Place Names and Surnames

Level 6

Read a name as a little phrase: etxe + berri + -a = Etxeberria (the new house), harri + -eta = Arrieta (place of stones).

How It Works

1. Place suffixes.

  • -eta (place where there are many): Arrieta (harri, stone), Zubieta (zubi, bridge), Mendieta (mendi, mountain). It comes from an old place ending, like mendietan (in the mountains).
  • -aga (place): Arrigorriaga (place of red stones), Iturriaga (iturri, spring)
  • -ola (place): Loiola (lohi, mud)
  • -tegi (house, workshop): Aroztegi (the workshop of the arotz, a carpenter in the South and a smith in the North)

2. Nouns with adjectives and positions. The adjective follows the noun, as in adjective after the noun: Etxeberria (the new house), Etxandi (the big house), Mendiluze (long mountain). Position words work the same way: Goikoetxea (the upper house), Elizondo (next to the church), Zubiaur (in front of the bridge). See compound nouns.

3. -ena: a family house. -ena is the genitive -(r)en plus -a, just like nirea: Martinena (Martin's house), Mitxelena (Mitxel's), Antsorena (Antso's).

4. The final -a is part of the name. It stays in every case ending: Etxeberria → Etxeberriaren, Etxeberriarekin. See place names in the local cases.

5. Old spellings. Many names are still written the Spanish or French way: Echeverría, Etcheverry. See older spelling.

Tip: Split a long name into words you know. Most names describe where a house stood or what it looked like.

Examples (5)

  1. Nire abizena Etxeberria da: etxe berria esan nahi du.

    My surname is Etxeberria: it means "the new house".

    etxe + berri + -a.

  2. Arrieta izenak harriz betetako lekua esan nahi du.

    The name Arrieta means "a place full of stones".

    harri + -eta.

  3. Goikoetxea herriaren goiko aldean zegoen etxea zen.

    Goikoetxea was the house at the top of the village.

    goiko (upper) + etxea.

  4. Elizondo elizaren ondoko lekua da.

    Elizondo is the place next to the church.

    eliza + ondo.

  5. Martinena Martinen etxea zen.

    Martinena was Martin's house.

    Martin + -en (genitive) + -a.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the name's final -a before a case ending.

    Etxeberrien etxea
    Etxeberriaren etxea

    In the name Etxeberria, the -a belongs to the name, so it stays: Etxeberriaren (of Etxeberria). Etxeberrien would mean "of the Etxeberris".

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Place Names and SurnamesLevel 6

Learn This First

Place-name endings follow compounds.