Gonzales

Origin

González is a Spanish name. Its origins trace back to a Visigothic name combining the words gunþo (guntho) (battle or war) and alf (elf); the Latinized form was Gundisalv. As the Spanish language developed, the name transformed into Gonzalo and its surname derivative González. Some believe the name to mean "war hall", as evidenced by the old Norse words "Gunn/Gunnar", meaning "War/warrior" and the old Norse word "salaz" meaning "hall", whereby "gunnsalaz" may have very likely been the original Visigoth word for "castle" before they eventually adopted the Roman-Latin "castellum" and then "castle" for the building -- a process which continued across much of our old Norse world of today, wherein nations like Iceland use the word "kastali" as their word for castle. And even in the German language, one of the words for "castle" is "schloss", which is an alteration of the old Norse word "salaz" meaning "hall", wherein "salaz" may also be pronounced as "shalaz" and the first vowel eliminated entirely, leaving "shlaz", pronounced "shloss", which is then spelled as the modern German word "schloss".

González is taken to mean "son of Gonzalo", e.g. son of a "noble warrior", "soldier" or "castle guard". Common spellings include: González (common Spanish spelling), Gonzales (alternate Spanish spelling), Gonzalez (omitting the acute accent, a spelling often used in English speaking countries), Gonzalès (French adaptation), and Gonçalves (Portuguese spelling).

An alternate explanation is "the worker in metals" or "smith".

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 31.8% of all known bearers of the surname González were residents of Mexico (frequency 1:44), 10.8% of Spain (1:49), 10.0% of Venezuela (1:34), 7.4% of Argentina (1:66), 7.1% of the United States (1:584), 6.7% of Colombia (1:81), 5.1% of Cuba (1:26), 4.2% of Chile (1:48), 3.1% of Paraguay (1:27), 2.7% of Guatemala (1:68), 1.7% of Panama (1:27), 1.7% of Nicaragua (1:42), 1.4% of the Dominican Republic (1:85), 1.1% of El Salvador (1:67) and 1.1% of Ecuador (1:171).

In Spain, the frequency of the surname was higher than the national average (1:49) in the following autonomous communities:

Asturias (1:20)

Canary Islands (1:22)

Castile and León (1:29)

Cantabria (1:30)

Galicia (1:33)

Extremadura (1:36)

Andalusia (1:49)

In Cuba, the frequency of the surname was higher than the national average (1:26) in the following provinces:

Artemisa (1:18)

Cienfuegos (1:19)

Mayabeque (1:19)

Ciego de Ávila (1:19)

Matanzas (1:24)

Sancti Spíritus (1:24)

Isla de la Juventud (1:24)

Pinar del Río (1:25)

Villa Clara (1:25)

People named González

Catholic Church

Alexia González-Barros González

Antonio González (martyr)

Conchita, Jacinta and Mari Cruz González, girls that claimed to have witnessed apparitions in Garabandal

José González Rubio

José Higinio Gómez González

Manuel González García (bishop)

Peter González

Crime

Adrián Gómez González

Albert Gonzalez

Daniel Gonzalez (spree killer)

Fernando González, one of the Cuban Five

Gustavo González Castro

José González Valencia

Julio González

Sef Gonzales

Military

Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez

Ambrosio José Gonzales

Antonio González de Balcarce

Juan Picasso González

Pedro González Llamas

Samuel González Toloza

Sports

Anthony Gonzalez (politician) (born 1984)

Christian Gonzalez (born 2002), American football player

Dan Gonzalez (born 1974)

Joaquin Gonzalez (American football) (born 1979)

Steve Gonzalez (American football) (born 1981)

Tony Gonzalez (born 1976)

Zane Gonzalez (born 1995)

Bobby Gonzalez (born 1963)

Ixhelt González (born 2004)

José González (basketball) (1914–1999)

Miguel González (basketball) (1938–2022)

Shaylee Gonzales (born 2000)

Alberto González (fencer) (born 1972)

Enrique González (fencer) (born 1933)

Julio González (fencer)

Manuel González (fencer) (born 1950)

Amanda González (born 1979)

Antonio González (field hockey) (born 1969)

María Cruz González (born 1971)

Antonio González (javelin thrower) (born 1956)

Ramón González (athlete) (born 1966)