged Solis Lucus and shortened So Llucus. The name Solia relates to an earlier Hesperis Arae ‘Altar of the Hesperides’ with the sense ‘temple of the evening star’ LA MAYOR ‘the Larger’ though in fact it is the smallest. San Martin de Rubiales Burgos ‘Saint Martin’ DE RUBIALES ‘the one with stony fields’ from late Latin rupialis ‘of the stones’ San Martin de Trevejo Cáceres ‘Saint Martin’ DE TREVEJO poss. ‘of the crossroads’ corrupt from Latin Trivium ‘three ways’ San Mamés Madrid ‘Saint Mames’ name of a Christian martyr born in Cappadocia poss. from Latin Mamers, a Sabin divinity. San Martin de Unx Navarra ‘Saint Martin’ DE UNX ‘frequented by rabbits’ from Basque untxi ‘rabbit’ San Mamés de Abar Burgos ‘Saint Mames’ DE ABAR ‘of the water source’ from Iberian Basque abar. San Martin de Valdeiglesias Madrid ‘Saint Martin’ DE VALDEIGLESIAS ‘of a valley with several churches’ San Mamés de Campos Palencia ‘Saint Mames’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the Campos district’ from a medieval description of the area as Campus Gothorum ‘Gothic fields’ San Martin de Valderaduey Zamora ‘Saint Martin’ DE VALDERADUEY ‘on the river Araduey’ which es derived from Iberian Basque aratoi ‘plain land’ San Martin de la Vega Madrid ‘Saint Martin’ from Latin Martius ‘referred to the god of War, ‘Mars’, and its derivative martial ‘warrior’ DE LA VEGA ‘the one in the mead’ San Martin de Valveni Valladolid ‘Saint Martin’ DE VALVENÍ ‘on a fair neighbourhood’ from late Latin commendatory bel and sec. el. vicinus a diminutive of vicus ‘village’ San Martin del Castañar Salamanca ‘Saint Martin’ DEL CASTAÑAR ‘of the chestnut trees’ San Martin de Montalban Toledo 226 SAN PEDRO SAN MATEO San Mateo Valencia San Nicolás del Puerto Sevilla ‘Saint Mathew’ Hebrew from Mattith Yahu ‘present from God’ The town has been identified with Iberian Intibili ‘Saint Nicholas’ from Greek nike ‘victory’ and laos ‘people’ DEL PUERTO ‘of the mountain pass’ from Spanish puerto ‘access between mountains’ San Miguel de Aguayo Santander ‘Saint Michael’ Hebrew Mika-el meaning ‘Who like god?’ DE AGUAYO ‘of the drinking water’ from Spanish aguada obtained from the river Hirvienza. San Nicolas del Real Camino Palencia DEL REAL CAMINO ‘on the Royal Road’ San Pedro Albacete ‘Saint Peter’ ‘strong as a rock’ from Latin Petrosus. San Miguel del Arroyo Valladolid ‘Saint Michael’ DEL ARROYO ‘by the brook’ San Pedro Cansoles Palencia ‘Saint Peter’ CANSOLES ‘of the house of Solis’ a personal name from Latin genitive of sol ‘sun’ and first element can ‘house’ or from campus ‘camp’ San Miguel de Dueñas Leon ‘Saint Michael’ DE DUEÑAS ‘of the (Benedictine) nuns’ from Latin dominas. San Pedro Castañero León ‘Saint Peter’ CASTAÑERO ‘abundant trees’ but no longer. San Miguel del Valle Zamora ‘Saint Michael’ DEL VALLE ‘on the valley’ in chestnut San Pedro de Alcántara San Miguel de Serrezuela Malaga ‘Saint Peter’ DE ALCANTARA ‘by the bridge’ from Arabic Al Kantara. ‘bridge’ Ávila ‘Saint Michael’ DE SERREZUELA ‘at the foot of the small mountain range’ from Spanish sierra and pejorative suffix -uela. San Pedro de la Hoz Burgos ‘Saint Peter’ SAN PEDRO DE LA HOZ ‘on the road junction’ from Latin falx and Spanish hoz ‘fork’ San Millán de la Cogolla Logroño ‘Saint Emilian’ from the eponym Aemilian gens from old Rome. DE LA COGOLLA ‘of the small hillock’ from late Latin coculla San Pedro de la Nave Zamora ‘Saint Peter’ DE LA NAVE transposition of DE LA NAVA ‘on the plain fields by the river’ San Millán de Lara Burgos ‘Saint Michael’ DE LARA ‘of the rock roses’ from Iberian Basque lar-a. ‘rock rose’ ‘the’ San Pedro de Latarce Valladolid ‘Saint Peter’ DE LATARCE obscure, poss. ‘on the frontier’ from Iberian root present in Basque Atari ‘gate’ ‘door’ San Millán de Yécora La Rioja ‘Saint Michael’ DE YÉCORA uncertain, poss. ‘on a slope’ from Iberian Basque egi ‘slope’ and second element or ‘foot’ San Pedro del Pinatar Murcia ‘Saint Peter’ 227 SANSALVADOR SAN PEDRO DEL PINATAR ‘by the pinewoods’ a variant from pinedo ‘pinewood’ San Roman de Campezo Alava ‘Saint Roman’ DE CAMPEZO ‘on the small camp’ a diminutive of Spanish campo ‘camp’ ‘field’ San Pedro de Ruidevitlles Barcelona ‘Saint Peter’ DE RUIDEVITLLES ‘on the banks of river Bitiles’ from conventual Latin rivus Berilas San Román de la Cuba ‘Saint Peter’ MANRIQUE ‘of Manrique’ Germanic from man rich here the duke of Nájera Arabic meaning ‘place between rocks’ Palencia ‘Saint Roman’ DE LA CUBA 1) ‘the one with a protective tower' from Arabic kubba 2) ‘the one with a water deposit’ from Latin cuba and Greek kubos. San Pedro Pescador Gerona San Román de Hornija San Pedro Manrique Soria ‘Saint Peter’ PESCADOR ‘Fisher’ like the Apostle. Valladolid ‘Saint Roman’ DE HORNIJA ‘the one offering a small furnace’ from Spanish horno ‘furnace’ and diminutive suffix ija. San Pol de Mar Barcelona ‘Saint Paul’ DE MAR ‘by the sea’ San Román de los Montes San Quintin de Mediona Toledo ‘Saint Roman’ DE LOS MONTES mountains of Toledo’ Cantabria ‘Saint Quintin’ which means ‘fifth’ in Latin DE MEDIONA ‘in the valley named Mediona’ poss. ‘median’ derived from Latin medietas ‘in the middle’ ‘in region of San Roque Cadiz ‘Saint Roque’ a personal name from French roche ‘rock’. A hermitage was dedicated to him on a hill. San Quirce Burgos ‘Saint Cyriacus’ from Greek Kyriakos ‘Love of God’ and Latin Quiricus. San Roque de Riomiera ‘Saint Raphael’ Hebrew name meaning ‘He who brought health’ a recent place name from the late xviii century. Cantabria ‘Saint Roque’ DE RIOMIERA ‘on the banks of the river Miera’ from its ancient denomination Megrada mentioned by Pompey Mela. San Roman de Cameros San Sadurní de Noya San Rafael Segovia La Rioja ‘Saint Roman’ from Latin Romanus ‘native of Rome’ DE CAMEROS ‘in the territory of Cameros’ ‘undulated’ ‘wingling’ from Hindu-European kamp ‘curved’ and Spanish suffix of propriety -ero, in plural for covering two Cameros: camero alto ‘high’ and camero bajo ‘low’. Alternatively, from Camberi a tribe of Cantabrian and Beroni origin and assumed early settlers. Barcelona ‘Saint Saturnino’ from Latin Saturninus ‘belonging to the Etruscan divinity Saturn’ DE NOYA ‘by the little river’ a short form from Latin amnucula diminutive of amnis ‘river’ San Salvador de Cantamuga Palencia ‘Saint Saviour’ 228 SANTA CRUZ SAN SEBASTIAN DE CANTAMUGA ‘camp on the frontier’ compound from Latin campus and Basque muga ‘frontier’ Santa Barbara Tarragona ‘Saint Barbara’ Latin feminine of Barbarus originally meaning ‘unable to speak Greek’ later ‘foreigner’ San Sebastián (Donostia) Guipuzcoa ‘Saint Sebastian’ Greek name of uncertain origin prob. from sebomai ‘to reverence’ DONOSTIA appears to be a short form of Don Sebastian where only the middle element seb has disappeared. A non-Latin origin has been suggested from sande ‘sand’, batz ‘congregation’ and suffix -an ‘large’, obviously with reference to her beach. Ancient names Colipo and Irochulo Santacara Granada Poss. ‘Dear’ derived from Latin cara. Its original Roman name was simply Cara mentioned by Pliny the Young. Santa Cecilia del Alcor Leon ‘Saint Cecily’ from Latin caecus ‘blind’ DEL ALCOR ‘the one at the foot of a hillock’ from Arabic al kor ‘the hillock’ derived from Latin collis. Santa Coloma La Rioja ‘Saint Coloma’ from Latin columba ‘dove’ A local Saint buried in the town. San Sebastián de la Gomera Canary Islands ‘Saint Sebastian’ DE LA GOMERA ‘the one in the Gomera island’ originally French Gomère Germanic anthroponym with the root guma ‘man’ Santa Coloma de Centellas Barcelona ‘Saint Coloma’ DE CENTELLAS prob. ’belonging to the Centelles family’ settlers from the South of France. San Sebastián de los Reyes Madrid ‘Saint Sebastian’ DE LOS REYES ‘depending directly to the Crown’ from Spanish rey ‘king’ Santa Coloma del Farnés Gerona ‘Saint Coloma’ DEL FARNÉS ‘of the flour merchant’ from Catalan farina San Silvestre de Guzmán Huelva Santa Coloma de Queral ‘Saint Silvester’ DE GUZMAN ‘belonging to the Guzmán family’ Gothic name from Goths-manna ‘able man’ Córdoba ‘Saint Coloma’ DE QUERAL ‘the one near an oakwood’ from Latin quercus ‘holm oak’ and locative suffix -al. Earlier name was Ceresus which means ‘dedicated to the goddess Ceres’ Sansol Navarra ‘Saint Zoilus’ a back-formation from Latin Sanctus and the personal name derived from Greek Zoilos ‘full of life’ Santa Cruz de Campezo Álava ‘Saint Cross’ DE CAMPEZO ‘in the Campezo district’ probably diminutive of Spanish campo ‘field’ ‘camp’ Santa Amalia Badajoz ‘Saint Emily’ form Latin Aemilia, a powerful Roman family. Santa Ana La Real Huelva ‘Saint Ann’ a Hebrew name which means ‘merciful’ LA REAL ‘the Royal one’ Santa Cruz de la Palma Canary Islands ‘Holy Cross’ DE LA PALMA ‘of the palm tree’ 229 SANTA EUFEMIA SANTA CRUZ DE MONTES ‘the one in the region of Mountains of Leon’ Santa Cruz de la Salceda Burgos ‘Saint Cross’ DE LA SALCEDA ‘the one by the willow thicket’ from Spanish sauce ‘willow’ and locative suffix -eda Santa Cruz de Mudela Ciudad Real DE MUDELA poss. ‘the one near the mountain pass’ from Spanish muradal containing muro ‘wall’ metaphoric for ‘mountain. Santa Cruz de la Sierra Caceres ‘Saint Cross’ DE LA SIERRA ‘the one by the Mountain range’ Spanish sierra describes ‘a chain of mountains’ Santa Cruz de Paniagua Cáceres ‘Saint Cross’ DE PANIAGUA ‘of bread and water’ a form of indicating possession by the knights of the Order of Santiago, who paid a salary called pan y agua. Santa Cruz de la Zarza Toledo ‘Saint Cross’ DE LA ZARZA ‘the one with bramble bush’ her Roman name was Vicus Cuminarius ‘village providing cumin seeds’ Santa Cruz de Pinares Ávila ‘Saint Cross’ DE PINARES ‘the one in the pinewood district’ Spanish from pino ‘pine’ and locative suffix of abundance -ares. Santa Cruz de los Cáñamos Ciudad Real ‘Saint Cross’ DE LOS CÁÑAMOS ‘the one near the cane fields’ from Latin canna ‘cane’. Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands DE TENERIFE ‘the one in the island of Tenerife’ said to mean ‘white mountain’ in the native language, translated to Latin as Nivaria ‘snowy’ Santa Cruz de Retamar Toledo ‘Saint Cross’ DE RETAMAR ‘the one on a broom field’ from Spanish retama ‘broom’ and locative suffix -ar. Santa Elena Jaen ‘Saint Helen’ a name meaning ‘Greek’ A famous battle of European armies against Islam was fought in the nearby fields, allegedly under the protection of Empress Helen of Constantinople. Santa Cruz del Sil Leon ‘Holy Cross’ DEL SIL ‘the one by the river Sil’ prob. derived from the pre-Hindu-European root sei which means ‘water’ Santaella Córdoba Sant Cruz del Valle Avila Prob. ‘Fields of hawthorn’ a derivative form of Latin senticella diminutive of sentix ‘hawthorn’ Its Arabic name Shan Yala appears to be a modification of Senticella. ‘Holy Cross’ DEL VALLE ‘the one on the valley of Ávila’’ Santa Cruz del Valle Urbión Burgos ‘Holy Cross’ DEL VALLE URBIÓN ‘the one on the valley of the river Urbión’ another hydronym with Hindu-European root er ‘to flow’ Santa Eufemia Córdoba ‘Saint Euphemia’ in Old Greek ‘well spoken’ Santa Eufemia del Arroyo Valladolid Saint Euphemia’ DEL ARROYO ‘by the brook’ with reference to the stream Bustillos’ which Santa Cruz de Montes León ‘Holy Cross’ 230 SANTA MARIA SANTA EUGENIA means ‘small woods’ added for differentiation. Spanish arroyo is ‘brook’ Santa María de Cayón Cantabria ‘Saint Mary’ DE CAYÓN ‘in the valley of Cayón’ prob. from the noun Gayomba, an aromatic broom Bot. spartium junceum. Santa Eugenia Balearic Islands ‘Saint Eugenia’ ‘well born’ from Old Greek, so named after Bernardo de Santa Eugenia, counsellor of King James I of Aragon. Santa María de Garoña Burgos ‘Saint Mary’ DE GAROÑA is uncertain 1) ‘in the town’ from early Spanish mercenary language garo and variant garuña ‘town’ 2) ‘place covered with fern’ from Basque garo ‘fern’ and locative suffix -onia. Santa Fé Granada ‘Place in memory of the Christian Faith’ It started as a royal camp of the Catholic Kings before Granada determined to conclude the conquest of Arabic Spain. Santa Gadea del Cid Burgos ‘Saint Agatha’ which in Greek means ‘the good one’ DEL CID ‘with reference to Rodrigo Díaz (named El Cid) who supposedly forced king Alfonso VI to swear -in this townbeing innocent of his brother’s death’, Cid was the Arabic hypocorism when referring to the knight Rodrigo. Santa María de Huerta Soria ‘Saint Mary’ DE HUERTA ‘by the orchard’ from Latin hortus ‘orchard’ Santa María de la Alameda Madrid ‘Saint Mary’ DE LA ALAMEDA ‘the one near a poplar grove’ from Spanish Alamo ‘poplar tree’ and suffix of abundance -eda. Santalavilla Leon Uncertain 1.‘Saint Eulalia’ from Greek Eulalos descriptive of person who speaks in a beautiful manner. 2.‘Saint Lavinia’ from Latin name of Roman matron Lavinia, after the wife of Aeneas the founder of Rome. Santa María de las Hoyas Soria ‘Saint Mary’ DE LAS HOYAS ‘the one with pits’ from Spanish hoyos. ‘ Santa Lucía de Valdueza León Santa María del Campo ‘Saint Lucy’ from Latin lux lucis ‘light’ whence ‘luminous’ DE VALDUEZA ‘in the valley of the river Oza’ prob. Celtic from root ausa with the meaning of ‘water stream’ Burgos ‘Saint Mary’ DEL CAMPO ‘within the boundaries of district El Campo’ which means ‘the field’ Santa Margarita Santa María del Campo Rus Santa María Zaragoza Cuenca ‘Saint Mary’ DEL CAMPO RUS ‘the one in the district of Campo Rus’ where Rus is the name of a stream of water from Iberian arrugio Spanish arroyo. ‘Saint Margaret’ Margarites ‘pearl’. Balearic Islands from Old Greek ‘Saint Mary’ Hebrew name derivative of Myriam, the sister of Moses. Its meaning is obscure. 1.’Beloved’ from Egyptian root mr. 2.‘Rebel’ from the same root in Hebrew referring of her resistance to the Egyptian rule Santa María del Invierno Burgos ‘Saint Mary’ 231 SANTA OLALLA SANTA MARIA ‘Saint Mary’ DE RIBARREDONDA ‘the one on the round river bans’ from Latin ripa ‘riverside’ and adjective rotunda ‘round’ DEL INVIERNO Literally ‘wintery’ but poss. belonging to an early settler with personal name of similar phonetic. Santa María de los Llanos Santa Marina del Rey Leon Cuenca ‘Saint Mary’ DE LOS LLANOS ‘in the district of Los Llanos’ which means ‘flat land’ ‘Saint Marian’ feminine personal name from Latin Marinus ‘sailor’ often used in Spain as a hypocoristic of Mary and Margaret. DEL REY ‘reporting directly to the king’ Santa María del Páramo Leon ‘Saint Mary’ DEL PÁRAMO ‘in the moor’ meaning ‘deserted’ from Latin paramus. Santa Marina de la Torre Leon ‘Saint Marian’ DE LATORRE ‘the one showing a tower’ Santa María de Mercadillo Burgos ‘Saint Mary’ DE MERCADILLO ‘offering a small marketplace’ from Spanish mercado with suffix -illo. Santa Marta de Magasca Cáceres ‘Saint Martha’ Hebrew meaning ‘lady’ DE MAGASCA obscure 1) ‘Torrential’ from Arabic maghazi. 2) ‘Place where wild pear trees grew’ from Iberian makatz 3) ‘Cottages for shepherds’ from Phoenician magal ‘shepherd’s dwelling’ Santa María de Nieva Segovia ‘Saint Mary’ DE NIEVA ‘a derivative form of NAVA ‘fertile and enclosed land’ Santander Cantabria Santa María de Palautordera Uncertain 1.‘Dedicated to Saint Emeterius’ from Greek hemi ‘half’ and feros ‘fiery’. This option is sustained by the recorded patronage of this Saint. 2.‘Dedicated to Saint Andrew’ from Greek Andros ‘man’ 3. Sugg. ‘Surrounded with sand’ from Germanic sande ‘sand’ and andel ‘around’ Poss. site of Roman camps such as Portus Victoriae, Portus Juliobrigenses, and Portus Bendium. Barcelona ‘Saint Mary’ ‘ DE PALAUTORDERA ‘the one having a mansion by the river Tordera’ compound from Catalan palau ‘mansion’ and Latin Turdaria ‘place frequented by thrush’ Santa María en Cameros La Rioja ‘Saint Mary’ EN CAMEROS ‘in the region of Cameros’ which means ‘curved and undulated territory’ from Hindu-European Kamb ‘curved’ Santañy Balearic Islands ‘Saint Anio’ from Latin name Annius ‘yearly’ ‘dedicated to goddess Anna Perea ‘ Santa María la Real de Nieva Segovia ‘Saint Mary’ LA REAL DE NIEVA ‘the Royal one’ meaning ascribed to the Crown. DE NIEVA means ‘in the Nieva district’ identical with NAVA ‘enclosed and fertile land’ ‘Saint Eulalia’ Greek, descriptive of a person ‘who speaks softly’, from eu ‘good’ and lalos ‘speech’ founded with this name by the Visigoths. Santa María de Ribarredonda Santa Olalla de Bureba Burgos Sant Olalla Toledo Burgos ‘Saint Eulalia’ 232 SANTIAGO SANTA OLALLA name Gerboldo ‘bold with the spear’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the Campos district’ from a medieval description of the area documented as Campus Gothorum ‘the fields of the Goths’ DE BUREBA ‘in the Bureba territory’ from pre-Roman Borovia of unknown meaning. Santa Olalla del Cala Huelva ‘Saint Eulalia’ DEL CALÁ ‘the one by the river Calá’ Arabic ‘castle’ prob. transposition of preRoman Cala. Santesteban Navarra ‘Saint Stephen’ from Greek Stefanos ‘crowned’ Santa Pola Alicante Sant Feliu de Llobregat Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Saint Paul’ from Latin Paulus ‘small’ ‘humble’ 2.‘Blessed village’ from late Latin sancta pobla, as in Spanish puebla. Roman name was Portus Ilicitanus referred to the Ilicitani nation Santiago Canary Islands Gerona ‘Saint Feliu’ Catalan, from Latin ‘happy’ DE LLOBREGAT ‘the one on the banks of the river Llobregat’ derived from Latin rubrigatus ‘red’ ‘reddish’ ‘Saint James’ an anthroponym with many variants in Spanish such as Iago, Diego, Jaime and Jacobo. Originally Jacob from Hebrew ya-qob ‘the one that grabs heels’ alluding to the known biblical scene with his brother Esau. Santa Ponza Balearic Islands ‘Saint Pontia’ feminine form of Latin Pontius meaning ‘fifth (born)’ from Greek penta ‘five’ Sant Boy de Llobregat Santiago de Calatrava Jaen Barcelona ‘Saint Boy’ shortened form of a name combining archaic Latin badus ‘silly’ ‘innocent’ and patronymic -ius ‘son of’ DE LLOBREGAT ‘on the banks of the river Llobregat’ which means ‘reddish’ in Catalan, derived from Latin rubrigatus ‘red coloured’ ‘Saint James’ DE CALATRAVA ‘assigned to the medieval Order of the knights of Calatrava’ which in Arabic means ‘Castle in an airy place’ Santiago de Compostela La Coruña ‘Saint James’ DE COMPOSTELA Uncertain. 1.‘In a starry field’ from Latin campus ‘field’ and stella star’ 2.‘Composed’ from Latin composita ‘arranged’ ‘rebuilt’ This place is considered to have received the body of Apostle James and buried it in a marble tomb. The name Arca Marmorica applies. Other recorded names apply such as Locus Sanctus, Locus Sancti Jacobi and Liberum donum, the last one meaning ‘gift out of liberality’ a privilege obtained by the town from a legendary queen Lupa. Since the Middle Ages is destination for pilgrims following a route which begins in France and explains the toponym DEL CAMINO ‘of the Way’. Sant Celoni Barcelona ‘Saint Celoni’ Catalan from Greek keledon which means ‘like a swallow’ Sant Cugat del Valles Barcelona ‘Saint Cugat’ Catalan form of African personal name Cucufas DEL VALLÉS ‘land of valleys’ from Catalan vall ‘valley’ Santfelices Burgos 1.‘Saint Felix’ from Latin ‘happy’ 2.‘Saint Elías’ from Hebrew Eliyahu ‘Yahve is mi god’. Identical with SAHELICES. Santervas de Campos Valladolid ‘Saint Gervasio’ from Germanic personal 233 SANT MARTÍ SANTIAGO Santillana del Mar Cantabria Santiago de la Espada Jaen ‘Saint Juliana’ DEL MAR ‘the one by the sea’ Spanish. ‘Saint James’ DE LA ESPADA ‘of the sword’ in prob. allusion to the protection of Saint James in battles against Islam. Santi Petri Cádiz ‘Dedicated to Saint Peter’ Latin in allusion to being the patron of fishermen. In fact, the place owes its name to a fishing concern who operated in the area with the business name Sancti Petri. Was ancient camp Melkart (a divinity of trade activity). Santiago de la Torre Cuenca ‘Saint James’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with a tower’ Santiago Millás León ‘Saint James’ MILLÁS could mean 1) the one with millet fields, from Latin milium ‘millet’ 2) ‘between two rocks’ from Latin gemellas ‘twins’ Santiponce Sevilla ‘Saint Pontius’ Latin name Pontius meaning ‘fifth (born)’ from Greek penta ‘five’. Birthplace of Roman emperors Adrian and Trajan when the town name was Italica. Santa Ponza occurs in the Balearic Islands. Santibáñez de Esgueva Burgos ‘Saint John’ from Latin Sanctus Johannes. DE ESGUEVA ‘by the river Esgueva’ prob. meaning ‘small stream of water’ Santiuste Soria Santibáñez del Val Burgos ‘Saint Justo’ from Latin Justus ‘rightful’ in genitive form Sancti Justi. ‘Saint John’ DEL VAL ‘the one in the valley of river Mataviejas’ which means ‘old bushes’ Santiuste de San Juan Bautista Segovia ‘Saint Justo’ DE SAN JUAN BAUTISTA ‘the one under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist’ since its refoundation by king Charles the III in 1773. Before that, was known as Santiuste de Coca a mayor town of the Vaccei tribe, called Cauca, the meaning of which remains unknown. Santibáñez de los Montes León ‘Saint John’ DE LOS MONTES ‘in the territory of the Mountains de León’ Santibáñez el Alto Cáceres ‘Saint John’ EL ALTO ‘the high one’ Sant Martí de Malda Lérida Santibáñez Zarzaguda Burgos ‘Saint Martin’ from Latin Martius or Martinus ‘under the patronage of the Roman god Mars’ DE MALDÁ Uncertain poss. meaning ‘unfairly treated’ from Catalan adverb mal ‘badly’ and adjective donat ‘donated’ which can be compared with Maldonado probably a distortion of Val-donado. ‘Saint John’ ZARZAGUDA is a compound of aguda ‘sharp’ and zarza ‘bramble’, unless sec. el. related to a personal name such as Agatha. Santillana de Campos Palencia ‘Saint Juliana’ feminine of Latin Julianus ‘son of Julius’ which means ‘curly haired’ from Greek hiolos. DE CAMPOS ‘in the Campos district’ so called since its appropriation by Goth invaders and recorded as Campus Gothorum. Sant Martí de Sardanyola Barcelona ‘Saint Martin’ DE SARDANYOLA Uncertain, poss. ‘the one occupied by Sardinian settlers’ from its previous name Cerdanyola with 234 SANTURCE SANTO DOMINGO los Santos ‘all the saints’ DE LA HUMOSA ‘smoky’ from Latin fumus and Spanish humos with locative of abundance -osa. Earlier name Fumoso is recorded. second element being the possession suffix -ola. Santo Domingo de la Calzada La Rioja ‘Saint Domingo’ from Domenicus ‘lord’ DE LA CALZADA ‘the one along the Roman paved road’ from Spanish calzada ‘paved’. Santos de Maimona (Los) Badajoz ‘Saints’ DE MAIMONA ‘of Maimon’ Arabic personal name recorded Ben Maimum Santo Domingo de Silos Burgos Saint Domingo’ DE SILOS ‘the exiled’ a descriptive of this Saint Dominicus Exiliensis sent in exile by King Garcia of Navarre because of his obstinate refusal to pay taxes. Sant Quintin de Mediona Barcelona ‘Saint Quintin’ from Latin Quintus and patronymic Quintinus ‘fifth’ DE MEDIONA ‘in the middle’ equivalent to Spanish ‘en medio’, here in parallel with patronymic of owners of the Castle of Mediona. Santolea Teruel ‘Saint Eulalia’ from Latin Sanctam Eulaliam a severely contracted form, identical with SANTOLAYA in Asturias or SANTOLAJA in Burgos. The one in Teruel is nowadays submerged Santo Tomé Jaén ‘Saint Thomas’ named by Northern settlers after the recovery from the Islamic period. Could be Christian phonetic assimilation of prior Aramaic ‘twins’ Santoña Cantabria Obscure Sugg. ‘Place belonging to the Santoni tribe’ of Celtic origin. Santo Tomé Pontevedra ‘Saint Thomas’ in Santopetar Almería ‘Saint Peter’ from Mozarabic Hisn Xant Bither ‘castle of Saint Peter. Santorcaz Madrid ‘Saint Torcuato’ Identical SANTORCUATO. Santovenia de Oca Burgos 1.