Vigil (surname)

Vigil (/viˈhɪl/ vee-HILL) is a Spanish surname.

Origin

The Vigil surname comes from the word "vigil," which is from the Latin "vigilia," meaning "wakefulness." Richard D. Woods and Grace Alvarez-Altman write that the surname is, "descendant of Vigil (watchful); one born on the feast of the nativity. [E.S.] Refers to someone who is watchful and vigilant. Asturian name. [J.A.]."[1] Woods and Alvarez-Altman refer to Elsdon C. Smith and Julio de Atienza as sources of their information. However, the work by Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names does not contain information on the name Vigil. The surname may have come from the town of Vigil, in Asturias, Spain. Julio de Atienza relates that the name Vigil is of Asturian origin in Nobiliario español.[2]

The name is especially prevalent in the Rio de la Plata region and in New Mexico.

Notable people

Notable people with the surname include:

Alicia Vigil (born 1995), DragonForce bassist
Constancio C. Vigil (1876–1954), Uruguayan-Argentine writer and prominent publisher
Olga Vigil (born 1970), Cuban basketball player
Robert Vigil (born 1953), American politician from New Mexico
Samuel Vigil (1929–2019), American politician from New Mexico
Sergio Vigil (born 1965), Argentine field hockey player and coach
Tim Vigil, American comics artist
Martina Vigil-Montoya (1856–1916), was a Native American ceramics painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico.

References

Woods, Richard D.; Alvarez-Altman, Grace (1978). Spanish Surnames in the Southwestern United States (PDF). Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. p. 143. ISBN 0-8161-8145-4. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013 – via Internet Archive.
de Atienza y Navajas, Julio (1959). Nobiliario español: diccionario heráldico de apellidos españoles y de títulos nobiliarios [Spanish Nobility: Heraldic Dictionary of Spanish Surnames and of Noble Titles] (in Spanish). Madrid: Madrid, Aguilar.

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[1] Woods, Richard D.; Alvarez-Altman, Grace (1978). Spanish Surnames in the Southwestern United States (PDF). Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. p. 143. ISBN 0-8161-8145-4. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013 – via Internet Archive.

[2] Atienza y Navajas, Julio (1959). Nobiliario español: diccionario heráldico de apellidos españoles y de títulos nobiliarios [Spanish Nobility: Heraldic Dictionary of Spanish Surnames and of Noble Titles] (in Spanish). Madrid: Madrid, Aguilar.