Surname Meaning and Origin of Guzman

The Guzman surname comes from uncertain origins. Two of the disputed theories include:

1. A descendant of Guzmán (good man), a lord or nobleman. It could also indicate a cadet or noble who served in the military. 
2. A habitational surname from de Guzmán, or "of Guzmán," derived from the village of Guzmán (es) in the province of Burgos, Spain.
3. As an eastern Ashkenazic name, it could be a variant of Gusman, an occupational name for a metalworker, from the Yiddish gus, meaning "casting" and man.

The ancient Guzman surname is the 43rd most common Hispanic surname, and found in all parts of Spain and the Hispanic world.

Surname Origin: Spanish

Alternate Surname Spellings: GUSMAN

Where Do People With the Surname Live?

According to WorldNames PublicProfiler, individuals with the Guzman surname are found in greatest numbers in Argentina, especially the regions of Argentine Northwest, Cuyo, Gran Chaco, Patagonia, and The Pampas. However, their surname distribution results do not include data from all of the Hispanic countries. Forebears pegs the Guzman surname as most frequently found in the countries of Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, El Salvador, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Colombia, followed by Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Spain.

Famous People With the Surname

• Emerita de Guzman - Filipino scientist
• Santo Domingo de Guzmán (Saint Dominic) - founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, commonly called the Dominicans
• Luis Guzman - Puerto Rican actor

Genealogy Resources for the Surname

Guzman Family Crest: It May Not Be What You Think
Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a coat of arms for the Guzman surname. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may be rightfully used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. 

GUZMAN Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Guzman surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Guzman query.

Source:

Cottle, Basil. "Penguin Dictionary of Surnames." Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.

Menk, Lars. "A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames." Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005.

Beider, Alexander. "A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia." Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2004.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. "A Dictionary of Surnames." New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. "Dictionary of American Family Names." New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Hoffman, William F. "Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings." Chicago: Polish Genealogical Society, 1993.

Rymut, Kazimierz. "Nazwiska Polakow." Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991.

Smith, Elsdon C. "American Surnames." Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.