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REAL Family History

This interesting and unusual name is of medieval Spanish origin, and has two possible sources. Firstly, it may be a locational surname deriving from any of the numerous places called "Real" in Spain. All of these are named with the Spanish term "real", encampment, rural property, ultimately derived from the Arabic "rah(a)l", farmhouse, cabin. Secondly, the modern surname Real may represent a "nickname surname", one that was gradually created from the habitual use of a nickname during the medieval period of surname acquisition, as is the case with a large grow of modern names. In this instance, the nickname would have been bestowed on someone who behaved in a regal manner, from the Spanish "real", royal, from the Latin "regalis"...