Show ContentsDelgadillo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Delgadillo

What does the name Delgadillo mean?

The distinguished Spanish name Delgadillo is a nickname type of surname for a thin person. Originally, the Spanish people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in Spain is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Frequently, nickname surnames, such as Delgadillo, reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name Delgadillo is derived from the Spanish word "delgado," which means slender, and the Latin word "delicatus," which means dainty or exquisite.

Early Origins of the Delgadillo family

The surname Delgadillo was first found in Castile, predominant among the Christian kingdoms of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Delgadillo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Delgadillo research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1258 is included under the topic Early Delgadillo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delgadillo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Delgado, Delgadillo and others.

Early Notables of the Delgadillo family

Prominent among members of the family were sixteenth century Spanish sculptor Pedro Delgado; eighteenth century Spanish bullfighter José Delgado, known also as "Pepe Hillo"; José Matías...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Delgadillo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delgadillo Ranking

In the United States, the name Delgadillo is the 4,131st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Delgadillo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Delgadillo Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Gonzalo Delgadillo, who settled in New Spain in 1553-1554
Delgadillo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Sebastian Delgadillo, who arrived in America in 1828 2
  • Hernando Delgadillo, who landed in New Spain in 1838 2
  • Miguel Delgadillo, who landed in New Spain in 1877 2
  • Juan Delgadillo, who arrived in Peru in 1890 2

Delgadillo migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3
Delgadillo Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Antonio Delgadillo, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1835 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Delgadillo (post 1700) +

  • Melissa Delgadillo (b. 1982), American beauty queen, philanthropist, and socialite
  • Angel Delgadillo, former American business owner
  • Ceyli Juliann Delgadillo, American former voice actress
  • Rockard John "Rocky" Delgadillo (b. 1960), American politician
  • Rocky J. Delgadillo, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004; Member, Rules Committee, 2008 4
  • Leticia Delgadillo, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2008 4
  • Elvia L. Delgadillo, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2000 4
  • Christina Delgadillo, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1996 4
  • Diego Delgadillo (b. 1533), Spanish judge of the first Audiencia of New Spain
  • Fernando Delgadillo (b. 1965), Mexican musician and composer
  • ... (Another 5 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)
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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