‘Saint Eufemia’ from Greek ‘well spoken’ as in euphemism. 2.‘Saint Eugenia’ ‘well born’ from Greek eu ‘good’ and geni ‘birth’ ‘origin’ DE OCA ‘near the mountains of Oca’ related to a pre-Roman name Auca indicating a ‘elevated’. The second name provides disambiguation with SANTOVENIA DE SAN MARCOS and SANTOVENIA de ZAMORA. with Santorcuato La Rioja ‘Saint Torcuato’ from Latin nickname Torquatus indicating ‘wearing a collar’ Sant Sadurni de Noya Barcelona Saint Saturnino’ from Latin Saturninus ‘belonging to the Etruscan divinity Saturn’ DE NOYA ‘by the little river’ a short form from Latin amnucula diminutive of amnis ‘river’ Santoyo Leon Santos de la Humosa (Los) ‘Saint George’ a short form of Latin Sactus Georgius in genitive. ‘Saint Gregory’ compound using Goyo as sec. el. a short version of Gregorio Sant Pol de Mar Barcelona ‘Saint Paul on the sea’ Catalan. Santurce Vizcaya Madrid ‘Saints’ from the festivity of Todos los 235 SARTAGUDA SANTURDE containing the Celtic root sard ‘running water’ 2.‘Place with a walk of willow trees’ Basque from sarats ‘willow’ from Latin salix and sec. el. Basque bide ‘way’ 3.‘The old way’ with first element Basque zara ‘old’ 4.‘Walk to the forest’ from Basque sara ‘forest’ ‘wood’ and bide ‘way’ 5. Sugg. ‘Place with pebbles’ from Persian root meaning ‘hail’ Santurde La Rioja ‘Saint George’ same as SANTURCE. Santurdejo La Rioja ‘Saint George’ with Spanish pejorative suffix -ejo ‘lesser’ San Vicente de Alcántara Badajoz ‘Saint Vincent’ from Latin Vincentius ‘conqueror’ DE ALCANTARA ‘appointed to the knights of the Order of Alcantara’ a toponym which means ‘the bridge’ Sarasate Navarra ‘Place with a willow tree entrance’ from Basque sarats ‘willow’ and ate ‘pass’ San Vicente de Arana Álava Sargentes de Lora Burgoss ‘Saint Vincent’ DE ARANA ‘in the valley’ from Basque aran-a ‘for ‘valley-the’ 1.‘Place of servants’ from Old Spanish derived from Latin serviens. 2.‘Place frequented by deer’ from Latin cervus. DE LORA ‘in the flat land of Lora’ of obscure meaning San Vicente de la Barquera Cantabria ‘Saint Vincent’ DE LA BARQUERA ‘with a shipyard’ from Spanish barco and occupational suffix -era. San Vicente de Sonsierra Sariñena Huesca Prob ‘Place of *Sarinio’ from hypothetical name of possessor Sarinio and suffix of ownership -ena. La Rioja ‘Saint Vincent’ DE SONSIERRA ‘at the foot of the mountain’ where first element is a transformation of Latin sub as it occurs with French sous and Italian sotto. Sarria Lugo Obscure 1.Prob. ‘Place of *Sario’ name of poss. early settler from a Latin personal name Sarianus ‘red’. 2.‘The thicket’ from Basque sarri-a. San Vicente del Raspeig Sarriés Navarra Alicante ‘Saint Vincent’ DEL RASPEIG ‘on the flattened hill’ this antonym’s first element is Catalan ras ‘flat’ in contraposition with peig, which is identical with puig ‘mountain’. Obscure. Identical with SARRIA. Earlier spelling was Sarres. Sartaguda Navarra ‘Saint Zoilo’ from Greek Zoilos ‘lively’ 1.‘Thicket on a high plateau’ from recorded Sartacuta 2.Sugg. ‘Saint Agatha’ from Greek Agathos ‘good’ ‘’opposite of bad’ a-kakoi Sar Several places in Galicia Sartajada Toledo Sanzoles Zamora ‘Place with a water stream’ from Celtic sard. Prob. ‘Cut thicket’ from Basque sarri and Spanish adjective tajada ‘cut’ Sarabia Galicia and Asturias Sasamon Burgos ‘Victorious and highly placed’ shortened Uncertain 1.‘Place of soft rain’ from Basque zaraza 236 SEGURA SASTAGO from Germanic segi ‘victory’ and ama ‘highest’ Ancient name was Uxama, which became Segisama. segi ‘victory’ and Latin urbe ‘city’ derived from pre-Hindu-European root uorb ‘enclosure’. Poss. site of important Celtic city Segobriga Sástago Zaragoza Segovia Segovia Unknown ‘Small willow plantation’ from Latin salix ‘willow’ and diminutive -illa. Uncertain 1.‘At the foot of the mountain range of Cobia’ from recorded reference Secus Cobiam. 2.‘Victorious town’ from Germanic segi ‘victory’ and suffix -briga ‘town’ also ‘fortress’ 3.‘Exalted town’ from Hebrew segob. 4.‘Place of rest and repose’ from Hebrew secab and derivative secob. Saucejo (El) Sevilla Segre river in Catalonia Satrústegui Navarra Prob. ‘Place frequented by boars’ from Basque saturde ‘boar’ and suffix of abundance -egi. Saucedilla Caceres ‘The small willow grove’ from Latin salix and pejorative suffix -ejo. Obscure Derived from its ancient pre-Roman name Sicoris, and later Arabized as Siquar. A city named Sicane inhabited by the Sicani tribe, invaders of Sicily, is mentioned by historian Stephanos as being near Segre. Sax Alicante ‘Rock’ from Mozarabic sakhs derived from Latin saxum ‘rock’. Sayalonga Málaga Poss. ‘Long robe’ ‘long dress skirt’ from Latin sagum ‘robe’ ‘tunic’ Spanish saco ‘bag’ Segura León ‘Safe’ Spanish. Set of privileges given by kings to villages wanting to offer residency to settlers in compensation for being too close to the frontier Sayaton Guadalajara Poss. ‘Plantation of beech trees’ from Latin fagus and locative suffix -on. Segura Guipuzcoa Seara places in Galicia ‘Safe’ 1.‘Corn field of a specific dimension (haza)’ Galician derived from Celtic sen ara ‘cultivated terrain’ 2.‘Place abundant in rock roses’ from Basque zara 3.‘Cultivated field’ from Arabic zara-a. Segura de la Sierra Jaen ‘Safe’ DE LA SIERRA ‘by the mountain range’ Spanish. Segura de Leon Badajoz Sedano Burgos ‘Safe’ DE LEON with reference to the Encomienda of settlers from the city of León’ an institution related to the Order of Santiago Prob. ‘Place of Setiano’ personal name of owner from Latin Setianus ‘son of Set’ an Egyptian divinity. Sedella Málaga Prob. ‘Small sown field’ from Latin sata derived from serere ‘to saw’ and diminutive -ella. Segura de los Baños Teruel ‘Safe’ DE LOS BAÑOS ‘of the baths’ by the river Aguasvivas meaning ‘alive waters’ Segorbe Alicante Prob. ‘Victorious village’ from Germanic 237 SERÓN SEGURILLA Segurilla Toledo Seijo some locations in Galicia Selaya Cantabria Senia some locations in Catalonia ‘Place with rocks’ Galician from Latin saxum ‘rock’ ‘stone’ ‘Small safe village’ meaning ‘privileged’ rather than ‘safe’ ‘Meadow’ from Basque zelai. ‘Water pump’ Catalan derived from Arabic saniya Selva Balearic Islands Seoane Lugo and several places Uncertain 1.‘Thicket’ Spanish from Latin silva ‘forest’ ‘thicket’ 2.‘Place with silver mines’ from Basque zilar, later Arabized in the form of Xiluar. ‘Thicket’ DEL CAMPO ‘in the open field’ Uncertain 1.‘Place where the foxglove grows’ from Galician seoane Bot. Verbascum Ichnitist or Digitalis purpurea. 2.‘Place of John’ from name of assumed owner Johannan and possessive suffix anius. 3.‘A dry form of farming’ from Spanish secano Selva del Mar Gerona Sepulveda Segovia Selva del Campo Tarragona ‘Thicket’ DEL MAR ‘along the sea’ Spanish. ‘Seven dwellings’ In ancient times was Seppobriga which contains the Celtic root brig ‘town’, and became Septem Publicam with the Romans, whence Sepulvega and Sepulveda. Sella river in Asturias Poss. ‘Noisy’ from Breton sail ‘jump’ ‘movement with noise’ Was ancient Salia mentioned by geographer Pompey Mela. Sequeros Salamanca ‘Raised granaries’ Galician derived from Latin siccus ‘dry’ and feature suffix -ero. Sella Alicante Poss. repetition of river name in Asturias by Asturian settlers. Serena Almería Prob. ‘Land that belongs to a lord’ from early Spanish senara related to señor ‘lord’ Identical with LA SERNA Sellent Several places ‘Place of *Selius’ a shortened form of Latin personal name Selenius, Etruscan derived from Greek Selene ‘moon’ Serna del Monte (La) Madrid ‘Land cultivated for a landlord’ here the Mendoza family. DEL MONTE with reference to the Sierra de Guadarrama which means ‘river carrying sand’ Senés Almería Uncertain 1.‘Castle of Xenes’ from Arabic Hisn Xenex, name of possessor. 2.‘Cemetery’ from Iberian Basque zen ‘defunct’ and Mozarabic locative -es Serón Almería Uncertain Poss. ‘Place of Cerón’ name of prob. possessor from Latin cereus ‘soft’ or ‘dedicated to the goddess Ceres’ Seno Teruel Uncertain. 1.’Place of Senio’ a shortened Greek Seleno ‘dedicated to the Moon’ 2. Sugg. ‘cavity’ from Latin senus Serón de Nájima Soria Poss. ‘Place of Cerón’ DE NÁJIMA ‘by the river Nágima’ Celtic unexplained. Seña Cantabria Prob. ‘Water pump’ derived from Arabic saniya 238 SIETE IGLESIAS SERÓS Setenil de las Bodegas Cuenca Serós Lérida ‘Sisters’ from Latin sorores with reference to ownership of the place from nuns of a convent. Cf. Santa Cruz de la Serós. ‘Mountain range’ derived from Catalan serra which is identical with sierra. Uncertain 1.From Arabic recorded Axxathil of uncertain meaning. 2.Sugg. ‘Seventh’ from Latin septem and Mozarabic suffix -il. DE LAS BODEGAS ‘the one with wine cellars’ from Greek potheke ‘store’ related with Spanish botica ‘pharmacy’ Serradilla Cáceres Sevilla Sevilla Serra Almería ‘Small mountain range’ from Catalan serra and Spanish diminutive -illa. Uncertain 1.‘Plain’ ‘Flat’ from Phoenician Spalis ‘flat.’ The original name Hispalis became Esbilia under the Arabs. 2.‘Town of Spalos’ a legendary leader 3.‘Town built on poles over marshy ground’ from Latin palus ‘pool’ ‘lagoon’ 4.‘Town of king Hispan’ Serranillos del Valle Madrid ‘Small mountain (houses)’ DEL VALLE ‘in the valley’ for distinction with identical toponyms. Serrat several places in Catalonia ‘Small chain of hills’ metaphoric from Latin serratus ‘saw-like’ Sevilla la Nueva Madrid Serrejón Cáceres Sienes Guadalajara ‘A new Seville’ self-evident ‘Village along the mountain range’ from Spanish sierra and augmentative suffix. ‘Low grounds’ ‘ravines’ from Latin sinus ‘cavity’ Sesa Huesca Siero Asturias Obscure. Poss. ‘Caesar’s place’ in ancient times Sesars. ‘Place of Siero’ a shortened form of Germanic personal name Sigerius ‘victor’ Sierra de Yeguas Malaga Seseña Toledo ‘Mountain range’ metaphoric noun form Latin serratus ‘saw like’ DE YEGUAS ‘where mares grow’ Spanish. Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Place of Sesenio’ from personal name of settler Sesenius derived from Latin sexenum meaning ‘sixth’ 2.‘Place where seseli plants grew’ from Greek seselys Bot. seseli montanum Sierra Engarcerán Castellón ‘Mountain range’ ENGARCERÁN ‘of García’ personal name derived from Basque artza ‘bear’ and patronym suffix -an. Sesma Navarra 1.‘Sixth part’ from Latin sexma 2.‘Commons’ ‘fields of public ownership’ from early Spanish sesma. 3.‘Under the hill known as Sesma’ Sierro Almería Mountain range’ prob. with reference to the river Sierro related to Sierra SESTAO Siete Iglesias de Trabancos Sestao Vizcaya Valladolid ‘Seven churches’ which do exist in the village, from Spanish Iglesia DE TRABANCOS ‘’of the river Trabancos’ so named for providing logs ‘Place of Sixto’ from Latin personal name Sixtus ‘sixth born’ Ancient name was Sexto adopted by Basque as Sesta-o. 239 SOJUELA SIGUENZA or timber beams called trabancos in Galician only, from ancient name Segisamone. Siguenza Guadalajara Prob. ‘Place of Sisio’ Latin name of poss. owner with locative of ownership-ante. Sisante Cuenca ‘Victory’ meaning of ancient name Segontia mentioned by Pliny and situated two miles away from current site. Sitges Barcelona ‘Underground granary’ from Catalan sitja with alternative meaning ‘coal furnace in the wood’ In the first sense equivalent to Spanish silos ‘granaries’ Silanes Burgos ‘Place of Silano’ from assumed owner or settler with named Silanus ‘native of the forest’ from Latin silva. Sobrado Several locations Siles León 1.‘Cork tree grove’ from Latin suberaria 2.‘High granary’ from Latin adjective superatus ‘placed above’ Uncertain. 1.‘Granaries’ from Celtic silon ‘grain seed’ 2.‘Place of Celio’ from Latin personal name after one of the seven hills of Rome. Sobron Álava Uncertain 1.‘Place of the big cork tree’ from Latin quercus suber. 2.‘Place of *Sobronio’ assumed personal name. 3.‘Place having a top granary’ from Latin super ‘over’ Silva several locations ‘Forest’ ‘bushy area’ from Latin silva. Identical with SILVELA, SILVOSA and SILVOTA. Silvela some places in Galicia Socovos Albacete ‘Small forest’ from silva and diminutive suffix -ela. ‘Placed under bare fields’ from Latin sub ‘under’ and correspondent Spanish sowith second element covos early form of calvus ‘bald’ ‘bare’ Simancas Valladolid Obscure Poss. ‘Seventh’ from late Latin recorded Septimanica but earlier Celtic name was Seppomanica Socuéllamos Ciudad Real ‘Place full of puddles’ from Spanish cien ‘one hundred’ and second element labajos ‘puddles’ Obscure. 1.‘Thicket of poplar-trees’ from Spanish soto ‘thicket’ and de álamos ‘of poplars’ 2.‘At the foot of the hill’ from Latin sub ‘under’- compare with Italian sotto- and second element collis ‘hillocks’ 3.‘Place of *Socollo’ a suggested Celtic personal names Sucollos meaning ‘the good leader’ A small river Sotuélamos can be found in the district which supports the first option Siruela Badajoz Sojuela La Rioja Sisamon Zaragoza Uncertain 1.‘Below the pasture trail’ from Latin sub ‘under’ and Basque oiada ‘sheep walk amongst pastures’ Sineu Balearic Islands 1.‘Place of Cintio’ Catalan from Greek kynthos ‘a hill in Delos’ 2.‘Place of Sinaldo’ from hypothetical Germanic Sinald Sinlabajos Ávila ‘Plump tree grove’ from Latin cereola ‘wax like coloured’ and Spanish ciruela ‘Victory’ referred only to the first element 240 SOMORROSTRO SOLANA 2.‘Thicket of leaves’ compound of Spanish soto ‘thicket’ and derogative noun hojuelas ‘poor leaves’ Roman name Setelsis mentioned by Ptolemy as a city of the Jaccetani tribe. Soma Asturias Solana de Barros Badajoz ‘At the summit’ from Latin summum ‘top’ origin of Spanish noun cima ‘Place fully exposed to the sun’ from Spanish sol and locative suffix of abundance -ana. Derived from Latin solarium. DE LOS BARROS ‘on the territory called Barros’ which means ‘muddy’ ‘clay soil’ Somaen Soria Uncertain Poss. ‘Grove of Maenio’ a Latin name of owner poss. from matronymic Melania ‘black’ Solana del Pino Ciudad Real Somahoz Santander ‘Sunny’ from sol ‘sun’ and locative -ana. DEL PINO ‘the one by the pine grove’ ‘Gorge on a high place’ with Latin second element falx ‘ ‘gorge’ in Spanish hoz, and prefix soma- ‘over the’. Compare with Spanish asomar ‘look over’ Solanillos del Extremo Guadalajara ‘Small village with sunny diminutive applies to the village. DEL EXTREMO ‘at the pointing at the limit with frontier. fields’ the size of the Somalo Huesca Prob. ‘Grove property of Malio’ personal name of owner from Latin Malleus containing the root ‘hammer’ and first element Spanish soto ‘grove’ last point’ the Islamic Somió Asturias Solarana Burgos Prob. ‘High place’ from Latin summus ‘summit’ 1.‘Sunny valley’ a back-formation of solana ‘sunny’ and sec. el. Basque arana ‘valley’ 2.‘Valley of ryet fields’ from Basque olo ‘oat’ and arana ‘valley’ Somiedo Asturias 1.‘High place’ derived from Latin summus and locative -etum. 2.‘Grove in the middle’ from Spanish soto ‘grove’ plus enmedio ‘in between’ Solas de Bureba Burgos ‘Rye fields’ from Basque olo ‘rye’ DE BUREBA ‘in the territory of Bureva’ assumed Celtic from original Virobia later Borobia. A Basque explanation has been suggested pointing at buru ‘head’ ‘top’ ‘summit’ ‘At the foot of the mountains’ from Latin sub ‘under’ and montis genitive of mons ‘mountain’. Solduengo Burgos Somontín Almería ‘Long grove’ from Spanish soto ‘thicket’ ‘grove’ and Latin longus origin of Old Spanish luengo. ‘At the foot of the mountains’ The Arabized form was Hisn Somontan ‘castle below the mountain’ Solera Jaen Somorrostro Zaragoza Somontes Madrid 1.‘Place at the sun’ from Spanish sol 2.‘Place with soil prepared for labour’ from Spanish suelo ‘ground’ ‘soil’ ‘High plateau’ from Latin summus ‘summit’ and rostrum which has the meaning of ‘plateau’ ‘platform’ Solsona Lérida Somosaguas Madrid ‘Above the waters’ Spanish in reference to the water stream that runs below this site. Unknown A prob. derivative from its ancient pre- 241 SOMOSIERRA SOTÉS compound of gair ‘spear’ and bald ‘bold’ ‘brave’ Somosierra mountains in Madrid ‘Top of the mountains’ Latin summus ‘summit’ and Spanish sierra ‘mountain range’ from Latin serratus ‘saw like’ Soria Soria Uncertain 1.‘Burgh’ from Basque uri ‘town’ ‘city’ 2.‘This is the place’ from Iberian Basque affirmative ori-a 3.‘Yellow place’ from Iberian Basque alternative meaning of ori-a 4.Sugg. ‘Place of people migrated from Syria’ Ancient Oria mentioned by Strabo is a possibility, yet location seems unlikely since the Oretani lived far from Soria. First mention is descriptive of donation of city by king Alonso I of Aragon to Fortún Lopez a knight possessor of the Castle of Oria. Somoza La Coruña ‘High hillock’ from Latin prefix so- ‘over’ and Basque oma ‘small hill’ Son in multiple locations in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands A Catalan descriptive from so in the sense suus ‘his’ and last letter en ‘in, resulting in acronym applied to large or distinguished properties. Soneja Castellon 1.‘Fountain of Sinhaya recorded Berber family 2.‘Fountain of Sonexa’ name of documented Moorish owner Sorlada Navarra Prob. ‘fields’ from Basque soro Sonseca Balearic Islands Sort Lérida Prob. ‘Dry fountain’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and Spanish seca ‘dry’. ‘Estate’ SERVERA means ‘place frequented by deer’ from Latin cervaria ‘deer land’ Uncertain. 1.’Sorted out’ with reference to its having been allocated in a sort of lottery. 2.‘Village with a bridge’ from Basque zubi ‘as first element of Suberte and second uri ‘village’ Son Vida Sorzano La Rioja Son Servera Balearic Islands ‘Farm of Annio’’ from Basque soro ‘inheritance’ and Latin name of owner *Annio ‘Estate of Vida’ from Latin vitam ‘life’ Sopena some locations ‘Under the rock’ from Latin Sub pinnam. Sos del Rey Católico Zaragoza Soportújar Granada Unknown DEL REY CATÓLICO ‘belonging to king Ferdinand of Aragon, named El Católico’. Without doubt a derivative form of its ancient name Sisso. ‘Placed at the foot of the mountain pass’ from Latin sub ‘under’ and portus ‘mountain pass’. The last element is Arabic coxar of meaning unknown. Prob. related with the territory called AlPujarra in Arabic ‘land of pastures’ Sotés Navarra Soravilla Guipuzcoa ‘Village with rye fields’ from Basque sora ‘the rye’ and Spanish villa village’ 1.‘Place where yew trees are found in abundance’ from Basque ote ‘yew tree’. 2.’Thicket’ from Spanish soto. Sorbas Almería Sotillo de la Adrada Ávila ‘Little grove’ diminutive of Spanish soto. DE LA ADRADA ‘near the village of Adrada’ an obscure placename with Prob. ‘Grove owned by Gervasio’ from Latin saltus ‘grove’ ‘thicket’ and Germanic personal name Gervasio, 242 SUZANA SOTILLO suggested explanations: 1) ‘round’ 2) ‘ivy’ 3) ‘retired’ 4) ‘place of Ad-Rada’ Sueca Valencia Uncertain Prob. An Arabized suq ‘market’ or suqa ‘square’ from ancient name Sucron Sotillo de la Ribera Burgos ‘Little grove’ DE LA RIBERA ‘in the river valley’ Suellacabras Soria Poss. ‘Below the valley frequented by goats’ from prefix so- ‘under’ vel shortened form of ‘valley’ followed by archaic conjunction a ‘de’ and last element cabras ‘goats’ Sotillo de las Palomas Toledo ‘Little grove’ DE LAS PALOMAS ‘frequented by doves’ Soto Several locations ‘Place on a riverside with trees’ from Spanish soto derived from Latin saltus ‘farmstead with pastures’ Sueiro some places in Galicia ‘Down the threshing floor’ from Galician eira ‘spot where grain is threshed’ identical with Spanish era. Sotoca de Tajo Guadalajara ‘Under a rock’ from Latin sub and French sous with sec. el. related to roca. DE TAJO ‘on the river Tajo’. Its Roman name was Tagum poss. from earlier Celtic Taio which could mean ‘cut’. Suera Castellón Uncertain. 1.‘Place having or offering iron or golden rings’ from Arabic suera. 2.‘Down from the threshing floor’ compound of locative prefix so- ‘bellow’ from Latin sub and second element Latin area in Spanish era ‘threshing spot’ Soto en Cameros La Rioja ‘Wooded estate’ EN CAMEROS ‘in the region of Cameros’ from Celtic camb meaning ’curved’ ‘undulated land’ Suevos La Coruña ‘Village of the Swabians’ a Germanic tribe who settled in Galicia. The anthroponym is said to mean ‘proper’ ‘independent’ from Gothic suev. Sotogrande Cadiz ‘Large pastures on a river bank’ from Spanish soto ‘riverside pastures’ and grande ‘large’ ‘extensive’ Suflí Almería Poss. ‘Downtown’ from Arabic Sofli which contains the Latin prefix sub ‘under’ Soton (El) Asturias ‘The large estate by the wood’’ from Spanish soto and augmentative suffix -on. Suria Barcelona Obscure Sugg. Oriental divinity named Suria related to the cult of the Sun. Sotopalacios Burgos ‘Wooded estate’ with noun palacios describing the existence of several mansions within. Suterraña Lérida Poss. ‘Place with underground cellars’ from Latin sub terra and suffix -anea. Souto multiple locations in Galicia ‘Pastures in wooded area’ Identical with SOTO. Also occurs in diminutive form in SOTELO, SOUTELO and SOUTULLO. Suzana Burgos ‘Home in a grove of poplar trees’ from Basque zuzun ‘poplar’ and locative suffix -an -a ‘dwelling of’ Suances Santander Unknown Ancient name may have been Blendium, mentioned by Pliny as one of the nine towns in Cantabria 243 TAJUÑA TABANERA DE RUDRÓN ‘in the valley of river Rudrón’ compound from Spanish rio ‘river’ and Iberian Basque ur ‘water’. T Taboada several places in Galicia Tabanera de Cerrato León ‘Boarded’ from Latin tabula ‘Place where horse-flies abound’ Spanish from tabano ‘horse fly’ DE CERRATO ‘In the district of Cerrato’ which means ‘undulated’ ‘wispy’ from Latin cirratus also descriptive of a form of clouds called cirrus. Tabuenca Zaragoza Unknown Mutated form Tabuca Celtic ancient name Taco Canary Islands Tabanera de Valdavia Palencia Prob. ‘The crater’ ‘place of fire’ from a Guanche Ta-co. ‘Place where horse-flies abound’ DE VALDAVIA ‘in the valley of Avia’ which means ‘valley of bilberries’ from Basque abi. Tacoronte Canary Islands ‘The crater of Oronte’ from Guanche compound with meaning approx. ‘Vulcan of the Senate’. Tabara Zamara Obscure Poss. hydronym containing the PreHindu-European root ta ‘flowing’ Sugg. derivative form of Celtic name Tuntobriga. Tafalla Navarra ‘The region’ from its Arabized name Taaal and earlier Tufela prob. derivative of Latin Tutela ‘protection’ ‘fortified’. Roman name was Tritium Metallum. Tabarca Valencia Tahal Almería Unknown A Phoenician settlement repeating the name Tabarra in Tunisia. Mentioned as Thabraca by Ptolemy, Mela, Pliny and Juvenal and site of Roman Plana Insula. ‘The region’ from Arabic Taa-al Tahona several places ‘Mill’ from Arabic Tahona and Spanish homonym with the sense of ‘bakery’ Tabernas Almería Tajo river Prob. ‘Tents’ ‘wholesale stores’ from Arabic Thabernax which could be a derivative e from Latin tabernae ‘huts’ Valencia Prob. ‘Tents’ ‘wholesale stores’ DE VALLDIGNA ‘in the district of Valldigna’ of uncertain meaning. Sugg. renamed as ‘dignified valley’ by king James II of Aragon from previous Arabic Alphandec. Obscure 1.