Furtado

Recorded as Hurtado and sometimes Furtado, this very interesting surname is Spanish, and of great antiquity and even more surprising (claimed) origins. Seemingly it derives from the word "hurtar," and ultimately the pre 5th century Roman (Latin) furtare, meaning to rob. However according to a world dictionary of surnames, the surname does not as might be expected describe a robber or thief, but was given as a nickname surname to either a child who was kidnapped, and presumably recovered, or to one who may have been illegitimate. Although arguably there is no connection between the meaning of a surname and a coat of arms, the origins as known seem to us unlikely given that a coat of arms of great prominence was granted to the family of Hurtado de Mendoza in circa 1600. This has the blazon of a red shield indicating military strength, charged with a gold bend between two lions jaws. The bend is the crossbelt of authority, whilst the lion indicates serious power. Early examples of the surname recordings in surviving Spanish church registers include Sabastian Furtado of Leoz, Navarra, on February 10th 1577, and Hernando Hurtado de Zalidibar, who married Ysobel de Lobiano, at Ermua, Vizcaya, on September 20th 1586