Origin of the Name Gonzalez
The ancient history of the name
Gonzalez was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. The name Gonzalez is usually of Spanish origin is believed to be one of the most ancient of all Iberian surnames meaning 'son of Gonzalo' although it is often of Visigoth origin from the name 'Gundisalvus' meaning 'the battle field'. Variants of this widespread name include Gonsales, Gonzales, Gonsalivz, Gonzalo, Gunzaloz and Gunsolleys. An early record of the name refers to a Marcos Gonzales de Junguito in the year 1556 recording that he was Christened at Segovia in Spain . Juan Ignacio González del Castillo (1763-1800) was a Spanish author of renown. The coat of arms or family crest shown here is an ancient and distinctive design the origin of which dates back over a millennium. Initially these armorial bearings were first used by feudal lords and warriors on the field of battle as a means of identification but later became extant among the general population. While some coats of arms refer to individuals others refer to groups of people who bear the same name. From Spain the name Gonzalez spread to the rest of Europe and from there to America, Canada, Australia and the new world beyond.
The Gonzalez coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Gonzalez descendants.