‘Cut’ from Celtic Taio 2.‘Fast’ from Greek Taxes 3.‘Princely’ from Greek Tagos 4.‘River of Tago’ the Iberian legendary king who was slain by Carthaginian general Asdrubal. Its Roman name was Tagum mentioned by Virgil in Book IX of the Aeneid. A reference to a river Sauga can be found in Pliny. Taberno Almería Tajuña river Tabernes de Valldigna Prob. ‘Tent’ TABERNAS. ‘wholesale store’ Uncertain 1.‘Small Tajo’ because of pejorative suffix -uña applied to river Tagus 2.‘In the land of *Tagonius’ hypothetical Roman name. as Tablada de Rudrón Burgos ‘Place protected with wooden slabs’ from Latin tabula ‘board’ 244 TALAMANCA TAMARA Talamanca de Jarama Madrid Talavera la Real Badajoz Obscure Poss. hydronym containing pre-HinduEuropean root ta ‘flowing’ and Celtic suffix -anca, here ‘city’. Meaning options as with previous name LA REAL ‘the royal’ in allusion to its direct dependence to the Crown. Talaren Asturias Obscure. Cf. TALAVERA DE LA REINA LA VIEJA ‘the old one’ Spanish vieja ‘old’ from Latin vetusta Talavera la Vieja Cáceres ‘Place of Talareo’ from recorded personal name Talarius Talarn Lérida ‘Frontal’ from its ancient name Talarnum from Celtic talos ‘front’ with reference to the place facing a hill. Talaveruela Cáceres Talarrubias Badajoz Talayuela Cáceres ‘Small Talavera’ derogative suffix -uela compared with main city TALAVERA. Poss. ‘Dwelling of stone’ where first element appears to be Celtic tala ‘people’ ‘clan’ and second is surely Latin rupis ‘stone’. Ancient Lacipea ‘Watch point’ from Arabic and Spanish atalaya ‘vantage point’ followed by diminutive suffix -uela Taliga Badajoz Talarn Lérida ‘Village by the river Táliga’ which contains the Celtic element tel ‘river’ and a reduced Nordic suffix -briga ‘burgh’ Obscure 1.‘Place of the people’ from Celtic tala ‘people’ ‘clan’ 2.‘Valley’’ from Hindu-European dal ‘dale’ with second element unknown. 3.‘River’ referred only to its prefix from Hindu-European tel- ‘river’ Talveila Soria Obscure, prob. of Celtic origin presenting the root tal ‘fluid’ ‘melting’ Tamajón Guadalajara ‘Big hillock’ from Basque amai ‘height’ and locative suffix -on. Talavan Cáceres Obscure 1.‘Place of the people’ from Celtic tala ‘ 2.‘Desirable valley’ from HinduEuropean dal ‘dale’ with commendatory van ‘wish’ ‘desire’ Tamames Salamanca ‘Place of Temam’ recorded Arab owner of the village. Tamara Palencia Talavera de la Reina Toledo Obscure 1.Derived from Celtic Tame ‘dark’. An hydronym Tamaris is found in Cornwall identical with the river Tamaris in Spain, mentioned by Ptolemy. 2.‘Dark waters’ from Irish Celtic Tame ‘to melt’ ‘to flow’ as in Thames. 3.‘Place with logs suitable as fire-wood’ from Tamo. Obscure 1.‘On the banks of river Bara’ an assumed hydronym of Celtic origin coherent with the frequent prefix tel- ‘river’ 2.‘The people on the riverside’ from Celtic tala ‘people’ and vera ‘riverside’ 3.‘Place where waters flow’ from preHindu-European tal ‘fluent’ 4.‘Hillock’ from Hebrew Thara ‘hill’ Recorded names of Talavera include Libora, Aebora, Ebure Cerealis, Cesarobriga, and Talabriga. DE LA REINA ‘the one belonging to the Queen’ for disambiguation with next. Tamarite de Litera Huesca ‘Place abundant in tamarisk’ an evergreen shrub with feathery leaves and spiky flowers, from Latin tamariscus. 245 TAMARIZ TARDAJOS DE LITERA ‘in the district of Litera’ from Catalan Llitera ‘bed’ derived from Latin lectica ‘portable chair’ Taramundi Asturias Prob. ‘Place of *Taramundo’ a hypothetical Gothic name with Germanic second element mund ‘protected’ Tamariz de Campos Valladolid ‘Place with tamarisk’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the territory named Campos’ after the recorded expression Campus Gothorum ‘Fields of the Goths’ Tarancon Cuenca Uncertain 1.‘Place with a large slab’ from Latin phalanga and augmentative suffix -on. 2.‘Place of Turanco’ poss. HinduEuropean personal name. 3.‘Fields where buckthorn plants grew’ from Latin crabo ‘wasp’ Bot. Lycium intricatum. Tamayo Palencia ‘Big hillock’ from Basque amai ‘mountain’ identical with TAMAJON. Tambre river in Galicia Unknown Poss. related TAMARA. to Celtic Tame. Tarazona de Aragón Zaragoza Cf. Unknown Poss. ‘Meeting of shepherds’ if related to Armenian Turiaso. But common belief is from Iberian Basque Ituria ‘fountain’ No doubt derived from its ancient name Turiaso mentioned in the Roman Itinerary as situated somewhere between Zaragoza and Astorga. DE ARAGON ‘the one in the kingdom of Aragon’ a name combining Basque ara ‘valley’ and suffix -goi ‘high’ Tamurejo Badajoz Obscure. As with TAMBRE and TAMARA Tapia Southwestern region Uncertain 1.‘Place where bilberries grew’ from Basque abi ‘bilberry’ 2.‘Walled enclosure’ Spanish derived from late Latin parietes 3.‘Place protected by an earthy wall’ from pre-Roman French expression tap ‘to tap’. Tarazona de la Mancha Albacete A repetition in Albacete of the previous name by Christian settlers after recovery from Islam. DE LA MANCHA ‘the one in the region of La Mancha’ which could mean ‘flat and dry land’ from Arabic Mannya Taracena Guadalajara Uncertain meaning 1.Derivative from its ancient name Caraca. The Charcitani were people who dwelled in caves and were chased out of their land by the Roman general Sertorius. 2.Sugg. ‘Place of Taracio’ from assumed owner Taracius since it ends in possession genitive suffix -ena. Tarbena Alicante Unknown. Contains pre-Hindu-European tar which means ‘high plateau’ present in Galician taro Tardajos Burgosis Uncertain 1. As in the case of TARBENA, this place name contains the Nordic element in tar ‘high plateau’ 2.‘Fields where garlic grew’ from archaic Spanish terra d’ajos’ Taradell Barcelona ‘Terrace’ from Latin terra ‘earth’ and Catalan diminutive suffix -ell. Taragudo Guadalajara Poss. ‘Terrace of *Agudo’ an assumed possessor from Latin personal name Acutus ‘sharp’ 246 TARDIENTA TEIJEIRA Tardienta Huesca Tazones Asturias 1. The first element could derive from Nordic tar ‘high plateau’ 2.‘Burning fields’ from archaic Spanish terra ardenta Uncertain 1. A derivative of its pre-Roman name Taucia. 2.‘Place where bushes can be found’ from vernacular noun tazon ‘roots of bushes’ 3.‘Estations’ from Latin estationes referred to ‘shipyards’ or ‘ship moorings’ Tariego Palencia Prob. ‘Small and high terrace difficult to reach’ from Galician descriptive taro and Celtic locative -ecum Teatinos (Los) o Casas de Fernando Alonso Cuenca Tarifa Cádiz ‘Theatine monks’ from the Italian town Teate, the bishopric of founder Gian Pietro Carafa. As for CASAS DE ‘City of Tarif’ first Islamic invader of the Peninsula, not to be mistaken with Tarik, whose name originated that of Gibraltar. Earlier names of Tarifa were Melaria, Mallaris, both meaning ‘producer of honey’ Tartesia, Tingitera, Julia Joza and Julia Transducta FERNANDO ALONSO the name corresponds to a local real estate owner. Teba Malaga ‘Castle of the star’ from Arabic Hisn Atiba no doubt a phonetic adaptation of its ancient name Ostippo. Another TEBA can be found near Cordoba, named Ategua during the war between Caesar and Pompey. Tarragona Tarragona Uncertain. 1. Mutation of her ancient name Tarraco of unknown meaning 2.‘Fountain’ from Iberian Basque Ituria 3.‘Meeting place for shepherds’ from Armenian Turiaso Other recorded names: Cesse, Colonia, and Julia Victrix Tébar Cuenca Uncertain 1.‘Place of Teobald’ from personal Germanic name Theudobald ‘illustrious’ 2.‘Place where tufa abounds’ from Spanish teba ‘tufa’ 3.‘The place of the drum’ from Arabic tabir ‘drum’ Tarrasa Barcelona ‘Terrace’ from Catalan terrassa after Latin terra ipsa. Was Egara and Egesa, the latter poss. origin of phonetically related terresa, Teide Canary Islands ‘Demon’ from vernacular Echeide ‘demon’ ‘devil’ Tárrega Lérida Unknown Ptolemy mentions a city Anabis in the region inhabited by the Iacettani nation which might be this Tarrega. There could be some relationship with the name Tarraco Guanche Teguise Las Palmas Unknown Surely Guanche origin Teijeira several places in Galicia ‘Houses with tile roofs’ from Galician teixa and Latin tegula ‘tile’ with locative suffix -eira Tartanedo Guadalajara Poss. ‘Place of Taurelio’ from Latin personal name Taurelius ‘bullish’ or Tarsicius ‘native of Tarso’ Tejada Burgos ‘Tiled’ from Spanish teja ‘tile’ and feature suffix -ada Tauste Zaragoza Unknown Tejado Soria ‘Village with tile roof houses’ 247 TEJEDA TERUEL Tejeda de Tiétar Cáceres Teresa de Cofrentes Valencia ‘Village with tile roof houses’ DE TIÉTAR ‘in the valley of river Tiétar’ of meaning unknown except for poss. Celtic elements such ast tar ‘high plateau’ if not ta ‘fluent’ Prob. ‘Terrace’ from Latin terra DE COFRENTES ‘in the valley of Cofrentes’ meaning ‘confluent waters’ from the rivers Cabriel and Jucar. Termiñón Burgos Telde Las Palmas Prob. ‘Land of *Menio’ from Latin terra ‘earth’ ‘land’ and personal name of assumed owner Menio derived from Germanic main ‘rock’ ‘stone’ Prob. ‘Place of fig trees’ from Berber telle ‘fig’ Telleira several locations in Galicia ‘Tile factory’ from Latin tegularia ‘factory of tiles’ identical with TEXEIRA Teror Las Palmas Prob. ‘Promontory of round and pointed shape’ from Berber taurit incorporated in the Guanche language with the recorded forms Terori and Terore Tembleque Toledo Uncertain 1.‘Place with a temple’ from Latin templus and locative suffix -ecum 2.‘Shivering cold’ from Latin tremor ‘shiver’ 3.‘New Bethlehem’ given by Jewish settlers. Terque Almería Unknown 1.‘Terrace’ from Latin terra ‘earth’ and locative suffix -icum 2.‘Fountainhead’ from Iberian Basque ituregui a compound with itur ‘fountain’ and egi ‘plenty’ Temiño Burgos Unknown Prob. from a personal name of its Celtic or Roman possessor Terrateig Valencia Uncertain 1.‘Taxed village’ from late Latin terratgem ‘tax paid for the use of land’ 2.‘Roofed terrace’ from late Latin terra tectam Tempul Cádiz Uncertain 1. ‘On the banks of the brook Tempe’ 2.‘Village with temples’ from Latin pagus templarum Terraza Guadalajara ‘Terrace’ from Latin terraceus in the sense of ‘earthy prominence’ retaining the Hindu-European root ters ‘to dry out’ Tena León ‘Tent’ ‘enclosure for cattle’ from Latin tigna feminine of tegnum ‘board’ Terrinches Ciudad Real Tendilla Guadalajra Uncertain 1.‘Land of Sancho’ from Latin terra and surname Sánchez of Basque origin from antzo ‘able’ ‘ingenious’ 2.‘White tower’ from Latin turris ‘tower’ ‘Small tent’ ‘small enclosure for cattle’ from Latin tigna Tenerife Canary Island 1.Prob. ‘Thirsty location’ from Berber Tin Irif- i ‘camp where we were thirsty’ 2.‘Vulcan’ ‘inferno’ from a Guanche hypothetical Tenerifiz Was Seboso according to Pliny, Nivaria ‘snowy’ mentioned by and Juba whereas Ptolemy calls her Ninguaria ‘cloudy’ ‘misty’. Teruel Teruel Uncertain 1.Its ancient name Turbula was Celtic containing the pleonasm tur ‘town’ (from which the word urbe is derived) and bourgh ‘city’ 2.’Fountain’ from Basque from itur ‘fountain 248 TERZAGA TITAGUAS The name Turbula underwent several changes since its foundation by the Batestatini people, with Turiola ‘Little tower’ being the closest to its final form Teruel. Tietar river in Extremadura Unknown Pre-Roman adopted by the Arabs as Tatar Tijola Almería Terzaga Guadalajara Unknown A derivative of its recorded Phoenician name Tagili Uncertain 1.‘Land’ from Latin terra and Iberian Basque locative suffix -aga ‘place’ 2.‘Landmark’ from Latin tertia ‘one third’ identical with TIERZO. Tinajas Cuenca Prob. ‘Place with large earthen jars’ form Latin tina ‘wine flask’ and Spanish tinajas. Teulada Valencia ‘Covered with tile roofs’ from Latin tegula Tineo Asturias ‘Place of Tineo’ an assumed possessor bearing the same family name as Roman consul Quintus Tineius Rufus Tibi Alicante Unknown Poss. ‘Dwelling of Iberians’ pre-Roman name containing the same root as Iberia. Tiñana Asturias Identical with TINEO followed by the Latin genitive -ana indicating ownership. Tibidabo Barcelona Prob. ‘The hill of Teobaldo’ from Germanic personal name consisting of Theud ‘people’ and vald ‘daring’ ‘illustrious’ Tinto (Río) Huelva ‘Red river’ from Latin tinctus ‘tinged’ Earlier name was Urium. The Arabs kept Tinctum and called this river Nahr Tintus but also Nahr Lahsar with reference to its alternative pre-Roman name Luxia Tiedra Valladolid Unknown 1.Sugg. ‘Village of squawking birds’ from Celtic root tetr ‘to squawk’ modified in Iberian to Tetra 2.‘Covered with tile roofs’ from Latin taectatam ‘roofed’ Tirgo La Rioja Unknown Without doubt a derivative from Autrigon ‘belonging to the Autrigoni tribe’ Tierga Zaragoza Unknown Doubtless a derivative of its pre-Roman name Tertakom which contains the locative suffix -aco Tirig Castellón Unknown Poss. from Phoenician city Tiro and its genitive Tyrian Tiermes Soria Unknown Site and ruins of an important Iberian city. Derived from its original name Termesos. Tirvia Lérida ‘Three roads’ from Latin Tri Viae with reference to the three valleys that converge in the area Tiermas Zaragoza Titaguas Valencia Uncertain Prob. ‘Spa with thermal waters’ from Latin terme aquae. (At present this village is submerged under a dam) ‘Fountains’ from Arabic Tittauin descriptive of the plurality of water sources existing in the zone 249 TITULCIA TOLOX Titulcia Madrid Toboso (El) Toledo ‘In memory of Titulcia’ Name given by king Ferdinand the VII reminiscing the Titultia or Tituacia recorded by Ptolemy. Prior to 1814 was Bayona de Tajuña. ‘Quarry of turf stones’ from Spanish toba and suffix of abundance-oso. Tocina Sevilla ‘Dusty’ from Arabic Tixena Togores Barcelona Tiurana Lérida Uncertain 1.‘Place of Tirano’ from Greek personal name Tyrannios ‘lord’ ‘master’ 2.‘Place of Tiburcio’ from Latin family name Tibur, one of the seven hills of Rome. ‘Huts’ ‘cottages’ from Latin Tuguria Tivenys Tarragona Unknown Derived from its ancient pre-Roman name Toluba Toja (La) several places in Galicia ‘Place where furze bushes grew’ a Galician word derived from Iberian tox Tolba Huesca Unknown Derived from its Roman name Tibentium kept in Arabic as Tivenx Tolda Several locations in Galicia ‘Awning’ with reference to an arch placed over the waters of a mill. Spanish toldo is generic. Tivisa Tarragona Uncertain Prob. ‘Three heads’ from Latin name Tria Capita with reference to the three mouths of the river Ebro. Toledo Toledo Uncertain 1.‘Heights’ from Celtic Tore and archaic locative suffix -etum which is related to dum and dun 2.‘Place of generations’ from Hebrew Toldoth ‘mother of people’ 3.‘Forum’ from Greek To-Letoi ‘meeting place for the magistrates’ 4.‘Place of Tolentine settlers’ from Ligurian Tholenus referred to Thole an Italian dome. 5.‘Big promontory’ from Arabized recorded Tolatuta Mentioned in the Roman Itinerary also by Livy, Pliny, and Ptolemy as the main city of the Carpetani people. Toba (La) Guadalajara ‘Turf quarry’ from Spanish toba derivative of late Latin tofa ‘sponge-like stone’ Tobalinilla Burgos ‘Small turf quarry’ identical with LA TOBA with Spanish diminutive -illa Tobar Burgos ‘Quarry of turf stones’ Spanish Tobarra Albacete ‘Quarry of turf stones’ directly from late Latin Tobaria Tobed Zaragoza Tolosa Guipúzcoa Derived from its assumed ancient name Thabuca a city of the Vardali people mentioned by Ptolemy The suggested origin from ancient Iturisa is more likely to belong to ITUREN in Navarra. ‘Quarry of turf stones’ from Spanish toba and second element abbreviation of suffix -eda Tobes Asturias ‘Quarry of turf stones’ from Spanish toba and abbreviation of locative -esa, as in Tobesa Tolox Málaga Poss. ‘High rock’ from Tulos a name given by the Bastuli people, the Iberian nation occupying the South of Andalusia. Tobía La Rioja Unknown A derivative of its ancient name Tubia 250 TOMARES TORNAVACAS Galician queiroa ‘heath’ Tomares Sevilla Uncertain Prob. ‘Place of palm trees’ from Arabic Tam-Rah ‘palm tree’ Tordesillas Valladolid ‘Hillock of the Sillaes’ from its earlier name Otero de Sillaes, an Islamic family, documented. Ancient names Gela and Segisama Julia. Tomellosa Guadalajara ‘Place where thyme plants grew’ from Spanish tomillo ‘thyme’ and locative of abundance -osa Tordomar Burgos ‘Tower of Omar’ Arabic personal name which means ‘long-lived’ Tomelloso Ciudad Real ‘Place where thyme plants grew’ Toreno León Uncertain 1.‘Small hillock’ from late Latin toronus 2.‘Place of Turio’ name of assumed owner or ruler. 3.‘Cultivated field ploughed in only one direction because of a limiting fence’ from dialectal word torna ‘turn around’ 4.‘The hillock abundant in hay’ a shortened form of Otero del Heno Tombrio de Abajo Leon ‘Grove in the shadow’ shortening from Latin saltus ‘grove’ and umbrius ‘in the shadow’ DE ABAJO ‘the lower one’ for differentiation. Tora Lérida Prob. ‘High place’ from Iberian Celtic Tore ‘heights’ Torija Guadalajara Torafe (Iznatoraf) Jaen ‘Castle of the paved road’ from Arabic Hisn ‘castle’ and Al Turab ‘the paved road’ with reference to Roman tracks. ‘Small tower’ corruption of Latin diminutive torricula showing the seldom used Spanish diminutive -ija like in baratija ‘cheap’ Toral de los Guzmanes León Torla Huesca ‘Small tower’ backformation from Latin torricula ‘High tower’ contraction of Spanish torre ‘tower’ and alta ‘high’ DE LOS GUZMANES ‘belonging to the Guzman family’ a name of Germanic origin from Goths-man ‘able person’. In Arabic Guzman is related to Osman a family of royal ancestry. Tormantos La Rioja Prob. ‘Tower of Mantio’ personal nickname derived from Spanish Clemente and Latin Clementen ‘compassionate’ Torbiscon Granada Tormes river in Valladolid Poss. ‘Tower of Aniano’ from its ancient name Turaniana ‘dedicated to the divinity Anna Perea’ with prefix tur‘tower’ from Latin turris. The name appears in the Roman Itinerary. Obscure 1.Poss. ‘Fluent water’ from HinduEuropean root tur ‘river’ and second element unknown 2.‘Of the jagged tower’ from Spanish torre mellada with reference to the fountain Tormella placed at the river source. Tordehumos Valladolid ‘Watch point to communicate with smoke’ from Spanish torre ‘tower’ and humos ‘smokes’ derived from latin fumus and related to Spanish fumar ‘to smoke’ Tornavacas Cáceres ‘Turning point for cowherd’ from Spanish verb tornar ‘to return’ and vacas ‘cows’ Tordera in Barcelona ‘Place frequented by thrush birds’ from Spanish tordo and locative -era. 251 TORO TORRECILLA Toro Zamora Torre multiple locations Doubtful 1.‘The fields of the Goths’ shortening from one of its ancient names Gothorum with only the last two syllables remaining 2.‘One of the eight hillocks’ from earlier denomination Octodurum combining Latin octum ‘eight’ and Celtic dun ‘small promontory’ where durum becomes taurum. Torre Alhaquime Cádiz ‘Tower’ from Latin turris a frequent first name followed with an explanatory addition for disambiguation. ‘Tower’ ALHAQUIME 1) ‘Of the wise-man’ from Arabic Al Faquí 2) ‘On sand banks’ from Arabic Alfac Roman name was Castra Gemina ‘twin fortresses’ Torquemada Palencia ‘Tower burned-down’ Spanish from torre quemada. Torrebeleña Guadalajara ‘Tower’ BELEÑA 1) ‘Belonging to Belonio’ ‘native of Belon’ or ‘bellicose’. 2) ‘in a field of henbane herbs’ from Hindu-European belenium, and Arabic Bengi, whence Spanish veneno ‘poison’ Torralba Cuenca ‘White tower’ Spanish from torre alba. Torralba de Aragón Huesca ‘White tower’ DE ARAGON ‘the one in the region of Aragon’ poss. Iberian Basque from ara ‘valley’ and goi ‘plateau’ Torreblascopedro Jaen ‘Tower’ BALSCOPEDRO ‘ruled by Blasco Pedro’ which could translate as Peter the Raven from Basque bela ‘raven’ ‘crow’ and suffix -co. Torralba de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘White tower’ DE CALATRAVA ‘the one governed by the knights of Calatrava’ prob. ‘four castles’ from Arabic Quae-At-Arba. Torrecaballeros Segovia ‘Vantage point’ from Spanish Otero ‘hillock well placed to look out’ rather than ‘tower’ as first element. CABALLEROS meaning ‘inhabited by gentlemen’, literally ‘horsemen’’ Torralba del Burgo Soria ‘White tower’ DEL BURGO ‘the one in the Burgo district’ with the same origin as bourgh. Identical with first name of BURGO DE OSMA Torrecampo Córdoba ‘Tower in the field’ self-evident Torralba de Oropesa Toledo Torrecilla de la Orden ‘White tower’ DE OROPESA ‘the one near the town of Oropesa’ of uncertain meaning poss. ‘at the foot of the mountain’ from Greek oro ‘mountain’ and Latin pedem ‘foot’. Valladolid ‘Small tower’ DE LA ORDEN ‘governed by the Master of the Order of Saint John’ better known as the Order or Malta. Torralba de los Frailes Torrecilla de la Torre Valladolid ‘Small tower’ DE LA TORRE is an interesting case of redundancy. Zaragoza ‘White tower’ DE LOS FRAILES ‘the one owned by the friars’ from Occitan fraire ‘brother’ 252 TORRECILLA TORREFONBELLIDA DEL BURGO ‘in the town’ from Spanish burgo ‘town’ ‘burgh’ Torrecilla de los Angeles Cáceres ‘Small tower’ DE LOS ANGELES ‘of the Angels’ for disambiguation Torre del Campo Jaen ‘Tower’ DEL CAMPO ‘in the field’ for slight distinction with TORRECAMPO in the province of Cordoba. Torrecilla sobre Alesanco La Rioja ‘Small tower’ SOBRE ALESANCO ‘higher placed than the town ALESANCO’ a place name meaning ‘near Alesia’ related to the personal name Alexander Torre del Compte Teruel ‘Tower’ DEL COMPTE ‘the one in the village of the Count’ from French compte ‘count’ here named Ferrer Torrecuadrada de los Valles Torre del Español Tarragona Guadalajara ‘Square tower’ from Spanish cuadrada ‘square’ DE LOS VALLES ‘on the valleys’ referring to those of the river Tajuña. ‘Tower of the Spaniard’ Torre del Mar Málaga ‘Tower’ DEL MAR ‘of the sea’ as a watch point of the presence of ships. Torre de Arcas Teruel ‘Tower’ DE ARCAS 1. ‘With arches’ from Spanish arco ‘arch’ 2. ‘Where coffers are kept’ from Spanish arca ‘ark’ Torredembarra Tarragona ‘Tower’ with second element Em Barra Catalan for ‘on the sand bank by the seashore’ Torre de Don Miguel Cáceres Torre de Santa Marina Leon ‘Tower’ DE SANTA MARINA ‘of Saint Marina’ a derivative of Mary ‘Tower’ DE DON MIGUEL ‘of Fray Michael’ founder of the castle-town. Torre de Guadairo Cádiz Torre de Valdealmendras ‘Tower’ DE GUADAIRO ‘by the river Guadairo’ from Arabic wadi ‘river’ and second element related to Latin aureus ‘golden’ Guadalajara ‘Tower’ DE VALDEALMENDRAS ‘the one in the valley with almond trees’ a weak nominal difference with even longer homonym TORREDELALMENDRAL in Badajoz, which caused the change of name. Torre de Juan Abad Ciudad Real ‘Tower’ DE JUAN ABAD ‘of John the Abbot’ assumed new settler after the Arab domination. Torredonjimeno Jaen ‘Tower’ followed by name of possessor Don ‘owner’ and Ximeno identical with Hebrew Simon which means ‘the one who is listened to by God’ In ancient times was prob. Tosiria Torre de Almendral Badajoz ‘Tower’DE ALMENDRAL ‘the one with an almond tree grove’ was its original name until changed to ‘Michael the land partitioner’ which is the meaning of Miguel Sesmero, from sesma ‘sixth’ Torrefonbellida Valladolid ‘Tower by the embellished fountain’ from Latin fons ‘fountain’ and bella ‘beautiful’ with the Spanish suffix -ida. Torre del Burgo Guadalajara ‘Tower’ 253 TORREHERMOSA TORREMOCHA Torrehermosa Valladolid Torrelobaton Valladolid ‘Beautiful tower’ from Spanish torre and Latin formosa ‘well formed’ whence Spanish hermosa. ‘Tower of the young wolves’ from Spanish lobatos diminutive of lobo ‘wolf’ The coat of arms of the village shows two small wolves. It may have been ancient Amallobriga, mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. Torrejoncillo del Rey Guadalajara ‘Smallish tower’ the double suffix -on-illo is a compound of pejorative and diminutive meanings, applied to a small watchtower. DEL REY ‘a village of the king’s patrimony’ Torrelodones Madrid Uncertain 1.