Show ContentsCordova History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Cordova

What does the name Cordova mean?

Noble surnames, such as Cordova, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Cordova, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate.

Early Origins of the Cordova family

The surname Cordova was first found in Andalucia, in southern Spain.

Early History of the Cordova family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cordova research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1527, 1534, 1558, 1604, 1703 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Cordova History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cordova Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: C贸rdoba, de C贸rdoba, Cordoba, de Cordoba, C贸rdova, de C贸rdova, Cordova, de Cordova, Cordob茅s, Cordobes, Cordov茅s, Cordoves and many more.

Early Notables of the Cordova family

Notable bearers of the family name Cordova Mart铆n Alonso Fern谩ndez de C贸rdoba Montemayor y Velasco (died 1558),a Spanish nobleman and first Count of Alcaudete, Viceroy of Navarra (1527-1534); and his son, Mart铆n de C贸rdoba y Velasco (died 1604), marqu茅s de Cortes and governor of Oran; fifteenth century astronomer and physician Alfonso de C贸rdoba; fifteenth century painter Pedro de C贸rdoba; fifteenth century writer Fernando de C贸rdoba; Gonzalo de C贸rdoba, the "Great Captain" of King Ferdinand in the early sixteenth century, who helped establish Spain's military supremacy in Europe; Diego de C贸rdova, sixteenth century...
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cordova Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cordova Ranking

In the United States, the name Cordova is the 1,104th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1


Cordova migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cordova Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Fernando de C贸rdova, who sailed to Peru in 1584
Cordova Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Damian Cordova, who arrived in Texas in 1835 2
  • Frano Cordova, who arrived in Texas in 1835 2
  • Franso Cordova, who landed in Texas in 1835 2
  • Maria Josefa Cordova, who arrived in Texas in 1835 2
  • Telesfor Cordova, who landed in Texas in 1835 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cordova (post 1700) +

  • Frederick "Fred" Timmins de Cordova (1910-2001), American five-time Primetime Emmy Award winning stage, motion picture and television director and producer, best known for his work on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950)
  • Jeanne C贸rdova (1948-2016), German-born, American pioneer lesbian and gay rights activist
  • Marty Cordova (b. 1969), American former Major League Baseball left fielder
  • Jorge Cordova (b. 1981), American National Football League linebacker
  • Jacob De Cordova (1808-1868), American newspaper founder of the Jamaica Gleaner, member of the Texas House of Representatives
  • Jos茅 Mar铆a C贸rdova (1799-1829), Colombian general of the Colombian army during the Latin American War of Independence from Spain
  • France Anne C贸rdova (b. 1947), American astrophysicist, researcher and university administrator, the eleventh President of Purdue University
  • Luis de C贸rdova y C贸rdova (1706-1796), Spanish admiral
  • Juan de C贸rdova (1503-1595), Spanish Dominican linguist
  • Mar铆a C贸rdova, Spanish actress
  • ... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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