Re: Meaning and origins of Moya
in reply to a message by KS
Hi, I've also been trying to find the meaning of the name, but I've found different meanings. The name originates in the town of MOYA near Cuenca (Spain) and one of the theories I have found is that when the country was Islamic ruled by the Moors, they built a castle on a hill overlooking a town and when the Spanish Christians took over, a wealthy Spaniard was given the castle. He decided to keep the name and the whole village eventually became know as Moya as well. I believed that the name was derived from Arabic meaning water or river due to its geographical location presumably, but another source says it means a small jar for salt! The name was supposedly first mentioned as a surname in 1681. Hope that helps, LM