Use of 'de' and 'de la' as Prefixes of Surnames

Use of 'de' and 'de la' as Prefixes of Surnames
 

I was reading in "Wikipedia Española" Manuel de Falla's biography wherein I noticed his father's surname was just recorded as Falla. Is there a specific reason for the addition of the 'de' or is just an affectation?

I used to work with a Gibraltarian whose surname was de la Paz but he couldn't explain it either!

He was a bit of a cantankerous so-and-so - and far from peaceful!

You might check out another thread where this topic came up.

So upon reading another thread it does seem to be something of an affectation!

To me it means:

de Paz = belongs to the Paz's family etc.

de la Paz = comes from a place named Paz.

I might be wrong.

Did that help you?

More than you might think! He did come to Britain from Gibraltar - yes, but he always insisted his ancestors were from Bolivia!

Trouble was he'd say anything except his prayers - and those he whistled!

Well, Paco de Lucía, as in "Paco of Lucía" (Lucía's Paco), as in the son of Lucía.

I invented my "noble" name when I was 12 or 13, and that was "Conde de la Pablura, Chichón y Carrascales" (I had forgotten this!)... but "de la Pablura" would be something to "belonging to the Pablura's County".

Your perception of "affectation" or "affectation" of some kind of "nobility" may be accurate.

Miguel de los Santos (Mikel of the Saints, or "Saints's Miguel") would be another example... (the examples are to many to count, but the usage "de" is common in Spanish names...)

Es Conde... no...yo ya lo escondí.

;)

Sí...
- ¿Este es conde?
- Claro, este esconde la calidad y el dinero...

:lol::lol::lol:

"De Algo" denotes from a noble family if you think about it: Hernando De Soto favous conqueror, Cayetano Martínez De irujo: son of Alba Duquess, the woman with the Higuera number of titles ( in fact all of the royal family a should vos on her presence

Right, "hidalgo" (gentleman, nobleman) means literally "hijo de algo" (son of something [important]).