Origin of the Erazo Surname

Eraso is an ancient Basque surname originating in the 12th century in the village of Eraso, of the Navarra province of Spain. The name spread throughout Spain, mostly in the Basque provinces, but the earliest recorded emigration of Erasos outside Spain was in the early 17th century, to Santiago, Chile, where descendants changed the spelling to “Erazo”.

Typical of Basques, Erasos were seafarers, and today, Erazos live throughout the former Spanish empire, from the Spanish Caribbean, through the Americas, and into the Philippines. But in spite of this wide extension, Erazo remains a relatively rare surname.

Erazo, Eraso, and Erauso are the most common spelling variations. Other known variations are Irazu, Errazu, and similar Castilianized spellings beginning with the silent “H”.

One genealogy source claims that the meaning of Eraso is “abundant ferns”. However, the Basque word for fern is iratzke. And eraso is the Basque word for “attack” or “assault”, not “fern”.

The best web source for the Eraso surname is Blasones Hispanos. This site traces the spread of the name throughout Spain and its first appearance in the New World. It also gives a good description of the Eraso Coat of Arms, granted by the Earl of Humanes to Infantry Captain Martín de Eraso on the 22nd of June, 1562.

Various sources claim that the first settlement of Erazos in the New World was in Santiago, Chile. Tomás Pino Aldunate of the Familias Chilenas website sets this date at the turn of the 17th century, when Spanish mariners Domingo de Erazo and his son Francisco de Erazo selected Chile as their home.