‘Tower by the hackberry grove’ from lodon ‘Mediterranean hackberry’ 2.‘Tower where thieves were imprisoned’ from Spanish ladrones ‘thieves’ 3.‘Tower of don Tirso Lodon’ assumed first owner of the place, a donation from King Alfonso VI. Torrejón de Ardoz Madrid ‘Watchtower’ DE ARDOZ ‘by the brook Ardoz’ of meaning unknown. Torrellas Zaragoza ‘Small towers’ abbreviation from Latin diminutive Turricellae Torrejon del Rey Guadalajara ‘Watchtower’ DEL REY ‘under the direct rule of the king’ ‘Watchtower’ DE VELASCO ‘village of Blasco’ personal name derived from Basque toponym meaning ‘frequented by crows’ from bela ‘crow’ and locative suffix -asko. Torremanzanas Alicante ‘Tower by the apple grove’ Spanish compound place name which has produced a homonym river name. The origin is assumed from 1) Arabic Almazan ‘the apple grove’, unless 2) from Arabic Al-manzha ‘look out’ if so, ‘watchtower’. Torrejon el Rubio Caceres Torremayor Badajoz Torrejon de Velasco Madrid ‘Watchtower’ EL RUBIO was founded by ‘Pedro Rubio’ translated ‘Peter the fair haired’ ‘Main tower’ from Spanish torre and mayor. Torrelaguna Mádrid Same with TORRE DE ARCAS. Uncertain 1.‘Tower of Menio’ from Latin personal name Menius ‘small’ 2.Sugg. ‘Tower of the lady’ from Latin noun Domenica. Torrelavega Cantabria Torremocha Cáceres Torremenga Cáceres ‘Tower by the lagoon’ Spanish Torre las Arcas Teruel ‘Tower of the river plain’ from Spanish vega. Although two rivers can be found the second element is derived from one of two anthroponyms: 1) Gonzalo Ruiz De la Vega, possessor, or 2) Garcilaso De la Vega, assumed builder of the tower ‘Diminished tower’ from Latin mutilata ‘mutilated’ Torremocha de Jarama Madrid ‘Short tower’ DE JARAMA ‘by the river Jarama’ Arabic name Sarama of unknown meaning. Torrelavit Barcelona ‘Earth and Vineyard’ compound of two neighbourhoods Terrasola ‘just earth’ and La Vid ‘the vineyard’ Torremocha de Jiloca Teruel ‘Short tower’ 254 TORREMOCHA DE JILOCA ‘by the river hydronym of meaning unknow. TORTELLA Jiloca’ Torres Navarra ‘Towers’ The isolated name without explanatory can be found in more than fifty instances. Torremocha del Campo Guadalajara ‘Flattened tower’. DEL CAMPO ‘the one in the fields’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ ‘open space’ Torres de Albanchez Valencia ‘Towers of the Albano family’ a patronymic from personal name Albanus ‘white’ Torremolinos Málaga ‘Tower by the mills’ Spanish. Formerly was Molina ‘Place of mills’ changed as a landmark for fishermen and sailors in search of water and flour. Torre de la Alameda Madrid ‘Tower by the Alameda’ which means ‘poplar grove’ Its ancient name appears to have been Melturi and derivative Metturicum Torremontalbo La Rioja ‘Tower by the white mountain’ from Latin turris ‘tower’ mons ‘mountain’ and albus ‘white’. Torres Jaén ‘By the brook’ poining at a pre-Roman brook-name turra adopted by Mozarabic as Turras and thus changed to ‘towers’ Torremuña La Rioja Uncertain 1.‘Tower of Munio’ from Latin personal name Munius ‘serviceable’ origin of surname Muñoz 2.‘Tower in a garden’ from Latin turris ‘tower’ and Arabic munia ‘garden’ Torresandino Burgos ‘Tower of Sindino’ from its original name Torre Domno Sindino a Visigoth anthroponym with the title Domino ‘lord’ Torrevelilla Teruel Torrente Valencia ‘Small watchtower’ from Spanish vela ‘vigilance’ and diminutive -illa. 1.‘Place having several towers’ from Spanish torre ‘tower’ and suffix of abundance -ente. 2.‘Place near a rushing stream’ from Spanish torrente Torrevieja Alicante ‘Watch tower’ from its earlier name Torrevigía ‘lookout tower’ discarding the alternative ‘old’ from vieja. Torre Nueva Ciudad Real ‘New Tower’ Spanish Torrico Toledo ‘Smallish tower’ a pejorative suffix of torre ‘tower’ in unusual masculine form. Torreorgaz Cáceres Obscure It was Torreaolgaz Torrijos Toledo ‘Smallish towers’ plural of TORRICO with derogatory -ijos. Torre Pacheco Murcia ‘Tower of Pacheco’ Spanish family name from Latin pax ‘peace’ whence ‘peaceful’ ‘indolent’ Torrox Malaga 1.‘Tower’ from Arabic Turrush derived from Latin Turris 2.‘Place with a public granary’ from Spanish trox ‘granary’ Torre Padre Burgos ‘Village of Don Pedro Gil’ from Latin Petrus and Aegis ‘shield’ Tortella Gerona Torre Quebradilla Jaén ‘Carved tower’ from Catalan torre and adjective tallat ‘carved’ ‘cut’ ‘Tower a bit broken’ from Spanish quebrada ‘broken’ and restrictive -illa. 255 TORTOLA TRASPINEDO from Spanish toba ‘tuff’ in Latin tufus. Tortola de Henares Guadalajara ‘Small orchard’ from Latin hortus ‘orchard’ and diminutive illa. DE HENARES ‘by the river Henares’ which means ‘haystacks’ Tovia La Rioja ‘Place with plenty of tuff’. See TOVED. Toya Asturias ‘Place abundant in furze plants’ a literal explanation which is corruption of obscure pre-Roman name Tugia mentioned by Pliny. Tortoles de Esgueva Burgos ‘Small orchards’ DE ESGUEVA ‘by the river Esgueva’ poss. ‘with poplar trees’ from pre-Roman root ezki Trafalgar cape in Cádiz Uncertain 1.‘White cape’ ‘luminous cape’’ from Arabic taraf ‘cape’ albiar ‘white’ 2.‘Westerly cape’ from Arabic Taraf ‘cape’ followed by al -Garb ‘the West’ 3.‘Cape of the cave’ from Arabic Taraf ‘cape’ and algar ‘cave’ Tortosa Tarragona Unknown Prob. ‘Town of stones’ with reference to their use in buildings. Was Dertosa in pre-Roman times. The original name is Iberian Basque which the Romans changed to Hibera Julia and later to Julia Augusta. During the Islamic era the Iberian name reappeared as Turtusa Mentioned by Strabo in his Geography with the Greek name Dertossa Katoikia which means Dertosa Colony. Tragacete Cuenca ‘Beyond the salt-works’ compound from Spanish tras ‘beyond’ and Basque gatz ‘salt’ with the locative -eta. Traibuenas Navarra 1.‘Place of Tribuniano’ from Latin personal name Tribunianus pertaining to a Roman tribune. 2.‘Beehives’ from an assumed earlier name Truébanos. The etymology is a complex derivative from Latin tubus which contains the description ‘hole in a tree frequented by bees’ Tortuera Guadalajara Poss. ‘Orchard terrain’ from Latin hortus ‘orchard’ and area ‘area’. Tortuero Guadalajara Poss. identical with TORTUERA Tossa del Mar Gerona ‘Fountain by the Sea’ first element corresponds with the original name Iturrisa which contains the Iberian Basque root itur ‘fountain’ Traiguera Valencia ‘Beyond the fig tree’ from Spanish tras ‘beyond’ and higuera ‘fig tree’ Trasierra Badajoz Totana Murcia Unknown Seems derived from its ancient name Deitana Urbs ‘Beyond the mountain range’ from Spanish tras ‘beyond’ and sierra ‘mountain range’ Tous Valencia Trasobares Zaragoza Uncertain Doubtless, derived from its recorded name Trium Obantium where the first element means ‘three’ in Latin but second is unknown. Prob. ‘Channels for water’ from Catalan tou derived from Latin tubus ‘tubes’ ‘channels’ Touza several locations in Galicia ‘Pasture’ in Galician Traspinedo Valladolid ‘Beyond the pinewood’ from Spanish tras ‘beyond’ and pinedo ‘wood of pine trees’ Toved Zaragoza ‘Place where tuff is found in abundance’ 256 TREBAGO TRIJUEQUE Latin name Trepeana from Latin pedis ‘of the foot’ Alternatively, ‘Three ways’ from the same etymology. Trebago Soria Obscure 1.Celtic origin with locative suffix -aco. 2.Latin origin, inferring Treviacum as ‘three-way junction’ Thus, a variant of TREVIAÑA and TREVIÑO. Trevijano La Rioja Prob. ‘Place of Trebeliano’ from Latin personal name Trebelianus Trebujena Cádiz Prob. ‘Place of Trebeliano’ from Latin personal name Trebelianus and frequent Latin suffix of ownership -ena. Treviño territory in Alava ‘Three frontiers’ from Latin trium ‘three’ and finis ‘limit’ ‘end’ Treceño Cantabra Triacastela Lugo ‘Three limits’ from Latin Trium ‘three’ and finis ‘ends’ ‘Three castles’ from Galician compound of tria ‘three’ and castella ‘castles’ Trelles Asturias Triana Several locations Prob. ‘Place of Turelio’ from Latin personal name Turelius meaning ‘of the tower’ Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Homestead of Tiranio’ from Greek personal name Tyranos ‘lord’ 2.‘Place dedicated to emperor Trajan’ 3.‘Three rivers’ compound of Latin trium ‘three and Celtic anna ‘river’ ‘brook’ Tremp Lérida Obscure 1.‘Site of Trempolin settlers’’ name of tribe from Liguria in Italy. 2.‘Temple’ templus in Latin. Tribaldos Cuenca Prob. ‘Place of Teobaldo’ from Germanic personal name Theud ‘people’ and bald ‘bold’ ‘brave’ Tres Cantos Madrid ‘Beyond the stones’ Spanish tras ‘beyond’ and second element from canto ‘stone’. Discarding the etymology ‘three’. Tricio La Rioja ‘Three-way junction’ from Latin Trivium. The Latin place name Tritium can be found in several locations. This one was Tritium Metallum; another was Tritium Tuboricum, located in MOTRICO, and a plain Tritium corresponds to CARCEDA Tresjuncos Cuenca ‘Beyond the reeds’ from Spanish adverb tras ‘beyond’ and junco ‘reed’. Traspaderne Burgos ‘Beyond the homestead of Paterno’ from Latin trans ‘beyond’ and Paternus ‘fatherly’ Latin personal name. Trigueros Huelva ‘Fields for the farming of wheat’ from Spanish trigo ‘wheat’ and plural locative suffix -eros. Trevejo Cáceres Poss. ‘Gray place’ from Galician treva ‘darkness’ This place was colonized by settlers from Galicia who changed her original name Saint Martin. Trigueros del Valle Valladolid ‘Wheat fields’ DEL VALLE ‘in the valley’ with reference to the river Pisuerga, of obscure meaning and Nordic origin. Trévelez Granada ‘Placed between two valleys’ from its original name Inter Vallis Arabized as Vélez ‘land’ Trijueque Guadalajara ‘Place of wheat’ from Mozarabic trigo ‘wheat’ and locative suffix -eque. Treviana La Rioja Poss. ‘Three podiums’ from its original 257 TUY TRILLO Turegano Segovia Trillo Huesca Poss. ‘Chimes’ from Arabic Tyrial ‘chiming of the bells’ can be compared with French carillon. Ptolemy mentions a town Termidae ‘thermal waters’ which could be the origin of Trillo with early modifications before the Arabic transposition. ‘High place over the meadow’ from Latin Turris ‘tower’ and vegam ‘meadow’. Turia river in Asturias Prob. ‘Place of tree trunks’ from Latin trunculus. Unknown Mentioned by Ptolemy as Proelium Turiense when describing the battle between Pompey and Sertorius. The Arabs changed the name to Wad AlBiar ‘white river’ adopting an earlier name Canus ‘white’ Trubia Asturias Turiso Alava Tronchón Teruel ‘Fountain’ from Basque iturri ‘fountain’ ‘Deep valley’ from Asturian vernacular noun tribiecu ‘cradle’ poss. in a metaphorical sense. Turleque Toledo ‘Place with a tower’ from Latin turris and locative suffix -eque. Truébano Asturias ‘Hole in a tree’ ‘Apiary’ from Asturian vernacular truebu derived from Latin tubus ‘tube’ Turon Asturias 1.‘Hillock’ from Ligurian Teur 2.‘Watchpoint’ from Latin turris ‘tower’ ‘elevated position’ Trujillanos Badajoz ‘Place of settlers from the city of Trujillo’ Turre Almería Trujillo Cáceres ‘Watchtower’ one of the line of turrets for vigilance of the frontier. ‘Tower of Julio’ from its Roman name Turris Julia and Castra Julia, so named after gens of emperor Julius Caesar. Pre-Roman name was clear precedent Urgalium Turrilas Almería ‘Small watchtowers’ plural diminutive of torre ‘tower’ Turruncún La Rioja Tudanca Cantabria ‘Town’ a derivate from Celtiberian Tauta ‘town’ and suffix of location -anca. Uncertain. First element is ‘tower’ from Latin turris. Tudela Navarra Tuy Pontevedra ‘Fortress’ from Latin tutelam ‘protection’ The Arabs kept the name as Tothila. Obscure 1.Poss. ‘Village’ from Celtic Tuathrit, reminiscent of Loc Tudi in Britanny. 2.‘Place of Tadeo’ from Greek Tydeus of assumed early possessor. This very ancient city was mentioned by Pliny with the name Tyde, prime origin of the name. Tudela de Duero Valladolid ‘Fortress’ DE DUERO ‘the one by the river Duero’ Tudelilla La Rioja ‘Small Tudela’ from Latin tutelam ‘protection’ and diminutive -illa. 258 UBEDA ULZURRUN Udabe Navarra U Poss. ‘Pilar by the water’ from Basque uda ‘water’ and abe ‘column’ ‘pilar’ Ugarte Ubeda Jaen some locations in Basque country ‘Between two rivers’ from Basque ur ‘river’ and arte between’ Uncertain Probably derived from its pre-Roman name Betula 1.‘Fortified town’ from Latin Oppida 2.‘City in the Betica province’ from Latin urbs ‘city’ and Baetica ‘of the river Betis’ 3.‘Tower of Ibiut’ from a documented Ibiut 4.‘Oxen trail’ from Iberian Basque idi ‘ox’ and bide ‘trail’ ‘way’ under the assumption of Ubeda being a town in the Idubeda mountain mentioned by Pliny. Its Arabic name was Obdah Ugena Toledo Prob. ‘Place belonging to Usio’ from personal name of poss. owner Ustius followed by suffix of ownership -ena. Ugijar Granada ‘Holy orchard’ from original Latin Hortus Sacrum corrupted in its Arabic form Or Xicar. Ujo Asturias Ubrique Cádiz ‘Gate’ from Latin Ustio or Ostium with reference to its position in the valley Unknown Sugg. ‘Place of Ulrico’ from Germanic personal name of settler Uldaricus ‘rich in will power’ Identified with ancient town Ocurris which has some phonetic similarity with Ubrique. Ujue Navarra Unknown 1. ‘Dovecot’ from Basque uxoxo-a 2.‘Pasture’ from Basque euntze ‘cloth’ 3.‘Place where jars were made’ from Basque untzi ‘recipient’ 4. ‘Place with ivy’ from Basque untz ‘ivy’ 5. ‘Well’ from Latin puteum This elusive name has persisted through time as Uxue Uceda Guadalajara Uncertain 1. Poss. ‘Place of willow trees’ from Spanish sauce and locative suffix -eda. 2.‘Heath’ from Spanish brezo derived from urces a descriptive of little trees used to produce charcoal. The suffix -eda is common of wooded places Ancient name was Barnacis. Ulea Murcia Prob. ‘The high one’ from Arabic Ulliya Uleila del Campo Almería Prob. ‘The high one’ from Arabic Ulliya DEL CAMPO ‘in the valley’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ required for differentiation with ULEILA DE ARRIBA and ULEILA DE ABAJO. Ucero Soria Unknown 1.As UCEDA. 2. Modified Areva from the name of the river which gave name to the Arevaci nation. Ulibarri Álava ‘The new village’ derived from Basque uli a variant of uri ‘village’ and barri ‘new’ Uclés Cuenca Unknown Its pre-Roman name was Ocilis later Arabized as Eclis which can be interpreted as ‘watchtower’ Ulzurrun Navarra Poss. ‘Noise of water’ from Basque ur ‘water’ and zurrun ‘rumour’ ‘noise’ 259 ULLASTRE URDA Ullastre Gerona Unquera Cantabria ‘Wild olive grove’ from Latin oleaster and Catalan ullastre ‘Place covered with rush’ from Latin Juncaria and Spanish junco ‘rush’ with suffix of abundance -era. Uldecona Tarragona Uncertain 1.‘Eight hillocks’ from Catalan vuit derived from French huit plus Latin cona ‘hills’ 2.‘Eight concavities’ from Catalan vuit ‘eight’ and Latin conca ‘cavity’ ‘shell’ Unqueira Granada Ullibarri Álava ‘Between rivers’ from Basque ur ‘river and arte ‘between’ Identical with UNQUERA. The Galician suffix indicates that the place was inhabited by settlers from Galicia after the withdrawal of Arab people. Urarte Vitoria ‘New town’ from Basque uri and berri ‘new’ Urbaneja Burgos Ulloa Lugo ‘Place belonging to Urbano’ from Latin personal name Urbanus ‘citizien’ with suffix -eja variant of genitive -eia. ‘Homestead’ from Basque uri-a ‘town’ intermediate Uliola and Galician version Ulio-a. Urbel del Castillo Burgos Umbrete Sevilla 1.‘Blackriver’ from Basque ur ‘water’ and beltz ‘black’ 2.‘Watch point’ shortening from a Latin descriptive ultra vedere ‘look beyond’ DEL CASTILLO ‘with a castle’ ‘Place in a shadowy area’ from Latin umbra ‘shadow’ and Mozarabic locative suffix -ete. Prob. site of the ancient town of Osca, mentioned by Ptolemy, when describing the land of the Turdetani. Urbina Álava 1.‘Place where two streams of water converge’ from Basque ur ‘water’, mid element bi ‘two’, and distributive suffix -na ‘the one which has’. 2.‘The way to the water’ from Basque ubi ‘ford’ ‘water way’ Umbría (La) multiple locations ‘The place in the shadow’ from Latin umbracula Uncastillo Zaragoza ‘Fort of Unio’. From Latin Unius Castri referred to a personal name Unius backformation of unigenitus ‘one born’ Urbion mountain between Soria and La Rioja From the same etymology as URBINA which appears synonymous with frequent Latin Interamnes ‘between rivers’ Unciti Navarra ‘Place with ivy’ from Basque untz ‘ivy’ Union (La) Murcia ‘The Union’ with reference to the union of three neighbourhoods of Cartagena in 1860 Urbiola Navarra Union de Campos (La) Urda Toledo A variant of URBINA with Basque suffix -ola. Valladolid ‘The Union’ with reference to the union between the villages of VILLAGRA and VILLAR DE RONCESVALLES. DE CAMPOS ‘it took place in the region of Campos’ Urcertain 1.‘Place of the water’ from Basque ur ‘flowing water’ and suffix -da ‘is’ 2.‘Pigsty’ from Basque urda ‘pig’ which is derived from Hindu-European uede ‘wild boar’ 260 URDÁNIZ URREA Urdaniz Navarra Uría Several locations 1.Prob. ‘The village’ from Basque uri ‘village’ ‘town’ and article -a ‘the’ 2.Poss. ‘Place where fern plants grow’ from Basque iratze-a Uncertain 1.‘Place with fir trees in watery grounds’ from ur water da ‘affirmative’ and eitz ‘fir tree’ 2.‘Place frequented by wild boars’ from Basque urde ‘wild boar’ and locative suffix -iz. 3.‘Place with grey water’ from Basque urdin ‘grey liquid’ Uriarte Álava ‘Between two neighbourhoods’ from Basque uri ‘inhabited place’ ‘dwelling’ and adverb arte ‘between’ Uribarri Vizcaya Urdax Navarra ‘New village’ from Basque uri ‘village’ and adjective berri ‘new’ ‘Bridge of Urda’ contraction from original name Urdazubi where zubi means ‘bridge’ First element with same options as in URDANIZ Uriondo Vizcaya ‘Well founded village’ from Basque uri ‘village’ and suffix -ondo ‘deep’ ‘well founded’ Urdiales several locations 1.‘Fields where barley grew’ from Latin hordeum ‘barley’ and plural locative ales. 2.‘Hazel tree grove’ from Basque urdi ‘hazel nut tree’ Urizar Álava ‘Old village’ from Basque uri ‘village’ and adjective izar ‘old’ Urnieta Guipuzcoa Uncertain 1.‘Place where iron was worked’ from burni ‘iron’ and plural suffix -eta. 2.‘Place of excellent water’ from Basque ur- ‘water’, middle commendatory -on‘good’, and -eta ‘place, giving an assumed Uroneta. Ureta Navarra ‘Place where water abounds’ from Basque ur ‘water’ and suffix which can be indicative of abundance -eta. Urgel (Seo de) Unknown Certainly, derived from the second word of ancient Iberian name Arse Durgi which contains the Hindu-European root ur ‘water’ It became Orgelia and later Urgeli. Seo is identical with Spanish sede ‘site’ derived from Latin sedes ‘seat’ Urquiola Vizcaya ‘Place with birch trees’ from Basque urki ‘birch’ and locative suffix -ola. Urra Navarra Prob. ‘Hazel tree grove’ from Basque urr ‘hazel’ ‘hazel nut’ and article -a. Urgoiti Vizcaya Urracal Almería ‘Village on a high place’ from Basque uri village’ and goiti ‘at the top’ ‘Place frequented by magpies’ from Spanish urraca ‘magpie’ and locative suffix of abundance -al. Urgosa Asturias ‘Heath’ from Latin Ulicosa derived from ulex ‘heather’ adopted by Spanish urze and its synonym brezo. Urrea de Jalon Zaragoza ‘Slope of the hazel grove’ shortening from Basque urr ‘hazel tree’ egi ‘slope’ and article -a. DE JALON ‘by the river Jalón’ ancient Salone of unknown meaning. Urgeira Lugo Identical with URGOSA with Galician locative -eira instead of Spanish suffix of abundance -osa. 261 URREMACETA UZTEGUI Urremaeceta Navarra Useras Castellon Prob. ‘Hazel grove at the end of the heather’ Basque compound of urr ‘hazel tree’, amai ‘limit’, and aza ‘heath’, with plural suffix locative -eta. ‘Heathfield’ from Latin Ulicaria origin of Spanish urce and later brezo ‘heath’ Suffix -as is a locative which expresses abundance of something. Urrez Burgos Usi Navarra Prob. ‘Hazel grove’ from Basque urr ‘hazel tree’ and Mozarabic locative -ez ‘Forest’ ‘wood’ from Basque use. Usoz Navarrra Urria Asturias Prob. ‘The hazel grove’ from Basque urr ‘hazel tree’ and article -a ‘the’ 1. ‘Dovecot’ from Basque uso ‘dove’ and locative suffix -oz 2.‘Forest’ ‘wood’ from Basque use Urroz Navarra Ustarroz Navarra ‘Place where the mistletoe grows’ from Basque usta ‘mistletoe’ and locative suffix -oz. Is the same as URREZ. Urrutia Vizcaya Prob. ‘The far away’ from Basque adjective urruti ‘distant’ and suffixed article -a ‘the’. Usurbil Guipuzcoa Prob. ‘Ash tree grove on a round territory’ from Basque lizar ‘ash tree’ and bil ‘rounded’ Urturi Álava Prob ‘Village with abundance of water’ from Basque ur ‘water and uri ‘village’. . Utiel Valencia Prob. ‘By the well’ from Latin genitive putealis ‘of the water well’ where the ending alis turns into Mozarabic iel. Urzainqui Navarra ‘Protected waters’ from Basque ur ‘water’ verb zain ‘to protect’ and congregational suffix -ki ‘together’ Utrera Sevilla 1.‘Fort where wineskin bottles were made’ from one of its Latin names Castra Utricula. Castra Ultraria and Castra Vinaria. 2.