Torres History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Noble surnames, such as Torres, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Torres, 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. The Torres family originally lived in the place named Torres. There are many towns and villages in Spain that are named Torres, but the most famous are in the provinces of Andalucia, Oviedo in the Principality of Asturias, Burgos in Castilla-Leon, Lerida in Catalonia, Zaragoza in Aragon, and Navarra. The place-name is of Latin origin and it emerged during the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.

Early Origins of the Torres family

The surname Torres was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Torres family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Torres research.

Torres Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Torres, Torre, de Torres, de las Torres, de la Torre, de Torre, Turre, de Turre and many more.

Early Notables of the Torres family (pre 1700)

Prominent among members of the family Juan de Torres, a fifteenth century knight; Alfonso de la Torre and Fernando de la Torre, fifteenth century Spanish poets; sixteenth century adventurer Diego de Torres; Francisco de la Torre, sixteenth century Spanish poet; Bartolomé de Torres Naharro, sixteenth century Spanish dramatist; Fernando M. Torre, Count of La Torre.

Torres World Ranking

In the United States, the name Torres is the 67^th most popular surname with an estimated 268,596 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Torres is ranked the 398^thmost popular surname with an estimated 10,719 people with that name. [2] And in South America, the name Torres is the 19^th popular surname with an estimated 134 people with that name. [3]

 Torres migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Torres Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

• Juan Torres, who immigrated to Chile in 1560
• Luisa Torres, settled in Peru in 1562
• Diego Torres, settled in Colombia in 1562
• Cristóbal Torres, settled in Hispaniola in 1562 with his wife Inés, son Mateo and daughter Catalina
• Francisco Torres, settled in Florida in 1563

Torres Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Antonio Torres, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 [4]
• Hernando De Torres, who arrived in America in 1810 [4]
• Martin De Torres, who arrived in America in 1810 [4]
• Marina Torres, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1812 [4]
• Pedro De Torres, who landed in America in 1813 [4]

 Torres 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. [5]

Torres Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

• David Torres, who landed in Jamaica in 1740-1741 [4]
• Reins Torres, who arrived in Jamaica in 1743-1744 [4]
• Rema Torres, who landed in Jamaica in 1743