Message: "Almanza" - Behind the Name

[Facts] Almanza

by Alanlungs

4/19/2015, 6:46 PM

I am named after my grandfather Almanza who is of Scot descent why would anyone in 1883 name their son after a city in Spain ?

#Almanza

Replies

- LMS +1

4/24/2015, 12:14 AM

It may not be after the city in Spain. It may be a variation of Almanzo. Before clicking on your post, I thought you were going to talk about a feminine variation of Almanzo. Almanzo described at some point that his name came from El Manzoor.

- ClaudiaS

4/24/2015, 6:51 AM

Probably more accurate to say that both Almanzo and Almanza are anglicized forms of El Mansoor / Al-Mansur. I'm sure there are other variants, too. Just a quick google gave me Almansur and Almanzor.

- Pie

4/21/2015, 12:56 AM

It might have originally been something else; spelling errors were very common in the records with foreign names at that time. Or as it is a surname in some parts of the world, a family surname from foreign family. There was a large wave of immigration to Scotland at the end of the 19th century from Europe, so his family or some member of it may have been part of that.

This message was edited 4/21/2015, 1:59 AM

- elbowin +1

4/19/2015, 11:19 PM

It seems the the name Almanzor had some popularity in the USA in the 19th century. It ultimately goes back to Al-Mansur, caliph at Cordoda. It may be popularized by John Dryden's play "Conquest of Granada."

Almanza is probably just a phonetic rendering of this name.

- ClaudiaS

4/21/2015, 7:58 AM

The author Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband's name was Almanzo (b. 1857). In one of her books, she explained the name thus: "My folks have got a notion there always has to be an Almanzo in the family, because 'way back in the time of the Crusades there was a Wilder went to them, and an Arab or somebody saved his life. El Manzoor, the name was. They changed it after a while in England..."

This is very probably the same "Al-Mansur" you mentioned.

- Sabertooth +1

4/19/2015, 9:57 PM

He could have been named for an earlier relative.

- ClaudiaS

4/21/2015, 7:57 AM

This message was edited 4/21/2015, 7:58 AM

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