‘Fort where bricks were manufactured’ from subsequent Roman name Castra Lateraria This last version was adopted in Arabic as Latrarya. Usagre Badajoz ‘Holy orchard’ abbreviation from Latin Hortus Sacrum. Also found in UGIJAR and UJIJAR. Usanos Guadalajara Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Place founded or owned by Lucio’ from Latin personal name Lucius ‘bright’ with genitive of ancestry -anus. 2.‘In the wood’ from Basque use ‘wood’ and locative suffix -an ‘inside’ Ustarroz Navarra 1.‘Place belonging to Astario’ from personal name Ahostar or Affostar documented in Basque archives. 2. ‘Wild land’ ‘commons’ from Basque usta. Uscarres Navarra Sugg. ‘Oak grove’ from use ‘wood’ and suffix aritz ‘oak tree’ Uztegui Navarra Usen Lérida ‘Place on a stony slope that is being harvested’ from Basque uzte ‘harvest’ and egui ‘slope with many stones’ ‘ ‘Place of Usio (or of Lucio)’ Latin personal names of hypothetical owners or founders. 262 VACIAMADRID VALDEAVERUELO Valcarlos Navarra V ‘Valley of Carlos’ from Latin personal name Carolus, in this instance pointing to a visit paid by emperor Charlemagne. Vaciamadrid Madrid Valdanzo Soria ‘The pastures of Madrid’ from Arabic Fahs al-Mayrit with prob. reference to common fields. See MADRID for its meaning hypothesis. ‘Anteo’s valley’ personal name of settler derived from Greek Anteo ‘frontal’ Valdaracete Madrid ‘Cedar tree grove’ from Arabic al-arz ‘the cedar’ arce in Spanish. The prefix val-is a phonetic substitution of the Arabic article. The locative suffix -ete is Mozarabic. Vado (El) Guadalajara ‘The ford’ Spanish from Latin vadum ‘part of a river that can be crossed on foot’ Vadocondes Burgos Uncertain Poss. ‘The ford of Cundi’ from assumed Northern anthroponym Gundi which means ‘battle’ Ancient name appears to have been Vadocuende Valdarachas Guadalajara Uncertain Poss. ‘Valley of oak trees’ from prefix valand Basque ariz ‘oak tree’ Valdavia region in Palencia ‘Valley of the river Valdavia’ a pleonasm from the river Avia in Galicia which is born in Fonte Avia from archaic avia ‘water’ origin of Latin aqua. Val common prefix ‘Valley’ from Latin vallis or Spanish valle Valbuena de Duero Valladolid ‘Good valley’ second element derives from Latin bona, a commendatory given by Romans to well provisioned places. DE DUERO ‘by the river Douro’ of meaning uncertain from a pre-HinduEuropean original dur ‘river’ adopted by the Romans as Durius ‘Doric’ Valdeande Burgos ‘Anteo’s valley’ prob. personal name of settler derived from Greek Anteo ‘frontal’ Would be identical with VALDANZO. Valdearcos de la Vega Valladolid ‘Arches on the valley’ compound from valle ‘valley’ and arco ‘arch’’ DE LA VEGA meaning ‘built on the plain of the river Duero’. Valbuena de Pisuerga Palencia ‘Good valley’ DE PISUERGA ‘by the river Pisuerga’ ancient name unknown and supposedly Greek-Iberian Pisos-Oros-Aca applied to the region Pisorica ‘riverbank on the highlands’ Valdearenas Guadalajara ‘Sandy valley’ from prefix val- and Spanish arenas ‘sands’ Valbueno Guadalajara Valdeavellano Guadalajara ‘Good valley’ Spanish self-evident. ‘Valley of hazel trees’ from prefix val- and Spanish avellano ‘hazel’ Valcarcel Pontevedra Uncertain 1.‘Guarded valley’ from prefix val- ‘valley’ and Latin carcer ‘custody’ 2. ‘Valley where prisoners were kept’ from Latin carcer and Spanish carcel ‘prison’ 3. Sugg. ‘Place of Cartio’ from Latin personal name Cartius Valdeavero Madrid Prob. ‘Valley frequented by birds’ from Spanish ave ‘bird’ and locative of residence -ero. Valdeaveruelo Guadalajara ‘Small VALDEAVERO’ pointing at the 263 VALDECABALLEROS VALDEOLMILLOS larger village in Madrid. derived from Latin lupa and prefix val‘valley’ Valdecaballeros Badajoz ‘Valley of the knights’ Apparently the knights of Saint George. Their cross appears in the coat of arms of the town. Valdearco Huelva Valdecañas de Cerrato Valdeltormo Teruel ‘Valley of the arch’ from Spanish arco and prefix val- ‘valley’ ‘Valley of the rock’ from Spanish tormo of Greek origin to describe an isolated rock detached from a larger rocky area Palencia ‘Valley of the cane (or reed) plantation’ DE CERRATO ‘in the Cerrato district’ meaning ‘hilly and undulated land’ from late Latin cirratus. Valdemanco del Esteras ‘Valley of the cane plantation’ DE TAJO ‘by the river Tajus’ of meaning unknown, literally ‘deep cut’ Ciudad Real ‘Valley with weeds’ from Spanish mancha ‘portion of earth with excess of weeds’ DEL ESTERAS ‘by the river Esteras’ poss. derived from Latin storea ‘rush’ Valdecolmenas de Abajo Valdemaqueda Madrid Cuenca ‘Valley of the beehives’ from Spanish noun colmena ‘beehive’ and first element prefix val-. DE ABAJO ‘the lower one’ added for differentiation. ‘Valley with firm soil’ from Arabic makada ‘firm’ Valdemorillo Madrid Valdeconcha Guadalajara Valdemoro Madrid Valdecañas de Tajo Caceres ‘Little VALDEMORO’ with reference to the larger town in the same province. ‘Valley of the Moor’ derived from Spanish Moro ‘Moor’ with prefix val- ‘valley’. ‘Valley on a basin’ second element from Spanish concha derivative of Latin concavus ‘carved’ ‘Valley of the fountains’ compound Spanish from Latin fontis and first element val- prefix for ‘valley’ Valdenoches Guadalajara ‘Valley of the chestnuts’ from Spanish nueces ‘chestnuts’ derived from Latin nucis. The interpretation ‘nights’ from Spanish noches is unlikely. Valdeganga Albacete Valdenuñofernández Valdefuentes Cáceres Guadalajara ‘Valley of Nuño Fernández’ anthroponym meaning ‘ninth’ from Latin Nonnius or ‘free and daring’, if opting for a Germanic etymology Firthu and Nands ‘Valley of ganga birds’ where second element is Spanish ganga meaning ‘little pin-tailed grouse’ similar with the partridge but inedible. Valdehuncar Cáceres Valdeolivas Cuenca ‘Valley with abundance of rush’ from Spanish junco and its locative junquera ‘place with rushes’ ‘Valley with olive trees’ from Spanish olivo ‘olive tree’ and prefix val- ‘valley’ Valdelaguna Madrid Valdeolmillos Palencia ‘Little VALDEOLMOS’ in diminutive to differentiate from the larger town in Madrid. ‘Valley of the pooled water’ from Spanish laguna ‘lagoon’ and prefix val- ‘valley’ Valdelaloba Leon ‘Valley of the she-wolf’ from Spanish loba 264 VALDUNQUILLO VALDEOLMOS derived from Latin saltus ‘grove by the riverbank’ Valdeolmos Madrid ‘Valley with elms’ from Spanish olmo ‘elm tree’ and prefix val- ‘valley’. Valdespina Soria ‘Hawthorn valley’ from Spanish espino ‘hawthorn’ and prefix val- ‘valley’ Valdepeñas Ciudad Real ‘Valley of rocks’ from Spanish peña ‘rock’ and prefix val- ‘valley’. Valdestillas Valladolid Prob. ‘Valley of the splinters’ from Spanish astillas ‘splinters’; four of them represented in the coat of arms of the village. Valdepeñas de Jaen Jaén ‘Valley of rocks’ from Spanish peña ‘rock’ DE JAEN ‘in the province of Jaen’ so named from Arabic personal name Hayyan. Valdetorres Badajoz ‘Valley of the towers’ from Spanish torre and first element prefix val- ‘valley’ Valdepielago León ‘Valley with pooled water’ from Spanish pielago ‘earth which contains stagnant water’ derived from Greek pielagos ‘ocean’ Valdetorres de Jarama Madrid Is identical with VALPIELAGO. ‘Valley of the towers’ DE JARAMA ‘the one by the river Jarama’ from pre-Roman Sarama of unknown meaning. Valderaduey Palencia Valdeverdeja Toledo ‘Valley of plain land’ compound from Spanish prefix val- and Iberian Basque aratoi ‘land of plains’ ‘Valley of greenish land’ with reference to the abundance of trees. First element is prefix val- ‘valley’ Valderas León Valdevimbre Leon ‘Valley with a plantation of osiers’ from Spanish mimbre and prefix val- ‘valley’ Valdepielagos Madrid ‘Valley used as threshing ground’ from Spanish era ‘circular floor where wheat was threshed’. Valdezate Burgos Unknown 1.‘Cold way in’ from Basque otz-a ‘the cold one’ and ate ‘gate’ ‘access’ 2.‘Wolf’s way’ from otso ‘wolf’ and -ate ‘access’ Valderrama Burgos Uncertain 1.‘High valley’ from Hebrew Ramah ‘elevated’ 2.‘Valley of Ramah’ from name of assumed Arab ruler. 3.‘Valley of Roman’ from assumed possessor’s name Romano Valdilecha Madrid ‘Valley with fern-plants’ where second element is derived from Latin filectam ‘covered with fern’ and first is prefix val‘valley’ Valderrebollo Guadalajara ‘Valley of new oak trees’ from Spanish rebollo ‘oak saplings’ with mid element containing the prefix re- ‘new’ Valderrobres Teruel ‘Oakwood valley’ from Spanish roble ‘oak’ and prefix val- ‘valley’ Valdivia Sevilla ‘In remembrance of Pedro de Valdivia’ A family name prob. derived from a Basque toponym from ald ‘side’ and ibi ‘ford’, whenceforth ‘by the side of the ford’ Valdesotos Guadalajara Valdunquillo Valladolid ‘Valley of the jonquil’ from Spanish junquillo and prefix val- ‘valley’ ‘Valley of thickets’ from Spanish soto 265 VALENCIA VALGAÑON Valencia Valencia ‘Worthy’ from Latin adjective Valantia ‘worthy’ ‘healthy’ ‘valiant’ Earlier recorded names were Epidropolis, and Tyris, the latter mentioned by Pliny. Under the Arabs its name was Medina al- Tarab ‘City of joy’ and Medina-alTuran ‘Dusty city’. The name Balansiya remained to describe the province. Valenzuela Córdoba ‘Little Valencia’ the origin is patronymic since it can be traced back to a family named Valenzuela Valenzuela de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘Little Valencia’ referred to the city DE CALATRAVA ‘the one governed by the knights of the Order of Calatrava’ which is said to mean ‘castle of the airs’ in Arabic Valencia de Alcantara Caceres ‘Worthy’ DE ALCANTARA ‘governed by the knights of the Order of Alcantara’ an Arabic toponym which means ‘the bridge’ Valera de Abajo Cuenca ‘Town of Valerio’ founded by Roman general Valerius Flacus and mentioned by Pliny. The Latin name translates as ‘worthy’ ‘strong’. DE ABAJO ‘the lower one’ because the city was divided in two neighbourhoods Valencia de Don Juan Leon ‘Worthy’ DE DON JUAN ‘given to prince Juan, son of Pedro de Portugal and his Castilian wife Ines de Castro, who became queen, post mortem. Older name of this Valencia may have been Palantia mentioned by Ptolemy in his narrative of the Asturi tribes. In Roman times was Covianca, later metathesized to form Valencia. Valera de Arriba Cuenca ‘Place of Valerio’ DE ARRIBA ‘the upper one’ Valfermoso de las Monjas Guadalajara ‘Beautiful valley’ from val- ‘valley’ and Spanish hermoso ‘beautiful’ after Latin formoso ‘well formed’ DE LAS MONJAS ‘of the nuns’ with reference to a Benedictine monastery Valencia de las Torres Badajoz ‘Worthy’ DE LAS TORRES ‘the one with towers’ Also known by simple de la Torre. Valfermoso de Tajuña o de Las Sogas Guadalajara Valencia del Ventoso Badajoz ‘Worthy’ DEL VENTOSO ‘the one having inns’ from Spanish venta ‘inn’. Earlier name was Ventosa ‘place having ventas’ The interpretation ‘windy’ from Spanish viento is less likely. ‘Beautiful valley’ DE TAJUÑA o DE LAS SOGAS ‘the one by the river Tajuña’ prob. meaning ‘small Tajo’ in its Arabic version Tayuniya. However, before the Arabs, the river had a genitive form Tagoneous, which suggests an anthroponym. The name de las sogas ‘of the ropes’ is a reference to the manufacture of ropes. Valencia del Alcor Sevilla ‘Worthy’ DEL ALCOR ‘the one by the hillock’ from Arabized coll ‘hillock’, added for differentiation. Valgañón La Rioja ‘Valley of the granary’ name of a castle known as Granionne ‘granary’ in the near town of GRAÑON. The genitive form VALIÑA points at an assumed personal name of founder Granio. Valencia del Mombuey Badajoz ‘Worthy’ DE MOMBUEY ‘by the hill of the ox’ derived from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and bovis ‘ox’ in Spanish buey. 266 VALIÑA VALMASEDA Valiña several places in Galicia ‘Little valley’ -iña is Galician diminutive of val, which can be found also in VALIÑO. DEL CERRATO ‘in the Cerrato district’ meaning ‘undulated’ ‘hilly terrain’ from Latin cirratus ‘softly curved’ Valle de la Serena Badajoz Valladolid Valladolid ‘Valley’ DE LA SERENA ‘in the region of Serena’ unknown prob. descriptive of taxed land uncultivated Obscure 1.‘Valley of *Olit’ assuming that the city was rebuilt by an Arab possessor named Olit, after it being destroyed by invader Abdelazid in year 710. 2.‘Town of the governor Abul’ from Arabic personal name Abul Abbas and first element Walli ‘governor’. 3.‘Fort of Wali’ from Arabic Belao ‘fortress’ and second element Wali being the name of an Arab leader. 4.‘Valley of Scent’ from Latin vallis and noun Oletum ‘scent’ 5.‘Valley of olives’ from Latin vallis ‘valley’ and oliveti (though no olives are grown in this latitude). 6.‘Valley of the channel’ assuming second element Latin tolitum ‘carved in’ 7.‘Sunny valley’ from Latin vallis and improbable adjective soletum ‘sunny’. 8.‘Valley of the battle’ from Spanish valle de la lid. Roman names assigned to Valladolid have been Pintia -based on it rightly located between Asturica and Cesaraugusta- and Tola which only shares the syllable dol of the name and is mentioned in the Roman Itinerary. Valle de los Caídos Madrid ‘Valley’ DE LOS CAÍDOS ‘dedicated to the casualties of the civil war’ from Spanish adjective caido ‘fallen’ Vallegera Burgos 1.‘Valley of light earth’ from Spanish adjective ligera ‘light’ derived from documented lieiras. 2.Sugg. ‘Valley of the Sierea brook’ which could mean ‘plaster works’ Valles several locations ‘Valleys’ in Spanish Valles de Palenzuela Burgos ‘Valleys’ DE PALENZUELA ‘close to Palenzuela’ town named after PALENCIA was earlier Pallantia Comitis ‘of the Count’ and later Pallantiaola. Vallfogona Gerona ‘Valley of abundance’ from Spanish adjective harto ‘satisfied’, derived from Latin fartus ‘replenished food’ 1.‘Valley of fire-places’ from Latin focus which is the base of Spanish fuego ‘fire’ ‘fireplace’ 2.‘Fertile valley’ from Latin fecundus ‘fecund’ Vallarta de Bureba Burgos Valls Tarragona Vallarta Burgos ‘Valleys’ in Catalan ‘Valley of abundance’ De BUREVA ‘the one in the region of Bureva’ from ancient pre-Roman name Borovia of meaning unknown Valmala Burgos Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Valley of apples’ from Latin malus, ‘apple’ plural mala. 2.‘Valley of Malio’ from Greek personal name Mallios and Latin Manlius Vallecas Madrid Uncertain Prob. ‘Little valleys’ from Spanish valle ‘valley’ and archaic locati Valmaseda Vizcaya Uncertain Valle del Cerrato Palencia ‘Valley’ Spanish 267 VALMOJADO VALVERDE 1.‘Valley of the vineyard’ with second element derived from Basque mahasti ‘vineyard' 2.‘Valley of the apple grove’ from late Latin mattiata 3.‘Valley of country manors’ from Catalan val ‘valley’ and masia ‘country manor’ ‘mansion house’ the Sabin people’, first neighbours of the Romans. Valsalobre Cuenca ‘Valley with waters rich in salt’ from Spanish salobre ‘salty’ Valtablado del Río Guadalajara ‘Quiet and tranquil side of the river’ from Spanish colloquial expression tabla del rio ‘quiet side of the river’ Valmojado Toledo ‘Humid valley’ Spanish compound place name with val ‘valley’ and mojado ‘wet’ Valtajeros Soria Vallmoll Tarragona ‘Humid valley’ Catalan compound with sec. el. moll ‘wet’ ‘Valley of harvesters’ from Spanish noun tajo ‘contracted amount of labour’ ‘work’ with occupational suffix -eros. Valluércanes Burgos Valtierra Navarra Poss. ‘Valley of the tombs’ from Spanish huerco ‘tomb’ derived from Nordic orc ‘wild and awful site’ ‘Valley land’ from prefix val- ‘valley’ and noun tierra ‘land’ ‘earth’ Valoria del Alcor Palencia ‘Valley of tombs’ from prefix val- ‘valley’ and Spanish out of use noun huercanos ‘open coffins’ assimilated with ‘tombs’ Valvercanes Segovia Prob. ‘Valley where gold can be found’ from prefix val- ‘valley’ and Latin adjective aurea ‘golden’ ‘having gold’ DEL ALCOR ‘the one by the hillock’ from Arabic Al-kor derived from Latin coll ‘hill’ Valverde Canary Islands ‘Green Valley’ compound of val ‘valley’ and adjective verde ‘green’ Valoria La Buena Valladolid Valverde de Jucar Cuenca ‘Golden valley’ LA BUENA ‘the good one’ commendatory Spanish for differentiation. ‘Green Valley’ DE JUCAR ‘the one by the river Jucar’ from its pre-Roman name Sucro, with meaning unknown. Valparaiso de Abajo Cuenca Prob. ‘Paradise valley’ a compound place name from Latin vallis ‘valley’ and genitive paradisi ‘of paradise’ DE ABAJO ‘the one placed low’ from Latin ad basis ‘at the base’ Spanish abajo. Valverde de la Vera Cáceres ‘Green Valley’ DE LA VERA ‘the one by the riverbank’ with reference to the river Tietar from Arabic Tyetar poss. a derivative of hypothetical pre-Roman Tetar. Valparaiso de Arriba Cuenca Prob. ‘Valley of paradise’ DE ARRIBA ‘the one placed high’ from Latin ad ripam ‘at the border’ Valverde del Camino Huelva ‘Green Valley’ DEL CAMINO ‘the one on the way’ from Spanish camino and Celtic cammin ‘way’ ‘road’, pointing at its good location for travellers. Valpuesta Burgos ‘Well placed valley’ from Spanish adjective puesta ‘placed’ derived from Latin composita ‘composed’ Valverde de Leganes Badajoz ‘Green Valley’ DE LEGANES ‘the one with slimy soil’ from Spanish legamo Valsain Segovia ‘Valley of Sabinio’ from Latin personal name Sabinius which means ‘member of 268 VALVERDE VEGANZONES Valverde del Fresno Caceres Vasconia Basque Country synonym ‘Green Valley’ DEL FRESNO ‘the one by the ash tree’ Spanish. ‘ ‘Land of the Basque nation’ Latin placename descriptive of the Vasconni tribe, mentioned by Roman historians such as Titus Livy. Valverde de Llerena Badajoz Vega multiple locations in Galicia 1.‘Fertile and low land’ Spanish from preRoman vaica or baika 2.‘Fertile and watery land’ from Sardinian bega 3.‘Land close to a river’ from Basque baika related to ibai ‘river’ and suffix of closeness -ko ‘Green Valley’ DE LLERENA from Arabic Ellerina prob. derived from serina ‘sown land’ after Latin verb sero ‘to saw’ Valverde de Mérida Badajoz ‘Green Valley’ DE MERIDA ‘the one close to the city of Merida’ called Emerita Augusta ‘meritorious to Augustus’ by the Romans in recognition for her loyalty. Vegadeo Asturias ‘Fertile land by a river’ with de-Eo indicating the river Eo. Etymology of Eo seems Celtic owe ‘water’ like Eau in French. Vandellos Tarragona ‘Valley where laurel shrubs grew’ from Catalan val ‘valley’ and second element de llors ‘of laurel’ derived from Latin Laurus. Vega de Pas Cantabria ‘Fertile land by a river’ DE PAS ‘in the country of the Pas people’ a tribe of legendary origin, different from the original Cantabri, and known in Spain as pasiegos. Vara del Rey Cuenca 1.Poss.’Under the king’s jurisdiction’ from Spanish vara ‘rod’ metonym of authority followed by explanatory del Rey ‘of the king’ 2.‘Riverbank’ based on recorded existence of water streams and resulting from a popular transposition from Vera del Río towards Vara del Rey. Vega de Ruiponce Valladolid ‘Fertile land by a river’ DE RUIPONCE ‘of Rui Ponce’ with reference to lord and owner don Ruy Ponce de León. Varea o Vera de Levante Vega de Santa Maria Ávila Almería ‘Lateral’ from Spanish vera ‘side’ ‘close to’ often with reference to a river or landmark. Adopted in Arabic as Bayra DE LEVANTE ‘towards the East’ from Spanish meaning ‘the rising of the sun’ ‘Fertile land by a river’ DE SANTA MARIA ‘of Holy Mary’ Vega de Sicilia Valladolid ‘Fertile land by a river’ DE SICILIA ‘of Sicily’ a metathesis from original Saint Cecilia name of the estate with the famous vineyards. Varela Lugo y Pontevedra ‘Small and elongated field or estate’ from Galician varada derived from Spanish varal ‘long stick’ Vegamian León ‘Fertile land by a river’ with second element Amianus personal name poss. derived from root Amma ‘mother’ Vargas Cantabria and other places Obscure 1. ‘Wooden huts’ from archaic noun varga 2.‘Fenced fields that become flooded in wintertime’ from Iberian Basque barga. 3.‘Place where linen materials are separated from fibre’ from Basque barga ‘linen instrument’ in Spanish agramera. Veganzones Segovia ‘Fertile land by a river’ owned by the infanzones a Spanish word meaning ‘knight second in birth’ originally 269 VENTA VEHINAT ‘children’ from French enfant and Latin infans ‘still unable to speak’ Velez de Benaudalla Granada ‘Valley of Ben Abdula’ from Arabic personal name Ben Abdullah which means ‘son of the servant of God’ after first element Arabic identical with ‘valley’. Vehinat or Veinat several places in Barcelona and Gerona ‘Neighbourhood’ Catalan from Latin vicinium ‘inhabitant of a vicus or village’ Vélez Malaga Málaga ‘Fertile and low land’ Galician identical with VEGA. ‘Valley in the province of Malaga’ Spanish. MALAGA is Phoenician and prob. means ‘Salt fishery’ See entry. Vejer de la Frontera Cádiz Velez Rubio Almería Veiga many places in Galicia Unknown Poss. a derivative of pre-Roman name Besario, Arabized as Bashir. DE LA FRONTERA ‘on the frontier’ meaning with the Arab territory. ‘Yellow valley’ from Latin adjective rubens ‘reddish’ ‘fair’ Velilla de Ebro Zaragoza ‘Small valley’ a diminutive in -illa from Latin vallis DE EBRO ‘by the river Ebro’ assumed to mean ‘Iberian’ or simply ‘river’, from Basque ibar. Velada Toledo 1.‘Town consisting of several villas’ from adjective villada.’with villas’ 2.‘Fenced village’ a variant from vallada ‘fenced’ Velilla de San Antonio Madrid ‘Small valley’ DE SAN ANTONIO ‘of Saint Anthony’ a specificity required for differentiation. Velamazán Soria ‘Watchpoint’ pleonasm of Spanish vela ‘alertness’ and Arabic Almanza ‘look out’ ‘watchpoint’ Vellón (El) Madrid ‘Place frequented by raven’ from Iberian Basque bela ‘crow’ ‘raven’ and locative suffix -sko which has affective sense when used as part of an anthroponym. 1.Prob. ‘The fleece’ as it appears in the coat of arms of the village, from Spanish vellon ‘wool covering a sheep’ 2.Poss. ‘The town of *Pello’ from Basque Pello personal name derivative from Latin Petrum ‘Peter’ and genitive ending -onius Velate Navarra ‘Place frequented by raven’ from Basque bela ‘crow’ ‘raven’ and Basque locative suffix -ati, as in OÑATI. Venda some places in Galicia Identical with VENTA which means ‘Inn situated in isolated place’, but also ‘popular and inexpensive inn’ Velayos Ávila Vendrell (El) Tarragona Velasco Soria Prob. ‘Watch point of Pelayo’ shortened formation with vela ‘alertness’ and personal name Pelagius ‘oceanic’ Unknown Poss. ‘Place of the little Venus’ from medieval Latin Venerella>Venrel Velefique Almería Venta several places ‘Valley of fig trees’ from Arabic Belafiq which combined the Latin elements vallis ‘valley’ and ficus ‘fig’ 1.‘Inn at isolated location’ from Spanish venta ‘sale’ with reference to the trade of provisions for travellers. 