Tejada

This is a Spanish name of great antiquity and nobility. It is locational from the town of Tejada, and is recorded heraldically both in Seville and Castille. The original Coat of Arms is a chequer-board of red and gold, whilst later arms show a gold cross quartered with two castles, a lion rampant, and a wild boar, all within a decorated border. The name "Tejada" is a derivative of "Tejado" meaning tile, and originally meant the place of the tile roofs, or the place where tiles were made. There are a number of variant spellings, and proven recordings of the name (all in Spain) include the following: Cristobal Tejada, whose son Sanchez, was christened at Tauste, Zaragoza, on August 24th 1710, whilst on June 29th 1711, Maria de Tejada married Domingo Arias De Prada, at Santa Maria Magdalen, Valladolid. Later recordings include Gracia Fernandez Tejada, christened at San Salvador, Navarra, on April 14th 1872. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Juan de Tejada, which was dated March 4th 1665, a witness at Murillo el Cuende, Santa Fe, Spain, during the reign of King Charles 11 of Spain, 1665 - 1700. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.