2.Alternatively, ‘exposed to the winds’ from Spanish ventosa. All inns chose a second name for convenient identification. Velez-Blanco Almería ‘White valley’ derivative of Arabic bel ‘valley’ and Spanish blanco ‘white’ 270 VENTILLA VERTADILLO Examples: Venta del Aire ‘The Air’s Inn’ (Toledo); Venta de Bascones ‘Basque people Inn’ (Palencia); Venta del Cuidado ‘Care’s Inn’ (Santander); Venta del Cojo ‘The Limb’s Inn’ (Madrid); Venta de la Culebra ‘The snake’s Inn’ (Málaga); Venta de Cuatro Caminos ‘Four ways Inn’ (Madrid); Venta del Chocolate ‘Chocolate Inn’ (Almería and Ciudad Real); Venta de la Estrella ‘The Star’s Inn’ (Granada); Venta de la Esquina ‘Corner’s Inn’ (Málaga); Venta Eritaña ‘Hermitage Inn’ (Córdoba); Venta del Hambre ‘Hunger Inn’ (Cuenca); Venta del Lobo ‘Wolf’s Inn’ (Teruel); Venta del Moro ‘The Moor’s Inn (Valencia); Venta Pantalones ‘Trousers Inn’ (Jaen); Venta de la Patrona ‘Patroness Inn’(Granada); Venta del Pobre ‘Poorman’s Inn’ (Almería); Venta de la Zaida ‘Zaida’s Inn’ Zaragoza. Vera de Moncayo Zaragoza ‘Riverbank’ with reference to the river Huescar DE MONCAYO ‘near the Moncayo mountains’ from Latin Mons Caius sec. el. personal name meaning ‘gay’ ‘happy’. Alternatively, ‘white mountains’ from Latin mons ‘mountain’ and adjective canus ‘white’. Verdelpino de Huete Cuenca ‘By the pine tree’ from Spanish vera ‘at a side’ and pino ‘pine tree’ DE HUETE ‘near Huete’ a derivative of her Arabic name Wabda transposition of Latin oppida ‘fortified town’ with the Mozarabic locative suffix -ete Verdú Lérida ‘Place with abundance of vegetation’ from late Latin verdutus ‘green coloured’. Ventilla,Ventorrillo,Ventin, Ventorro several locations Vergara Guipuzcoa 1.‘The common pastures’ from Basque erga ‘field’ mid element -ar ‘belonging to’ and final article -a ‘the’ 2. ‘At the top of the riverside’ from Basque ibar and adjective garai ‘top’ ‘summit’ Formerly was San Pedro de Arzinoa ‘the small sheepfold’ ‘Little inn’ diminutive and in cases pejorative of VENTA. Ventosa de Miranda Burgos 1.‘Windy’ from Spanish viento ‘wind’ and suffix of frequency -osa. 2.‘Place where inns can be found’ from Spanish venta ‘inn’ Vergés Gerona ‘Place with abundance of vegetation’ originated from late Latin viridicarium which is patent also in VERDAGUER. Ventrosa La Rioja Uncertain 1.‘Windy’ from Spanish ventosa. In early documents the middle r is not present. 2.‘Place with abundance of stones’ from late Latin petrosa Verín Orense ‘Little path’ from Spanish vereda a derivative noun from Celtic or Gaelic woreidos ‘horse’ Venturada Madrid Uncertain 1.‘Fortunate’ from Latin adjective venturata 2.‘Windy’ from Latin noun ventus ‘windy’ Veriña Asturias ‘Little path’ Identical with VERIN. Vertadillo de Cerrato Palencia Uncertain 1.‘The pretor’s old location’ from Latin Preatorius vetulum 2.‘The old place of Breto’ from personal name Bretus Greek mythologic hero. In both cases the etymology is derived from an earlier place name Breto after Bretevela and Vaetula suggesting ‘old’ Vera de Bidasoa Navarra ‘Riverbank’ from Spanish vera ‘side’ derived from Celtic baria DE BIDASOA ‘on the river Bidasoa’ prob. from anthroponym Bidiarso and Nordic suffix -ha ‘river’ 271 VIANA VIGUERA DE CERRATO ‘in the Cerrato region’ which means ‘winding’. There are no other VERTADILLO place names, so in this case the distinction was unnecessary. Vid de Bureba Burgos ‘The vineyard’ Spanish DE BUREBA ‘in the territory of Bureba’ from its old name Borobia of meaning unknown. Viana Navarra ‘Vineyard’ derived Latin vinea. Her Roman name was Vinetum Vidangoz Navarra Prob. ‘The vineyard of Angio’ personal name Angus ‘solitary’ of Scottish/Irish origin. Viana del Bollo Orense 1.‘White house’ from Celtic vin do and reminiscent of Austrian Vienna. In Medieval times Alva DEL BOLLO ‘of the Bibalo people’ from Roman document Forum Bibalorum. Vidania Guipuzcoa ‘Anio’s vineyard’ from Latin personal name Annius ‘faithful of Roman divinity Anna Perenna’ Viana de Mondéjar Guadalajara Vidaurreta Navarra ‘White house’ DE MONDEJAR ‘near the town of Mondejar’ of meaning uncertain poss. from Spanish adjective mudejar ‘converted from the Islam’ or compound monte de jara ‘wild terrain with cistus vegetation’ ‘Facing the road’ derivative from Basque bide ‘road’ and aurre ‘in front of’ with locative suffix -eta. Viandar de la Vera Cáceres Viella Lérida Vidueira, Viduero some places in Galicia ‘Birch wood’ from Spanish abedul Prob. ‘Walking path on the riverside’ with reference to the river Tietar, derivative of Tetar of meaning unknown. Unknow. Doubtless a derivative of its pre-Roman name Byela. Vianos Albacete Vierlas Zaragoza Obscure Prob. ‘White house’ from Celtic vindo. Compare with French Vienne. Uncertain 1.Sugg. ’Place where the game of balls is played’ from medieval bierlo. 2.‘Muddy brook’ from assumed Nordic origin uber ‘brook’ and lats ‘lime’ 3.‘Little vera’ ‘small riverside location’ from Spanish vera and diminutive suffix -iella. Documented medieval name was Bierlas. Vicalvaro Madrid ‘White village’ from Latin vicus ‘village’ and adjective albus ‘white’ Victoria (La) Cordoba Prob. ‘Village with orchards’ from Latin vicus horta Vigo Pontevedra ‘Village’ from Latin vicus. Once Lambrica, the town was destroyed by general Junus Brutus who renamed it Vicus Specurum, also known as Vicus Spacorum Vich Barcelona ‘Town’ because one of its Roman names was Vicus Ausoniensis ‘‘town’ of the Ausoni tribe’ wherefore was also known as Ausa. Another name of Vich was Vicus Augustus ‘town of (emperor) August’ Viguera La Rioja Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Place with fig trees’ from Latin ficus ‘fig tree’ and abundance suffix -era. Identical with FIGUERA. Vid (La) Burgos ‘The vineyard’ Spanish 272 VILA VILARIÑO 2.‘Vicary’ from Latin vicis ‘alternative’ and occupational suffix -aria. Prob. ‘Humid village’ from Catalan vila ‘village’ and Catalan abbreviation of Latin humidus, whence mostosa Vila several places in Galicia Vilamur Lérida ‘Village’ ‘villa’ from Latin villa ‘country manor’. Prob. ‘Villa of the Moor’ with second element from Latin adjective Maurus ‘Moor’ Vilabella Tarragona ‘Beautiful village’ compound Latin descriptive Vilanova many places in Galicia ‘New village’ derived from Latin villa ‘country manor’ and adjective nova ‘new’ Vilaboa several places in Galicia ‘Good village’ derived expression villa bonna from Latin Vilanova de Escornalbou Tarragona ‘New village’ DE ESCORNALBOU ‘where the bull lost its horns’ from Catalan derivative of Latin cornus ‘horns’ and bovis ‘ox’ with negative prefix des-. An important monastery bears the same name. Vilacha La Coruña ‘Flat village’ from Galician vila and cha ‘flat’ ‘plain’ Viladecans Barcelona ‘Village where dogs were frequently found’ from Catalan vila ‘village’ and cans ‘dogs’ Vilanova de Meyá Lérida ‘New village’ DE MEYA ‘the one in the middle’ a shortening of Latin adjective mediana with same origin as Spanish mitad ‘middle’ Identical with VILAMITJANA and VILAMEA. Viladesuso La Coruña ‘The village above’ from Galician vila and adverb surso ‘above’ ‘over’ Viladonga La Coruña ‘Village of the lady’ from Latin frequent shortening of Domenica which is found in the Spanish title Doña. Alternative, ‘Village of the lord’ from Latin adjective domenicana. Vilanova y La Geltru Barcelona ‘New village’ Y LA GELTRÚ ‘situated at La Geltru’ derived from the name of possessor of the Geltru castle Gualterio anthroponym of Germanic origin Waltraud ‘strong ruler’ Vilaller Lérida Poss. ‘Stretched out village’ from Catalan prefix vil- and second element adjective allargat ‘made longer’ Vilaplana Tarragona ‘Village on a flat surface’ from Latin villa ‘country manor’ and adjective planus ‘flat’ Vilallonga Tarragona ‘Long village’ from Catalan prefix vil- and second element adjective llonga ‘long’ Vilar multiple locations in Galicia ‘Place with several country houses’ Galician habitational with ending of plurality. Vilamea some places in Lugo ‘Village placed in the middle’ from Galician vila ‘village’ and sec. el. Galician abbreviation of Latin mediana ‘in between’ Vilarello in Galicia ‘Small villar’ from Galician vilar and diminutive suffix -ello. Vilamitjana Lérida Vilariño several places in Galicia ‘Village placed in the middle’ Catalan compound of vila ‘village’ and Latin mediana ‘median’ ‘Small villar’ from Galician vilar and diminutive suffix -iño. 273 VILLACE VILARRODONA village’ with first element village and second Basque adjective DE CAMPOS ‘in the Campos territory’ from its medieval denomination Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Vilarrodona Tarragona ‘Round village’ from Galician vilar and second element adjective rodona which is a derivative of Latin rotunda ‘rounded’ Vilaseca Tarragona Villabasta de Valdavia Palencia 1.‘Dry village’ from Catalan vila ‘village and seca ‘dry 2.’Village divided in two’ from Catalan vila 'village’' and Latin adjective secta ‘cut’ ‘Well provisioned village’ from Spanish villa ‘village’ and a shortening of adjective abastecida 'provided for’ DE VALDAVIA ‘in the Valdavia region’ meaning ‘valley of the river Avia’ from pre-Hindu-European avia ‘water’. Vilches Jaén Prob. ‘Country manor in between’ from its Latin name Vilicis. An old castle documented Bilches stood between Ubeda and Linares Villablanca Huelva ‘White village’ Spanish. Villablino León Prob. ‘Small village’ with diminutive suffix -eña Uncertain 1.‘Villa of Pliny’ an assumed refuge of Roman general 2.‘Misty’ from villa neblina 3.‘Villa of Avelino’ assumed personal name of owner which means ‘hazel trader’ Vilueña Zaragoza Villabrágima Valladolid Vilela some places in Galicia ‘Small village’ with diminutive suffix -ela. Vileña Burgos ‘Village of the lady’ from Latin contraction of Domenica giving Dueña. Alternative, ‘Village of the lord’ from Latin adjective domenicana. ‘Village of Ibrahim’ Arabic personal name derived from Hebrew Abraham ‘father of many’ Vilvestre de Muñó Burgos ‘Well provisioned village’ is Spanish commendatory buena ‘good’ ‘good to live in’ DE ALAVA ‘the one situated in the province of Alava’ of meaning obscure. Villabuena de Alava Álava Prob. ‘Village of *Silvester de Muñoz’ assumed owner whose name means ‘forester’ from Basque muño. Otherwise, second part would be Basque from monoin ‘forest on a hill’ Villabuena del Puente Zamora ‘Well provisioned village’ DEL PUENTE ‘the one with a bridge’ Villa generic ‘Village’ its etymology is derived from Latin villa ‘single country manor’ extended with use to mean ‘group of country manors’ whence ‘village’ Villacañas Toledo ‘Village where reeds are found in abundance’ second element is Spanish cañas ‘canes’ ‘reeds’ Villabañez Valladolid ‘Village of Ibañez’ family name derived from Hebrew Johannan ‘the Lord is merciful’ origin of Spanish Ivan ‘John’ with patronymic suffix -ez. Villacastín Segovia ‘Village with abundance of chestnut trees’ from Latin adjective castanea ‘chestnut’ Villace León Villabaruz de Campos ‘Village of Acilio’ personal name of settler from Greek Ake ‘sharp’ ‘acute’ Valladolid abartsu ‘full of branches’ Prob. ‘Leafy 274 VILLAESCUSA VILLACIDALER Villa del Río Córdoba Villacidaler Palencia ‘Village of the Caid Aler’ the Arabic title Caid means ‘leader’ and explains Spanish alcalde ‘town mayor’. Third element Aler is an unexplained anthroponym. ‘Village by the river’ meaning the Guadalquivir, which means ‘big river’ in Arabic. Villademor de la Vega León 1.Prob.‘Village of the Moor’ from assumed name of possessor Maurus ‘Moor’ 2.Poss.‘Village near the river’ from Nordic root mor ‘river’ with reference to the Esla DE LA VEGA ‘on the riverbanks’ from Spanish vega. Villacid de Campos Valladolid ‘Town of the Caid’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region of Campos’ a territory which was Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Gothic nation’ Villaconancio Palencia Uncertain 1.‘Village of Conancio’ personal name from a Latinization of Old English Conan ‘high’ 2.‘Village where rabbits are found in abundance’ from Latin cuniculus ‘rabbit’ related to Spanish conejo. Villa de Ves Albacete Villaconejos Madrid Villa Doniga Lugo Unknown Second name seems an anthroponym Villadiego Burgos ‘Village of James’ from Spanish personal name Diego derivative of Hebrew Jacob 1.‘Village of the landlady’ doniga would be a corrupted form of Latin domenica ‘lady’ 2.‘Village of the landlord’ from Latin adjective domenica ‘of the lord’ ’Village where rabbits are frequently seen’ from Latin cuniculus ‘rabbit’ in Spanish conejo. Villaconejos de Trabaque Cuenca ’Village with rabbits’ DE TRABAQUE ‘by the river Trabaque’ meaning poss. ‘river hauling tree logs’ from Latin trabs ‘log’ Villaeles de Valdavia Palencia ‘Village of Felix’ compound of villa and corrupted Latin name Felix ‘happy’ DE VALDAVIA ‘in the district of Valdavia’ meaning ‘valley of the river Avia’ Villacreces Valladolid Prob. ‘Village of Crescencio’ from Latin adjective crescens ‘growing’ Villaescusa Zamora ‘Village exempted’ with reference to not paying of taxes’, from Spanish excusada ‘excused’. Villa de Don Fadrique Toledo ‘Village of Don Fadrique’ with reference to the infante Don Fadrique, who inhabited this village while fighting king Pedro I. Villaescusa de Haro Cuenca ‘Exempt Village’ DE HARO ‘near the town of Haro’ prob. meaning ‘place of fern plants’ from Basque garo. Villa del Campo Cáceres ‘Village in the district named Campo’ Villaescusa de Butrón Burgos Villa del Prado Madrid ‘Village that is exempt’ DE BUTRON ‘on the area of Butron’ prob. derivative of Spanish huron and huronera ‘ferret hole’ and related alternative sense ladrones ‘thieves’ ‘Village in the Prado area’ from Spanish prado ‘pastures’ ‘meadow’ Villa del Rey Caceres ‘Village of the King’ with reference to her adscription to the Crown. Villaescusa de Palositos Guadalajar 275 VILLAFRANQUEZA VILLAESPER ‘Village exempt’ DE PALOSITOS ‘the one with raised landmarks’ from Spanish palos ‘sticks’ ‘logs’ and adjective hitos ‘raised’ ‘erected’ Villafranca de los Barros Badajoz ‘Village exempt’ DE LOS BARROS ‘the one in the territory known as Barros’ which means ‘muddy’ Villaesper Valladolid Prob. ‘Village of Asprenio’ name of poss. settler or owner derived from Latin Asperitus ‘rough’ Villafranca de los Caballeros Toledo ‘Village exempt’ DE LOS CABALLEROS ‘under the authority of the knights of the Order of Saint John’ better known as the Order of Malta. Villafafila Zamora ‘Village of Favila’ Gothic personal name meaning ‘manly’ from Germanic Faths. Otherwise, ‘small’ from Favs. Favila was a Spanish Gothic king. Villafranca del Panadés Barcelona ‘Village exempt’ DEL PANADES ‘in the region of Panades’ which means ’rocky’ from Latin pinna and Spanish peña here in adjectival form pinnatensis. Villafeliche Zaragoza ‘Village of Felix’ from Latin Felix ‘happy’ which is spelt feliz in Spanish. Villafrades de Campos Valladolid ‘Village of friars’ from Latin fratres ‘brothers’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the district of Campos’ derived from recorded expression Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Villafranca de Puente del arzobispo Toledo ‘Village exempt’ DE PUENTE DEL ARZOBISPO ‘the one with a bridge’ which was built by archbishop Pedro Tenorio’ Villafranca Navarra and Segovia ‘Village exempt from taxes’ from Spanish franca ‘tax exempt’ related to franquicia ‘exemption’ and to English ‘franchised’ Villafranca de Oria Guipúzcoa ‘Village exempt’ DE ORIA a derivative from its ancient name Ordicia Villafranca de Bonany Balearic Villafranca de los Montes de Oca Islands ‘Village exempt’ DE BONANY ‘of the good year’ from Catalan bon 'good’ and any ‘year’ Burgos ‘Village exempt’ DE LOS MONTES DE OCA ‘at the foot of the Oca mountains’ a derivative of its preRoman name Auca ‘the high one’ Villafranca de Cordoba Córdoba ‘Village exempt’ DE CORDOBA ‘in the province of Cordoba’ of uncertain meaning Villafranca y Los Palacios Sevilla ‘Village exempt’ Y LOS PALACIOS ‘and the palaces’ with reference to a close area of mansions built and inhabited by king Peter the First. Villafranca del Bierzo León ‘Village exempt’ DEL BIERZO ‘in the territory of Bierzo’ from Germanic bergh ‘mountain’ Villafranqueza Alicante 1.‘Tax exempt village’ from Spanish franquiciada ‘franchised’ 2. Sugg. ‘Village of the Franqueza family’ owners granted the benefit by the governing duke of Lerma Villafranca del Cid Castellón ‘Village exempt’ DEL CID ‘possession of the Cid’ name given to hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, from Arabic Caid ‘leader’ 276 VILLAFRUELA VILLAJOYOSA can be hunted’ and mendi ‘wild territory’ Villafrechós Valladolid ‘Village of Fructuoso’ personal name of settler or owner which is derived from Latin adjective Fructuosus ‘fruitful’ Villagomez la Nueva Valladolid 1.‘Village of Gomez’ from Gothic guma ‘man’ and patronymic suffix-ez. 2.‘Village of Hamed’ Arabic personal name which means ‘worthy of praise’ alternative origin of the Spanish surname Gomez. LA NUEVA ‘the new one’ in allusion to her being founded after the recovery of the land from the Arabs. Villafruela Palencia and Burgos ‘Village of *Fruela’ Gothic king Fruela from Hindu-European fraujis ‘lord’ Villagalijo Burgos ‘Village inhabited by people from Galicia’ second element is a variant of Spanish Gallego ‘Galician’ Villagonzalo Badajoz Villafuertes Burgos ‘Villa with forts’ from Spanish noun fuerte ‘fortified place’ ‘Gonzalo’s village’ from assumed ruler Gonzalo which is Germanic compound of gund ‘battle’ and alv ‘elf’ Villagarcía de Arosa Pontevedra Villagudin some locations in Galicia ‘Godino’s village’ with reference to a Gothic divinity Gaut, origin of personal name Gaudin. ‘Town of Garcia’ personal name from Basque garci-a ‘erected rock’ with reference to its nearness to the dwelling of a person with that name. Less likely is the assumption ‘bear’ from Basque artza, requiring an improbable garztia. DE AROSA ‘by the river Arosa’ from its pre-Roman name Arousa of unknown meaning. Villahan de la Palenzuela Palencia 1.‘Village ruled by John’ second element being a short form of Spanish Juan or Ivan 2.‘Fanio’s village’ from personal name Fanius of obscure etymology. DE LA PALENZUELA ‘in the Palenzuela territory’ with reference to the town being smaller than PALENCIA, hence the suffix -uela. Villagarcía de Campos Valladolid ‘Town of Garcia’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the fields’ with reference to the area conquered by the Gothic kings from Galicia, which became known as Campus Gothorum. Villaharta Córdoba ‘Village which has everything’ from Spanish adjective harta ‘satisfied’ ‘well provided for’ Villagarcía de la Torre Badajoz ‘Town of Garcia’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with a tower’ for disambiguation. Villahermosa Ciudad Real ‘Beautiful village’ Spanish name from Latin formosa ‘well formed’ ‘beautiful’ Villagarcía del Llano Cuenca ‘Town of Garcia’ DEL LLANO ‘on the Llano district’ which means ‘plain’ Villaherreros Palencia ‘Village of the blacksmiths’ from villa ‘village’ and herreros ‘iron mongers’ derived from Latin ferrus iron. Villagimena Palencia 1.‘Village of Jimena’ a feminine form of the Hebrew name Simon, here personal name of owner wife of Rodrigo de Vivar also known as El Cid. 2.‘Village frequented by wild animals’ from Iberian Basque eiz ‘animals which Villajimena Palencia ‘Village of Jimena’ from matronymic Ximena related to Hebrew Simeon. 277 VILLAJOYOSA VILLALUENGA Villajoyosa Alicante Villalba del Rey Cuenca Apparently ‘Village of joy’ from late Latin adjective guadiosa ‘joyful’, euphemism from ancient name Honosca, of meaning unknown, which was founded by Jonian settlers. Villalba de Rioja La Rioja ‘White Town’ DEL REY ‘of the king’ thus reporting directly to the Crown. Prob. ‘Village of the lake’ from Spanish lago with reference to a pool originated by the river Pisuerga. ‘White Town’ DE RIOJA ‘in the Rioja territory’ a derivative of the ancient name of this village Riogan with reference to the river Oia. Villalán de Campos Valladolid Villalbarba Valladolid Villalaco Palencia Prob. ‘Village inhabited by Berber people’ derivative of Arabic Al Barbar ‘Village of the Alani nation’ from the presence of Germanic invaders Alans. DE CAMPOS ‘in the Fields’ with reference to the area conquered by the Gothic kings from Galicia, which became known as Campus Gothorum Prob. ‘White Villas’ assuming VILALBOS identical with VILLALBAS. Villalar de los Comuneros Villalcampo Zamora Valladolid ‘Village of Alard’ anthroponym from Germanic Athal ‘noble’ and hard ‘strong’ DE LOS COMUNEROS village ‘taken by the Commoner rebels’ where they were finally executed. Villalcon Palencia Villalbos Burgos ‘Village on a field’ with reference to the zone wherein. Uncertain 1.Prob. ‘Village of the hawk’ with second element derived from Spanish halcon ‘hawk’ ‘falcon’ 2.‘Village of Alcuino’ personal name of assumed settler from Germanic Alkwin ‘friend of the temple’ Villalba Lugo and Madrid ‘White town’ from Spanish villa and second element Latin alba ‘white’ Villalba Baja Teruel Villalcazar de Sirga Palencia ‘White town on the low side’ from Spanish adjective baja ‘low’ ‘Village with a castle’ a compound name of villa ‘village’ and Arabic Al-kazar ‘the castle’ ‘the palace’ DE SIRGA ‘of the reserved path’ from Spanish sirga ‘rope’ derived from Greek siro ‘to carry’ meaning the space on the border of a water stream or channel which is reserved for public use. Villalba del Alcor Huelva ‘White Town’ DEL ALCOR ‘on a hillock’ Arabic al-cor from Latin coll ‘hillock’ and Spanish colina Villalba de los Alcores Villaldavin Palencia Valladolid ‘White Town’ DE LOS ALCORES ‘by the hillocks’ in plural for disambiguation. 1.‘Village of Davinio’ from Latin personal name Davinius ‘belonging to the Davus family’ 2.‘Village of Ardavin’ Ardavin is a Spanish surname. Villalba de los Barros Badajoz ‘White Town’ DE LOS BARROS ‘the one in the territory known as Barros’ which means ‘muddy’ ‘marshy’ Villaldemiro Burgos ‘Village of Aldemiro’ from supposed owner named after Old English aethel ‘noble’ and mire ‘more’ 278 VILLALUENGA VILLAMANRIQUE Villalengua Zaragoza Villalonso Zamora ‘Village of Alonso’ a Spanish personal name derived from Alfonso, which has its origin in Germanic hathus ‘fight’ and funs ‘ready to’ ‘Long Village’ compound of villa and Old Spanish luenga ‘long’ Villagordo del Cabriel Valencia ‘Village of a large size’ first element is contraction of villar, masculine form of village to match gordo Spanish adjective meaning ‘gross’ DEL CABRIEL ‘on the Gabriel territory’ from Spanish cabra ‘goat’ Villalpando Zamora ‘Village of Albanez’ personal name of owner documented as Alpandez, meaning 1) ‘fern’ from Iberian Basque albitz 2) ‘shadowy’ from Latin adjective pandus Villagordo del Júcar Albacete Villalpardo Cuenca ‘Large sized village’ DE JUCAR ‘on the banks of river Jucar’ once named Sucro with meaning unknown. Uncertain 1.‘Village on brown terrain’ from Spanish pardo ‘brown land’ 2.‘Village inhabited by pardos’ with reference to brown coloured people. Villalmanzo Burgos ‘Village of Almanzor’ Arab successful general known as Al-Manzur ‘the victor’, though his real name was Amir-Al -Mafiri which offers some phonetic similarity. Villaluenga Toledo ‘Long Village’ compound of villa and Old Spanish luenga ‘long’ Villaluenga del Rosario Cadiz Villalmondar Burgos ‘Village of Abelmondar’ from Mozarabic settler know as Abel Mondaro ‘Long Village’ DEL ROSARIO ‘of the Rosary’ Villalobar de Rioja La Rioja Villalva de Duero Burgos ‘White Village’ second element is Latin alba ‘white’ DE DUERO ‘by the river Duero’ preRoman of uncertain meaning Latinized as Dorius ‘Doric’. ‘Village near a lair of wolves’ derived from Spanish lobo ‘wolf’ and locative -ar. DE RIOJA ‘in the region of La Rioja’ which means ‘by the river Oia’ Villalobon Palencia Villalvaro Soria ‘Country manor of Lope’ a derivative anthroponym of Latin Lupus ‘wolf’. ‘Village of Alvaro’ common Spanish personal name of Gothic origin from all ‘all’ and ware ‘aware’ ‘attentive’ Villalobos Zamora ‘Village in an area frequented by wolves’ from Spanish lobo. Villamalea Albacete Villalon de Campos Valladolid ‘Long village’ Its Roman name was Avia Livia. DE CAMPOS ‘in the fields’ area conquered by the Gothic kings from Galicia, which became known as Campus Gothorum or Campus Gallaeciae Uncertain 1.‘Village of Emilio’ from personal Latin name Aemilianus derivative from 1) Greek Amalos ‘tender’ ‘soft’ 2) Old Latin aemulus ‘competitor’ 2.Village of Amalia’ hypothetical lady possessor with same origin as Emilianus. 3.‘Village with thick vegetation’ from Old Spanish malea modern maleza. Villalonga Valencia ‘Long village’ from Latin villa ‘country manor’ and adjective longa. Villamanrique Ciudad Real ‘Village of Manrique’ common personal name from Germanic Amal ‘work’ and ric ‘rich’ ‘having plenty of’. The name came 279 VILLAMANRIQUE VILLAMESIAS for Don Rodrigo Manrique master of the Order of Santiago. Prior name of town was Belmontejo de la Sierra ‘fair hill at the foot of the mountain range’ Villamartin del Sil León Villamanrique de la Condesa Villamartin de Valdeorras Orense ‘Village of Martin’ DE VALDEORRAS ‘valley of the Orres tribe’ from documented Geurres. ‘Village of Martin’ DEL SIL ‘by the river Sil’ of uncertain meaning, prob from Pre-HinduEuropean root sel ‘dropping’ Sevilla ‘Village of Manrique’ DE LA CONDESA ‘of the countess’ with reference to the countess of Paris. Villamayor de Calatrava Ciudad Real ‘Main Town’ from Spanish villa ‘village’ ‘town’ and mayor ‘main’. DE CALATRAVA ‘under the rule of the knights of Calatrava’ Phoenician name which has been understood to mean ‘castle of the airs’ or ‘four castles’ Villamanta Madrid Prob. ‘Village of Amancio’ from Latin personal name Amantius ‘loving’ Villamantilla Madrid ‘Little Villamanta’ with reference to the homonym town in Madrid, adding the diminutive suffix -illa for differentiation. Villamayor de los Montes Burgos ‘Main Town’ DE LOS MONTES ‘of the Mountains’ with reference to the natural park with the same name. Villamañán León Poss. ‘Village of Manao’ from Latin manus ‘hand’ with the sense ‘handy’ Villamarciel Valladolid Villamayor de Santiago Cuenca ‘Main Town’ DE SANTIAGO ‘under the protection of the military Order of Santiago’ Differentiation from VILLAMAYOR DE CALATRAVA. ‘Village of Marcelo’ from Latin personal name of settler Marcellus ‘dedicated to the god Mars’ Villamarchante Valencia ‘Village of merchants’ from French marchant derived from Latin mercans. Villambistia Burgos Unknown. Villamardones Álava ‘Village of Mardonio’ from name of settler derived from Latin Mardonius which contains the Greek root Mards related to a Persian clan called The Mardians. Villamediana Palencia ‘Middle Town’ from compound name of Spanish villa ‘village’ and mediana ‘middle’ Villamartin Cádiz ‘Village of Martin’ from Latin Martius ‘under the protection of the god Mars’ Villamediana de Iregua La Rioja ‘Main Town’ DE IREGUA ‘by the river Iregua’ of uncertain poss. 1) from Basque erroka ‘brook’ 2) ‘place with proliferation of bracken’ from Basque ira ‘bracken’ ‘fern’ and locative suffix -egi. Villamartin de Campos Palencia ‘Village of Martin’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the Fields’ with reference to the area conquered by the Gothic kings from Galicia, documented Campus Gothorum Villamelendro Palencia ‘Village of Melendro’ from personal name 280 VILLAMERIEL VILLANUEVA of settler or possessor, derived from Greek melos ‘black’ and Andros ‘man’ Otherwise, from Greek melos ‘harmonius’ Villamuriel de Campos Valladolid ‘Village of Muriel’ from Latin Maurelli ‘of the Moor’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region known as Campos’ which stands for ‘fields of the Goths in documented Campus Gothorum. Villameriel Palencia Prob. Village of Merelo’ from assumed name of settler Merelus derived from Latin merulus ‘black bird’ origin of Spanish mirlo. Villamuriel de Cerrato Villamesias Cáceres Palencia ‘Village of Muriel’ ‘Village of Messiah’ personal name frequent in the Middle Ages, of Hebrew etymology meaning ‘anointed’ DE CERRATO ‘in the territory called Cerrato’ from Latin adjective cirratus ‘winding’ Villamiel Pontevedra 1.‘Village with abundance of honey’ from Spanish miel ‘honey’ supported by ancient name Lamasso 2.Poss. ‘Village of Emiel’ personal name of assumed settler, from Latin Gemelus ‘twins’ Villanañe Álava ‘Village of Nuño’ assumed settler with Spanish personal name derived from Latin Nonius ‘ninth born’ Villanasur Burgos ‘Village of Nazario’ from personal name of settler or owner derived from Hebrew nazer ‘flower’ suggesting ‘crowned with flowers’ Villamiel de la Sierra Burgos ‘Village of honey’ DE LA SIERRA ‘at the foot of the mountains’ Villanubla Valladolid Villamiel de Toledo Toledo Uncertain Poss. ‘Village of Nubla’ Latin feminine personal name novila ‘ninth born daughter’ ‘Village of honey’ DE TOLEDO ‘in the province of Toledo’ Villamorco Palencia Prob. ‘Village of Marco’ from Germanic personal name Mark related to the god of war Mars. Villanueva generic ‘New village’ frequent toponym after the recovery of land possessed by the Arabs during centuries. Villamórico Burgos Poss. ‘Little village of the Moor’ from Spanish moro ‘Moor’ and diminutive suffix -ico. Villanueva de Alcardete Toledo ‘New Village’ DE ALCARDETE 1. Prob. identical with ALCAUDETE ‘in the thicket’ from Arabic Algaida ‘forest’ with Mozarabic locative ending -ete. 2.‘in an area where thistle grew’ from Spanish cardo ‘thistle’ Villamuelas Toledo ‘Village where millstones can be found’ from Spanish muela ‘millstone’ with reference to their availability. Villamuera de la Cueza Villanueva de Alcolea Castellón Palencia Prob. ‘Village with a millstone’ from Spanish muela ‘millstone’ DE LA CUEZA ‘of the cueza’ a wooden box for the measuring of grain. ‘New Village’ DE ALCOLEA ‘on a hillock’ from Arabic Alcor ‘hillock’ derived from Latin collis ‘small hill’ colina in Spanish. 281 VILLANUEVA VILLANUEVA DE DUERO ‘on the banks of the river Duero’ originally Celtic Durius of unknown meaning, later Latinized as Dorius Villanueva de Alcorcón Guadalajara ‘New Village’ DE ALCORCON 1) ‘Placed near a hillock’, from its Arabic name Al Quadir ‘the small hill’ 2) ‘Place with cork-trees’ from Latin quercus ‘oak’ ‘cork tree’ and locative suffix –on. Villanueva de Gómez Ávila ‘New Village’ DE GOMEZ ‘belonging to Gomez’ a surname of Germanic origin from the base guma ‘man’ also present in Guzman. Villanueva de Algaidas Málaga ‘New Village’ DE ALGAIDAS ‘of the woods’ from Arabic algaida ‘wood’ ‘forest’ Villanueva de Infantes Ciudad Real ‘New Village’ DE INFANTES ‘of the sons of the king’ a title with etymology infans ‘unable to speak yet’ origin of French enfant. Villanueva de Argecilla Guadalajara ‘New Village’ ‘DE ARGECILLA ‘the one with argil’ which is used to make pots, from Latin argilla ‘argil’ and Greek argilos ‘white pure earth’ Villanueva de la Cañada Madrid ‘New Village’ DE LA CAÑADA ‘the one offering a cattle track for sheep’ cañadas are privileged roads to secure seasonal movements of cattle. Villanueva de Arosa Pontevedra ‘New Village’ DE AROSA ‘in the region of the estuary of Arosa’ which means sandy from Galician arousa derivative from Latin arena ‘sand’ Villanueva de la Condesa Valladolid ‘New Village’ DE LA CONDESA ‘given to the countess’ in this case the countess of Benavente. Villanueva de Bogas Toledo ‘New Village’ DE BOGAS 1) ‘Where bogas were abundant’ pointing at the river near, from Spanish boga a kind of edible fish 2) ‘of the daggers’ bogas also means ‘doubleedged knives’ Villanueva de la Fuente Ciudad Real ‘New Village’ DE LA FUENTE ‘the one by the fountain’ for differentiation. Villanueva de Cameros La Rioja ‘New Village’ DE CAMEROS ‘in the region of Cameros’ from Hindu-European camb ‘curve’ which in this case applies to a ‘curved landscape’ Villanueva de la Jara Cuenca ‘New Village’ DE LA JARA ‘where rock roses grew’ from Spanish jara Bot. Cistus ladaniferus. Villanueva de La Reina Jaén ‘New Village’ DE LA REINA ‘of the Queen’ in remembrance of Queen Isabel II. Ancient of name of village was Noulas Villanueva de Córdoba Cordoba ‘New Village’ DE CORDOBA ‘in the province of Cordoba’ of Phoenician origin poss. meaning 1) ‘worthy’ from karta or 2) ‘city’ from tuba. Villanueva del Ariscal Sevilla ‘New Village’ DEL ARISCAL ‘on craggy grounds’ from Spanish risco ‘crag’ Villanueva de Duero Valladolid ‘New Village’ 282 VILLANUEVA VILLANUEVA DEL CAMPO ‘in the field’ an abbreviation of Tierra de Campos a large area originally occupied by kings from the kingdom of Galicia. Villanueva del Arzobispo Jaén ‘New village’ DEL ARZOBISPO ‘of the archbishop’ referred to the archbishop of Toledo don Pedro Tenorio. Villanueva del Conde Burgos and Salamanca ‘New Village’ DEL CONDE ‘of the Count’ with reference to the Conde de Miranda. Villanueva de la Sagra Toledo ‘New Village’ DE LA SAGRA ‘in the Sagra district’ from its Arabic name Sahara ‘desertic’ later adopted by Galician and Portuguese Safora ‘place where pebbles are abundant’ Villanueva del Fresno Badajoz ‘New Village’ DEL FRESNO ‘of the ash tree’ Spanish fresno for fresneda ‘ash tree grove’ Villanueva de la Sal Lérida ‘New Village’ DE LA SAL ‘of the salt’ no doubt for having salt-works. Villanueva del Huerva Zaragoza ‘New Village’ DEL HUERVA ‘by the river Huerva’ from its Arabic name Warba, with uncertain meaning. Villanueva de la Sierra Cáceres ‘New village’ DE LA SIERRA ‘at the foot of the mountain range’ here the sierra de Gata, though some claim a nearby hill called sierra de Dios Padre. Villanueva de los Castillejos Huelva ‘New Village’ DE LOS CASTILLEJOS apparently ‘with little castles’ from Spanish castillo ‘castle’ and pejorative diminutive in plural -ejos. Villanueva de las Torres Granada ‘New Village’ DE LAS TORRES ‘the one with towers’ Villanueva de los Montes Burgos ‘New Village’ DE LOS MONTES ‘the one located on the mountain’ pointing at the Montes Obarenses Villanueva de la Torre Guadalajara ‘New Village’ DE LA TORRE ‘the one with the tower’ Villanueva de la Vera Cáceres Villanueva del Pardillo Madrid ‘New Village’ DE LA VERA ‘on the banks of the river’ referred to the river Tietar pre-Roman name poss. Tetar of meaning unknown. ‘New Village’ DEL PARDILLO ‘of the grey woodland’ from Spanish pardo ‘grey’ with diminutive -illo by comparison with larger El Pardo Villanueva del Campillo Ávila ‘New Village’ DEL CAMPILLO ‘of the little field’ from Spanish campo ‘field’ ‘camp’ and diminutive suffix -illo. In this instance the suffix applies not to the field, but to the town being smaller than the one in Zamora. Villanueva del Rebollar Palencia ‘New Village’ DEL REBOLLAR ‘by the oak-tree grove’ known in Botany as quercus faginea a kind of oak-tree. Villanueva del Rey Sevilla Villanueva del Campo Zamora ‘New Village’ ‘New Village’ 283 VILLAPROVEDO VILLANUEVA Villanueva de San Mancio DEL REY ‘of the king’ being dependent directly to the Crown. Valladolid ‘New Village’ DE SAN MANCIO ‘of Saint Amantius’ from Latin personal name which means ‘caring’ Villanueva del Río Sevilla ‘New Village’ DEL RIO ‘on the banks of the river’ meaning the Guadalquivir from Arabic Wadi-al-Kabir ‘the big river’ Villanueva de Tapia Malaga ‘New Village’ DE TAPIA ‘the one with a wall’ from Spanish tapia ‘small wall made with logs’ used to stop traffic in streets. Villanueva del Río Segura Murcia ‘New Village’ DEL RIO SEGURA ‘by the river Segura’ with reference to the nearby mountain range Segura. Villanueva de Valdueza León ‘New Village’ DE VALDUEZA ‘in the valley of Eza’ from the name of its river Oza, formerly known as Hueza of obscure meaning. Villanueva del Rosario Málaga ‘New Village’ DEL ROSARIO ‘of the rosary’ as a mark for distinction with so many ‘new villages’ Villanueva-Soportilla Burgos Málaga ‘New Village’ DEL TRABUCO ‘the one having a battering engine’ (or making them) from Spanish trabuco ‘catapult’ ‘New Village’ SOPORTILLA ‘the one below PORTILLA’ a close village so named for being an ‘open space between mountains’ in diminutive form -illa, from puerto or puerta ‘mountain pass’ Villanueva de Mesia Granada Villanueva-Tobera Burgos Villanueva del Trabuco ‘New Village’ DE MESIA prob. ‘of the country manor’ from Catalan masía and French maison. Alternatively, from personal name Messiah derived from Hebrew Moses. ‘New Village’ TOBERA is the name of a hamlet lit. meaning ‘bult with tuff’ from Spanish toba. Villanueva de Oscos Asturias ‘Village of Nuño’ from Latin personal name Nonius ‘ninth (born) in this instance with reference to Nuño Perez de Lara DE VALDAVIA ‘on the valley of the river Valdavia’ which is born in Fonte Avia, from archaic avia ‘water’ origin of Latin aqua Villanuño de Valdavia Palencia ‘New Village’ DE OSCOS ‘in the territory named Os Ozcos’ of uncertain meaning, poss. from a base ozka ‘rocky pass’ Villanueva de Perales Madrid ‘New Village’ DE PERALES ‘where pear trees grew’ from Spanish pera and locative of abundance -ales. Villapalacios Albacete ‘Village with singular houses’ the word palacio does have a rural interpretation in the local dialect. Villanueva de San Juan Sevilla ‘New Village’ DE SAN JUAN ‘of Saint John’ with reference to its patron Saint John the Baptist. Villaprovedo Palencia Uncertain. ‘Village well provided’ from proventus ‘abundant’ 284 Latin VILLAR VILLAREJO DEL POZO ‘with a water well’ from Latin puteum ‘well’ ‘pit’ Villar generic ‘Location of villas’ plurality from Latin villa ‘country manor’ Villar del Rey Badajoz ‘Village’ DEL REY ‘of the king’ though in fact it was sold by the Crown to a nobleman. Villarcayo Burgos ‘Village of Arcadio’ personal name of settler with meaning related to the Greek region Arkadia Villar de Rena Badajoz ‘Village’ DE RENA of uncertain meaning prob. a derivative from documented Latin camp regina ‘queen’ Villar de Cañas Cuenca ‘Village’ DE CAÑAS ‘with cane fields’ Villar de la Encina Cuenca Villar de Torre La Rioja ‘Village’ DE LA ENCINA ‘with a holm oak’ from Spanish encina ‘holm oak’ VILLAR ‘Hamlet’ DE TORRE ‘with a tower’ Villardompardo Jaén ‘Hamlet of don Pardo’ this compound name’s second and third elements refer to the recorded possessor don Aznar Pardo, which lit. means dominus ‘lord’ followed by Aznar from Gothic Asinarius ‘army of gods’ and Pardo ‘grey’ Spanish surname. Villar del Aguila Cuenca ‘Village’ DEL AGUILA ‘of the eagle’ suggesting a place frequented by eagles, from Spanish aguila ‘eagle’ Villar del Arzobispo Valencia DEL ARZOBISPO ‘of the archbishop’ with reference to the archbishopric of Valencia owning a residence in this village. Villarejo Asturias Villar de las Traviesas Leon Villarejo de Fuentes Cuenca ‘Smallish hamlet’ a pejorative suffix applied to villar ‘group of country villas’ ‘Village’ DE LAS TRAVIESAS ‘of the travels’ from Old Spanish traviesa here a synonym of travesía ‘travel’ ‘Hamlet’ DE FUENTES ‘where fountains can be found’ Spanish fuente clearly derived from Latin fons. Villar del Olmo Madrid Villarejo del Valle Ávila ‘Hamlet’ DEL VALLE ‘of the valley’ with reference to the valley of river Tietar, an unexplained river name, poss. from assumed ancient Tetar. ‘Village’ DEL OLMO ‘of the elm tree’ prob. with reference to an existing elm-grove. Villar de Los Barrios Leon ‘Village’ DE LOS BARRIOS ‘uniting several neighbourhoods’ 1) from Arabic barri ‘outskirt’ or 2) from Basque barrio ‘yard’ Villarejo de Montalbán Toledo ‘Smallish village’ DE MONTALBAN ‘within the jurisdiction of Montalban’s municipality’ the name meaning ‘white mountain’ Villar del Pedroso Cáceres ‘Village’ DEL PEDROSO ‘having a stony ground’ from Spanish piedra ‘stone’ and suffix of abundance -oso. Villarejo de Salvanes Madrid ‘Hamlet’ DE SALVANES ‘in the valley of Salvanes’ of unexplained meaning, poss. from Latin silvanis ‘forested’ based on recorded Selvanes Villar del Pozo Ciudad Real ‘Hamlet’ 285 VILLAREJO VILLARODRIGO 2.‘Hamlet with abundance of bracken’ from Basque aro 3.‘Hamlet of Haro’ recalling the surname of the founder’s wife. 4.‘Hamlet with sandy soil’ from Latin arenosa Villarejo de Sobrehuerta Cuenca ‘Smallish village’ DE SOBREHUERTA ‘over the orchard’ with first element adverb sobre ‘over’ and second huerta ‘orchard’ from Latin hortus. Villarramiel Palencia ‘Village of Aramelio’ assumed personal name of early settler Ermelus, a Latin variant from Nordic demi-god Ermin containing the root Irmin ‘heaven’. Based on recorded Villa Herramel. Villarejo del Saz Toledo ‘Smallish village’ the suffix has a pejorative innuendo. DEL SAZ ‘of the willow’ Spanish sauce. Villargordo Jaen Villarrasa Huelva ‘Big hamlet’ from Spanish villar ‘place with villas’ and adjective gordo ‘gross’ Lit. ‘Village without obstructions’ if second element rasa ‘clear’ Villargordo del Cabriel Valencia ‘Big hamlet’ Villarreal de Alava Álava ‘Royal village’ a compound name with real ‘royal’, thus different from villages commended military Orders DE ALAVA ‘in the province of Alava’ of obscure etymology. DEL CABRIEL ’by the river Cabriel’ which means ‘frequented by goats’ from Spanish cabra ‘goat’ Villargordo del Júcar Albacete ‘Big hamlet’ DEL JUCAR ‘by the river Jucar’ an Arabic derivative of ancient unexplained Sucro. Villarreal de Buniel Burgos DE BUNIEL ‘offering public baths’ from late Latin balnelu ‘site of thermal waters’ whence balneario ‘spa’. Villargordo del Marquesado Villarreal de Urrechua Cuenca ‘Big hamlet’ DEL MARQUESADO ‘of the marquisate’ with reference to the marques of Moya. Guipuzcoa ‘Royal Village’ DE URRECHUA ‘with an orchard of hazel trees’ from Basque uritz ‘hazel’ and mid element of abundance tsu ‘plenty’ ending with article -a ‘the’ Villarias Burgos ‘Village of Arias’ personal name of settler or owner from Greek Areios ‘under the protection of Ares ‘god of war’ Villarín de Campos Zamora ‘Small Hamlet’ DE CAMPOS ‘in the region known as Campos’ from documented Campus Gothorum ‘fields of the Goths’ Villarin several locations in Galicia ‘Small hamlet’ with Galician diminutive suffix -in. Identical with VILARINO and VILARIÑO. Villarobledo Albacete Villarluengo Teruel ‘Long hamlet’ second element is from Old Spanish luengo ‘long’ ‘Hamlet by the oakwood’ from Spanish robledo derived from Latin robur ‘reddish’ Villaro Vizcaya Villarrodrigo Jaen ‘Village of Rodrigo’ personal name from Gothic Hroder ‘famous’ and Rik ‘leader’. The anthroponym refers to Rodrigo Uncertain 1.‘Place of the blacksmith’ from Basque arotz ‘worker’ ‘carpenter’ ‘blacksmith’ 286 VILLAROYA VILASECA Manrique, Master of the Order of Saint James, in charge of the village. Villarta-Quintana La Rioja ‘Well Provisioned Village’ The noun QUINTANA is applied 1) to a ‘state mansion’ or 2) a territory related to the quintus ‘fifth’, the most common tribute in Spain. Villaroya La Rioja ‘Red Village’ compound name of villa ‘village’ and Old Spanish roya precedent of roja ‘red’ Villasana de Mena Burgos Villaroya de la Sierra Zaragoza 1.Lit. ‘Healthy village’ from Spanish adjective sana ‘sane’ ‘healthy’ 2.‘Village of Annio’ a frequent personal name meaning ‘dedicated to Anna’ a Roman divinity. DE MENA ‘in the valley of Mena’ of meaning obscure. Old Spanish noun mena is used to describe a kind of ‘small fish’ but could be a derivative of original Celtic root ‘mine’ ‘Red village’ DE LA SIERRA ‘at the foot the mountain’ with reference to the Sierra de la Virgen, so named for a small shrine on its top. Villaroya de los Pinares Teruel ‘Red Village’ DE LOS PINARES ‘near a pinewood’ from Spanish pinar Villarubia de los Ojos Ciudad Real ‘Yellow Village’ from Latin adjective rubus, rubea here meaning ‘yellow’ ‘fair’ DE LOS OJOS ‘at the eyes of the river Guadiana’ a geographic curiosity of water emerging from underground in the first section of the Guadiana. Was named earlier VILLARUBIA DE LOS ARCOS ‘where arches could be seen’ Villasandino Burgos ‘Village of Sandino’ a personal name of settler of Nordic origin meaning ‘truthful’ from sand ‘truth’ and second element Latin possessive -inus. Her ancient name was Desobriga Villasarracino Palencia 1.Prob.‘Village of the Saracen’ appellative given to a Moorish person or nickname turned surname for people with a brown coloured face. 2.Suggested from Basque zuri-ako ‘whitecoloured’ Villarubia de Santiago Toledo ‘Yellowish village’ DE SANTIAGO ‘ascribed to the knights of Santiago’ in English Saint James. Villasayas Soria Villarubio Cuenca ‘Village of Sayas’ assumed personal name of early Basque settler from zai or zain ‘guard’ ‘watchman’ ‘Yellow Town’ same as VILLARUBIA. Villarta Cuenca ‘Well Provisioned Village’ a compound name with almost identical spelling as VILLAHARTA, from Spanish adjective harta ‘satisfied’ Villasbuenas de Gata Cáceres ‘Worthy villas’ a complimentary second element buenas ‘good’ DE GATA ‘on the Sierra of Gata’. Its name may be related to the ancient city of Catobriga belonging to the Vetoni tribe. Villarta de los Montes Badajoz ‘Well Provisioned Village’ DE LOS MONTES ‘at the foot of the mountains’ Villarta de San Juan Vilaseca several locations 1. ‘Dry village’ literal meaning of second element seca ‘dry’ 2. ‘Village on the side of the road’ from Arabic Sicca ‘border’ 3. ‘Village having two parts’ from Latin secta ‘cut’ derived from verb secare ‘to cut’ Ciudad Real ‘Well Provisioned Village’ DE SAN JUAN ‘commended to the Order of Saint John’ better known as the Order of Malta. 287 VILLAVERDE VILASECA Gothorum after disappearance of first syllable Go. Vilaseca La Rioja ‘Village at the border of the road’ from Arabic Sicca ‘border’ Villatuerta Navarra ‘Tortuous village’ a derogatory name which describes a town with excess of angles and corners, hence ‘twisted’ Vilaseca de Henares Guadalajara ‘Village next to the road’ DE HENARES ‘by the river Henares’ which means ‘haystacks’ in Spanish. Its location discredits the etymology ‘dry’ Villaumbrales Palencia ‘Village protected from the sun’ compound name with Latin genitive umbralis ‘on the shadow’ Vilaseca de la Sagra Toledo ‘Village next to the road’ DE LA SAGRA ‘in the region of La Sagra’ prob. describing 1) ‘a land that will be harvested’ from Arabic Safra, if not 2) ‘rocky’ from Arabic sakhra. Prob. ‘Village of the father’ from the same root as Spanish abad which is derived from Greek Abbas meaning ‘father’ Vilaseca de Uceda Guadalajara Villavaquerin Valladolid Villava Navarra Uncertain. 1. A compound name literally describing a ‘village of cow keepers’ 2.Doubtless, a derivative of its ancient name Villa Bacrin which might confirm the lit. explanation, if derived from Latin vacca ‘cow’ and occupational suffix -inus. ‘Dry village’ DE UCEDA ‘near the town of Uceda’ ancient city with obscure meaning, poss. ‘heath’ Vilasequilla de Yepes Toledo ‘Little VILASECA’ DE YEPES ‘near the town of Yepes’ a Hebrew repetition of Jaffa, with has the commendatory sense ‘clean’ ‘ornate’ Villavelayo La Rioja Uncertain 1.‘Village of Vela’ from Gothic personal name Vela synonym of Vigil ‘vigilant’ and Latin suffix of possession -ius. 2.‘Village of Alberto’ assuming the second element from Gothic name Adalbert ‘noble’ and ‘bright’ Vilasila Palencia Prob. ‘Village of Cecil’ name poss. taken from early settler derived from Latin caecus ‘blind’ Vilasilos Burgos Villavellid Valladolid Prob. ‘Village of Silo’ assumed early settler with personal name being a shortening of Greek Silenus the ‘son of god Pan’ ‘Village of Bellido’ a frequent medieval name from Spanish adjective velludo ‘hairy’. Alternative etymologies sugg. from bellita ‘embellished’ or from bellicus ‘warriror’ Villastar Teruel Prob. ‘Village of Aster’ assumed early settler with personal name Greek Asthar ‘branch’ ‘lance’, hence ‘bearer of lances’ Villaverde Albacete ‘Green Village’ compound name formed with the second term verde ‘green’ in allusion to its abundance of flora. Villatoquite Palencia Prob. ‘Village of Torcuato’ name of owner derived from Latin Torquato ‘adorned with a collar’ as a sign of knighthood. Villaverde Alto Madrid ‘Green Village’ ALTO ‘on a high place’ for disambiguation Villatoro Avila Villaverde del Río Sevilla ‘Village inhabited by Goths’ compound name with second element from ‘Green Village’ 288 VILLAVERDE VILLENA Villavieja Castellón DEL RIO ‘by the river’ pointing at the Guadiana, which means ‘river of Anna’ in Arabic, detailed for differentiation ‘Old Village’ Spanish compound with second element vieja a derivative of Latin Vetula ‘the old one’ Its Roman name was Julia Transducta Villaverde de Medina Valladolid ‘Green Village’ DE MEDINA ‘by the city’ indicating its nearness to MEDINA DEL CAMPO, a mayor city in Castille. Villavieja de Lozoya Madrid ‘Old Village’ DE LOZOYA ‘by the river Lozoya’ which means ‘marshy’ from loza and its locative lozadal. Villaverde de Rioja La Rioja Villavieja del Cerro Valladolid ‘Green Village’ DE RIOJA ‘the one in La Rioja’ a Spanish Region so named after the river Oia, of uncertain meaning, poss. ‘leafy’. ‘Old Village’ CERRO ‘at the foot of the hillock’ with reference to the close Cerro de San Juan ‘Saint John’s hillock’ Villavicencio de los Caballeros Valladolid ‘Village of Vincent’ poss. surname of an early settler DE LOS CABALLEROS ‘of the knights’ with reference to noblemen poss. from the Order of Santiago. Villavieja del Muño Burgos ‘Old Village’ DEL MUÑO uncertain, prob. 1) ‘belonging to Munio’ from Latin Munis ‘munificent’ 2) ‘with a garden’ from Arabic Munia ‘garden’. 3) ‘placed on a hill’ from Basque mun. Villaviciosa Asturias Uncertain. 1.‘Vicious village’ from Latin adjective viciousus’ ‘lacking’ ‘vicious’ 2.‘Village with luxuriant fields’ second meaning of Spanish adjective viciosa this time derived from Latin vis ‘strength’ The second alternative has been preferred for obvious reasons. Villaviudas Palencia ‘Village of widows’ Lit. from Spanish viuda ‘widow’. Probable corruption of an original Latin adjective Vividus ‘lively’ Villegas Burgos ‘Village of Egas’ recorded Visigoth early settler Egas, with name of unknown meaning. Villaviciosa de Cordoba Córdoba ‘Fertile Village’ DE CORDOBA ‘in the province of Cordoba’ named from ancient Phoenician Corduba, poss. ‘Precious’ Villel Teruel ‘Small village’ contraction of villa with diminutive -el. Villelga Palencia Prob. ‘’Village of Helga’ a matronymic of Germanic origin derived from Heil ‘high’ Villaviciosa de Marquina Vizcaya ‘Fertile Village’ DE MARQUINA ‘near the town of Marquina’ of Germanic origin ‘borderline’ between territories. Villena Alicante Uncertain 1.‘Village of Helen’ Greek matronymic Latinized as Villa Elena ‘Greek village’ 2.‘Place of Belenio’ personal name Bellienus prob. derived from god of war Belenos Ultimately, the etymology of Villena suggests a modified persistence of its preRoman name Vigerra Villaviciosa de Odón Madrid ‘Fertile Village’ DE ODON ‘belonging to Odon’ from personal name of an assumed settler identical with Germanic Otto ‘wealthy’ 289 VILLERIAS VIRGEN DE Villerias Palencia 1.‘Village of Arias’ surname of Galician ancestry with Gothic root ar ‘eagle’ 2.‘Village of *Ari’ assumed Basque settler with personal name containig the base ari which means ‘fern’ Vinaroz Castellón Uncertain 1.‘Vineyard and well near a country house’ from Arabic Ar-Arahl a mutation of earlier Vinaralos which contains both meanings. 2.‘The place of Bani Alaro’ from Arabic personal name Ben Alarus instead of Vin Aralos. Villodre Palencia Poss. ‘Village of Eduardo’ assumed Galician settler whose name means 1) ‘protector of richness’ if Anglo-Saxon or 2) ‘arduous’ if Roman Greek. Vindel Cuenca Unknown. Poss. ‘White’ from Celtic root vindos ‘white’ ‘pale’ Villodrigo Palencia ‘Village of Rodrigo’ another town with the name of don Rodrigo Manrique, a conspicuous Master of the Order of Saint Santiago. Rodrigo means ‘famous’ from Gothic hrod ‘fame’ and ric ‘rich in’ Vinebre Tarragona Obscure 1. Arabic, based on prefix vin suggesting an anthroponym with Ben ‘son of’ 2. Celtic, based on its suffix -bre assuming derivative of briga ‘town’ 3. Latin, if assumed vinea ‘vineyard’ Villoldo Palencia Uncertain 1.‘Village of Leopoldo’ or similar Gothic name with suffix -oldo from ald ‘grown up’ ‘old’ 2.‘Village of the governor’ a transferred meaning from Nordic ‘the old one’ as is applied in ‘senior’ for ‘senator’ Viniegra de Abajo La Rioja ‘Fields with vineyards’ a compound Latin of vinea ‘vineyard’ and agra ‘fields DE ABAJO ‘the one in the lower part’ for disambiguation with VINIEGRA DE ARRIBA ‘at the upper part’ Villora Cuenca Vinuesa Soria Uncertain. 1.‘Village of the viscount’ from late Latin Vicus Viscontea 2.‘Place of Venus’ from assumed Latin Vicus Venusia. Uncertain 1.‘Village of Aurelio’ from Latin name of assumed owner Aurelius ‘golden’ 2.‘Golden village’ from hypothetical descriptive Villa Aurea Villoslada de Cameros La Rioja Viña and Viñas multiple locations ‘Burnt country house’ from Latin Villa Ustulata DE CAMEROS ‘in the region of Cameros’ from Hindu-European camb ‘curve’ which in this case applies to a ‘curved landscape’ Lit. ‘Vineyard with bitter taste grapes’ from Latin vinea aspera ‘acid vineyard’ Villoveta Burgos Viñuela Málaga ‘Vineyard’ from Latin vinea. Viñaspre Álava Prob. ‘Old Village’ compound shortened from Latin villa ‘country manor’ and vetusta ‘old’ ‘Small Vineyard’ with a diminutive somewhat derogative -uela. Vimianzo La Coruña ‘Small Vineyards’ plural of VIÑUELA Viñuelas Guadalajara Uncertain. Prob ‘Village of Mancio’ shortened from Latin Vicus Mantius referred to personal Greek name Mantios ‘prophet’ ‘seer’ Virgen de in multiple hermitages ‘Our Lady’ ‘Virgen Mary’ 290 LAS VIRTUDES VIZCAYA Virtudes (Las) Ciudad Real Vitigudino Salamanca ‘The Virtues’ after a nearby monastery with the name Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes ‘Our Lady of Virtues’ ‘Vineyard of Godino’ personal name of owner of Germanic origin found in Gudin ‘divine’ and containing the roots guda or gott Viso del Alcor (El) Sevilla Vitoria (Gazteiz)Álava ‘Watchpoint’ place on a high position suitable for keeping guard, from Latin visus ‘seen’ DEL ALCOR ‘on a hillock’ Arabic version of Latin coll. Viso del Marqués (El) ‘Victorious’ from its ancient name Victoriaco later slightly modified to Victoria to commemorate the victory of Visigoth king Leovigildo over the Basque nation in year 581 a.d. The town was favoured and rebuilt by king Sancho of Navarra on a site named Gaztesio in Basque, origin of present GAZTEIZ Ciudad Real ‘Place with a commanding view’ DEL MARQUES ‘of the Marquis’ with reference to don Álvaro de Bazan Viver Castellón ‘Burrow’ derived from its ancient name Vivarium which in Spanish is Vivero. Viso de los Pedroches Córdoba ‘Watchpoint’ VISO Vivero Lugo ‘Burrow’ also poss. ‘plant nursery’ from Latin vivarium DE LOS PEDROCHES ‘on stony grounds’ from Spanish pedroso ‘with stones’ Viveros Albacete Viso de San Juan (El) Toledo Prob. ‘Plant nurseries’ plural from Latin vivarium. Alternatively, ‘burrows’ ‘Watchpoint’ DE SAN JUAN ‘of Sain John’ prob. for being in the territory ruled by the knights of the Order of Sain John. Vizcaya (Bizkaia) Vizcaya Uncertain Sugg. ‘High land’ from Basque bizcar ‘hill’ ‘summit’ or its second meaning ‘slope’. Vista Alegre Several locations ‘Joyous View’ Spanish from late Latin alecris derivative of alacer which has the same sense as ‘alacrity’ 291 YUNCLER WAMBA 2.‘The hills’ ‘mountain’ W from Arabic dyebel Yebra Guadalajara Unknown Derived, without doubt, from its ancient name Aebura a city of the Eburoni tribes. A parallel Evora can be found in Portugal. Wamba Valladolid Uncertain Named after a Visigoth king of Spain 1.‘Pilgrim’ ‘alien’ from Germanic wahla 2.‘Having a big belly’ from Germanic root wamba and Anglo-Saxon womb. Yecla Guadalajara Unknown Derived poss. from an ancient Greek name Yeclazo. X Yecora Alava Unknown Sugg. ‘Place abundant with horses’ from recorded early name Equora assumed derivative of Latin equus ‘horse’ Xavier Navarra ‘New house’ compound Basque with first element etxe ‘house’ and second berri ‘new’ Yela Guadalajara Obscure Poss. ‘Place where fennel plants grew’ from Basque iel ‘fennel’ and affirmative suffix -a ‘that one’. Y Yelamos de Abajo Guadalajara Yanci Jaen Obscure 1.‘Place of fennel herbs’ assuming a compound of Basque iel fennel and Old Spanish locative suffix-amos. 2.‘Elm tree grove’ from Spanish alamo ‘elm tree’ and first letter unexplained DE ABAJO ‘the one below’ for differentiation with YELAMOS DE ARRIBA ‘the one above’ ‘Place covered with fern’ from Basque ian ‘fern’ ‘bracken’ and second part a shortened suffix of abundance -iz. Yanguas Soria 1.Prob. ‘Village with doors or gates’ from Latin janua ‘door’ ‘access’ 2.Poss. ‘Site with a fern garden’ from Basque ian ‘fern’ compounded with noun goatz ‘bed’ Yepes Toledo Unknown 1.Poss. derivative from Arabic Hepes which might have assimilated its original Iberian name Hippo. 2.Phoenician Iepp reminiscent of Hebrew Jaffa former Joppe. Yañez La Coruña ‘Place of the family of Juan’ from personal name Ivan>Juan and surname suffix -ez. Yebes Guadalajara Uncertain. Poss. ‘Place where elder plants grew’ from Spanish yebo Bot. Sambucus Ebulus. Yeste Albacete Unknown Prob. from an assumed pre-Roman name Jesse. Yebenes (Los) Toledo Yuncler Toledo Uncertain 1.‘The twin places’ from Latin adjective geminis ‘twin’ ‘Place of reed’ from Latin juncus ‘reed’ ‘rush’ and locative suffix -er. 292 YUNQUERA YUNCLIYOS Yunquera Malaga Yunclillos Toledo ‘Place abundant with reed plants’ from Spanish junquera ‘reed’ ‘rush ground’ ‘Place with reeds’ in Spanish diminutive -illos ‘the small ones’ but more likely referred to the size of the village. Yunquera de Henares Guadalajara ‘Place abundant with reed plants’ ‘Rush’ DE HENARES ‘by the river Henares’ which means ‘hay fields’ Yuncos Toledo ‘Reeds’ from Spanish juncos derived from Latin juncus. 293 ZABAL ZALAMEA disambiguation with ZAHARA DE LA SIERRA and the following: Z Zahara de los Membrillos Cadiz ‘Rocky place’ DE LOS MEMBRILLOS ‘of the quince trees’ Spanish membrillos from Greek meli-melon ‘sweet apple’ Zabal Navarra ‘Plain’ from Basque adjective zabal ‘plain’ ‘open’ ‘flat’ ‘wide’ Zabaleta Guipuzcoa ‘Open place’ from Basque zabal and suffix -eta used in this case as locative, instead of plurality. Zaida (La) Zaragoza ‘Place of the lady’ from Arabic Zaida ‘lady’ ‘mistress’ Zabala Vuzcaya Zahinos Badajoz ‘Fields where sorghum grew’ from Latin noun sagina ‘grass for breeding’ derived from verb saginare. ‘The plain’ from Basque noun zabal with the article -a ‘the’ Zabalza Navarra ‘The plain place’ threefold Basque compound with first part zabal ‘plain’, middle element -z- ‘manner’, followed by second suffix -a ‘the’ Zahora Cadiz Zael Burgos 1.‘Like a watchpoint’ Basque with zai ‘guard’ and locative of similitude -din ‘like’ 2. Sugg. ‘Place of the lady’ Arabic origin identical with ZAIDA DE CINCA ‘by the river Cinca’ prob. from Basque root zingo ‘deepness’ Prob. ’White’ derivative of Hebrew Zihor with Arabic article -a. Zaidin de Cinca Huesca ‘Sand bank’ Arabic from Sahel ‘sandy riverside' referred to the river Arlanza. Zafara Zamora ‘Desert’ from Arabic Sahara. Zafarraya Granada Uncertain 1.‘Field of desertic appearance’ from Arabic Sahara and second element raaya ‘field’ 2.‘Field of the shepherd or shepherds’’ compound with first part fahs ‘shepherd’ 3.‘Field on the border’ where first element might be salar ‘limit’ ‘border’ Zaitegui Alava ‘The guardian’s house’ from Basque zaitu ‘to protect’ and egi ‘house’ Original name was Zatica, its obvious origin. Zajaira Almería ‘The little rock’ from Arabic sojaira. Identical with ZUJAIRA in Granada. Zafra Badajoz ‘Place looking yellow’ from Arabic Zafran ‘yellow’ related to Spanish azafran ‘saffron’ Zalain Navarra ‘Prairie on a high place’ from Basque zal ‘prairie’ ‘pasture’ and second element uncertain poss. ini ‘reed’ or augmentative base ain Zagra Granada ‘The rock’ from Arabic sajra Zalamea de la Serena Badajoz Zahara de los Atunes Cadiz ‘Rocky site’ as derived from Arabic sajra-a DE LOS ATUNES lit. ‘of the tuna fish’ denoting its nearness to the sea, for 294 Uncertain 1.‘Place of Zulema’ Arabic matronymic derived from personal name Soleiman which is related to Hebrew Solomon ZALAMEA ZARRA 2.‘Country houses in the middle’ from sala originally ‘one room dwelling’ later ‘country manor’ and second part adjective mea abbreviation of median ‘in the middle’ DE LA SERENA ‘the one in the district of La Serena’ the name poss. was applied in the Middle Ages to land that was rented out to a landlord. Durii ‘eye of the Douro’ mutated to Ceum Ura, whence Zam-ora. 3.‘Place having turquoise stones’ from Arabic Amora. 4.‘The stream on the glen’ from Basque sama ‘glen’ ‘valley’. Basque etymology is based on the existence of ZAMORA place names in Basque country. Zalamea la Real Huelva ‘Place where shoes are made’ Galician for ‘shoemaker’ Zapateiro some places in Galicia Prob. ‘Country house in the middle’ LA REAL ‘the one belonging to the Crown’ from Spanish real ‘royal’ Zaragoza Zaragoza ‘City of Caesar Augustus’ corrupt derivative of ancient Civitas Ceasar Augusta, through assumed shorteningAr Agossa. Before Roman times, was Salduba mentioned by Pliny when describing the cities of the Edetani. Another Salduba can be found near Malaga, documented by Mela. Zaldivia Guipuzcoa Uncertain 1.‘The ford frequented by horses’ from Basque zaldi ‘horse’ and ibi-a ‘the ford’ 2.‘The grove by the ford’ from zaldi ‘grove’ and ibi-a ‘the ford’ Zalduendo Alava ‘Place near the meadows’ from Basque zal ‘meadow’ with middle element of plurality -di and suffix -ondo ‘near’ Zarandones La Coruña Unknown 1.Prob. ‘Place where sieves are available’ from the Spanish term zarandas ‘sieves made of cloth for sifting’ related to verb zarandear ‘the sifting of wheat’ 2.Poss. ‘Place where cistus plants abound’ from Arabic and Spanish jara ‘cistus’ ‘rock rose’ and suffix-ones. Zalduendo Burgos Same as above. Zambra Cordoba ‘Music’ Arabic term from root zamara which seems phonetic adaptation of Cisimbrium, mentioned by Pliny. Zaratán Valladolid Zambrana Alava ‘Place where cistus plants abound’ from Arabic and Basque jara ‘cistus’ ‘rock rose’ and locative suffix -ain. Uncertain 1.‘Of Zamora’ with reference to that city, expressed in adjectival form zamorana 2.‘Place of Sempronio’ Latin personal name Sempronius of assumed early settler or owner. 3.‘Place with abundance of asphodel’ from Basque anbal and anbalu ‘asphodel’ plus Latin locative suffix -ana. Zarauz Guipuzcoa ‘Cold place where rock roses grew’ from Basque zarada ‘cistus place’ and -otz ‘cold’ ‘fresh’ Zariquiegui Navarra Identical with ZAMBRANA. ‘Willow grove’ from Basque zarika ‘willow’ or ‘broom’, with suffix of abundance -egui. Zamora Zamora Zarra Valencia Zambrano Badajoz Uncertain 1.‘Stronghold’ from Hebrew samar ‘stronghold’ ‘fortress’ 2.‘View over the river Duero’ derived from its recorded ancient name Ocelum Obscure 1.Prob. ‘Iron slag’ from Basque zarra 2.‘Mountain range’ from recorded Serra identical with sierra found in Arabic AsSarra. 295 ZAS ZARRACINA 3 ‘Closed estate’ from Galician serra 4.‘Place with orange flowers’ from Arabic Al-Zahara Spanish azahar. 5.‘Old place’ from Iberian Basque zar ‘old’ Zas La Coruña ‘Country houses’ plural of Salas with occlusion of a syllable. Zazuejo o Perelada de Zazuejo Badajoz ‘Small willow grove’ from Spanish sauce ‘willow’ or Basque sagats ‘willow’ with Spanish diminutive -ejo. PERELADA ‘land measure marked by one day of labour by a pair of oxen’ Catalan. Zarracina Asturias ‘Place owned by a Saracen person’ either with reference to Moorish religion or her brownish colour. Zarraton La Rioja 1.Prob. ‘Place where an iron mine has been exhausted’ derived from Basque zarra ‘iron slag’ and locative suffix -toi. 2.‘Large and fenced country estate’ from Iberian Basque sarra ‘enclosed field’ and augmentative suffix -on. Zayas de la Torre Soria Prob. ‘Country houses’ from Arabized Spanish Salas derived from Germanic sala ‘dwelling with one room only’ DE LA TORRE ‘of the tower’ for convenient disambiguation Zarza-Capilla Badajoz ‘Site with a chapel on bramble grounds’ compound of Spanish zarza ‘bramble’ and capilla ‘chapel’ Zazuar Burgos Uncertain Poss. ‘Forest’ from Iberian Basque zuat ‘tree’ and plurality locative -ar. Zarza (La) Badajoz ‘Place with bramble’ Spanish Zolina Navarra ‘Place full of bramble’ DE MONTANCHEZ ‘the one by the land and village of Montanchez’ poss. from Arabic Al Hange ‘the tenth’ a land tax, and Mozarabic prefix mont- ‘mountain’ Unknown 1 Poss. ‘Place of *Zoilo’ anthroponym from Greek Zoilos meaning ‘impartial’ or from Latinized Caelianus ‘heavenly’ 2.The foot of the hill’ from Basque zola ‘downside of the slope’ ‘foundation’ and article -a Zarza de Tajo Caceres Zorita Caceres Zarza de Montanchez Cáceres ‘Place full of bramble bushes’ DE TAJO ‘the one on the banks of the river Tajo’ of unknown meaning sugg. derived from Greek Tagos or personal name Tagonius. Uncertain 1.‘Woodsy’ from Iberian Basque zur ‘tree’ ‘log’ and diminutive -ita. 2.‘Whitish’ from Iberian Basque zuri ‘white’ origin of the Spanish word zorita ‘turtle dove’. Zarzalejo Madrid ‘Place with bramble’ with first element zarza ‘bramble’ and derogative or diminutive suffix -ejo. Zorita del Maestrazgo Zarzosa La Rioja ‘Place full of bramble’ derived from zarza with suffix of abundance -osa. Castellon Poss. ‘Wooded area’ DEL MAESTRAZGO ‘of the Master land’ with reference to the Order of the knights of Saint John also known as the Order of Malta. Zarzuela several locations Zorita de los Canes ‘Small Zarza’ referred to other towns with that name, here modified with diminutive almost pejorative suffix -uela. Guadalajara Poss. ‘Wooded area’ 296 ZORRAQUÍN ZÚÑIGA DE LOS CANES ‘the one with abundance of wooden beams used in construction’ from Spanish canes They both seem Arabized versions of recorded Zuronium Zufre Huelva Zorraquín La Rioja ‘Place where tributes were paid’ from Arabic Sufre ‘tax’ ‘Sharp high place’ compound Basque place name with first element containing the base zorr ‘sharp’ followed by middle term ak ‘the’ and final -ain ‘high’. Zufia Navarra ‘The bridge’ Basque from zubi ‘bridge’ and article -a ‘the’ Zorreras (Las) several locations Zuheros Cordoba ‘Place frequented by foxes’ from Spanish zorro ‘fox’ and plural locative -eras. Prob. ‘Place of Suero’ from name of possible settler Suerius ‘taylor’ from Latin verb sutor. Zuasti Navarra ‘Wood’ from Iberian Basque zwuat ‘tree’ and plurality locative -ti. Zujar Granada ‘Little rock’ from Arabic so-kayr. Identical with second interpretation of ZUERA Zuazu Alava ‘Wood’ from Iberian Basque zwuat ‘tree’ and abundance locative -zu Zulema Albacete Zuberoa Navarra ‘Place of *Zulema’ Arabic matronymic derived from personal name Soleiman which is related to Hebrew Solomon. ‘Place with abundance of holm oaks’ derived from Basque zumel Zubia (La) Granada Zulueta Navarra ‘Place of caves’ from Basque zulo ‘cave’ ‘hole’ well’ with plurality suffix -eta. 1.Prob. ‘The hermitage’ from Arabic Al Zabia ‘the retired place’ 2. Poss. ‘The bridge’ from Iberian Basque zubi-a Zumarraga Guipuzcoa ‘Elm wood’ from Basque zumar ‘elm’ and locative suffix -aga. Zubiaur Vizcaya ‘In front of the bridge’ from Basque zubi ‘bridge’ and adverb aurre ‘facing’ Zubieta Navarra ‘Place with a bridge’ from Basque zubi ‘bridge’ and suffix -eta, here meaning ‘place’. Zumaya Guipuzcoa 1.‘Hayfield’ from Basque zumai ‘hay’ ‘fern’ and -ia and modified locative -aga. 2.‘Plantation of osiers’ from Basque zuma ‘osier’ ‘wicker’ ‘willow’ and suffix ia. Zubiri Navarra Zumel Burgos ‘Village of the bridge’ from Basque zubi ‘bridge’ and iri ‘village’ A probable Basque adaptation of documented Seburium. ‘Place with abundance of holm oaks’ from Basque zumel which also could mean ‘wicker’ Zuñeda Burgos Zucaina Castellon ‘Place where aspen trees abound’ from Basque zunzun ‘aspen’ and Spanish locative -eda replacing original Basque -eta. ‘Little house’ from Arabic Su-kaina Zuera Zaragoza 1.‘Pretty and small’ from Arabic su-faria 2.‘Small rock’ from Arabic Su-kayrat Zuñiga Navarra ‘Slope on a field that can be cultivated’ 297 ZURBITU ZUZA Zurbitu Burgos Zurita several places ‘Fountain by the sorb trees’ from Latin sorbus Spanish serbal or Basque zurbal and second part itur ‘source of water’ ‘Place with trees’ from Basque zur ‘tree’ ‘grove’ Zuza Navarra Zurgena Almeria 1.‘Place of mushrooms’ from Basque zuza ‘mushroom’ 2.’Willow wood’ from Basque susun ‘willow’ and suffix -a. Poss. ‘Place of *Curzio’ from Latin personal name of hypothetical settler Curtius derived from Germanic Kurt ‘short’ followed by patronymic suffix ena. 298 Vivre à la Maison Smith de Richard Meier Luis de Orueta Luis de Orueta A Dictionary of Spanish Place Names