Covarrubias

Covarrubias
Family name
Coat of arms
Meaning	Red cave(s)
Region of origin	Cocentaina, Spain
Language(s) of origin	Valencian

For other uses, see Covarrubias (disambiguation).

Covarrubias is a surname in the Spanish language, although it is derived from the Valencian language, as Catalan is designated in the region. It originated in the town of Cocentaina, province of Alicante^[1] in the Valencian Community, Spain.

It is compounded of the words cova (cave)^[2], ruber (red)^[3] and the suffix ia (that has the quality of),^[4] meaning "the cave that is red" or simply "red cave".^[5] Its correspondent coat of arms was first described in 1592.^[1]

There is a village and municipality of the same name in northern Spain, that was founded in the 7th century by the visigothic king Chindasuinth.

Coat of arms

The familiar coat of arms was described in 1592 by A. Sales, accordingly to the "Book of Armoria".^[1] It consists in a quartered Spanish shield, of the following characteristics and tinctures:

• 1st field: Azure (blue), with five stars in azure
• 2nd field: Or (gold), with four fess (bands) in gules (red)
• 3rd field: Argent (silver), and a fess in sable (black)
• 4th field: Azure, and a cross in argent

Spelling variations

• Cabarrubias (in the Philippines)
• Covarubia
• Covaruvias

Famous people

Some famous people named Covarrubias are:

• Miguel Covarrubias, Mexican artist, ethnologist and art historian
• Sebastián de Covarrubias, a lexicographer.
• Marita Covarrubias, fictional character of the series The X-Files

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Libro de Armoria, Heráldica del apellido Covarrubias
2. ^ l'Enciclopèdia Diccionari (Catalan Dictionary), "Cova"
3. ^ l'Enciclopèdia Diccionari (Catalan Dictionary), "Rubescent"
4. ^ l'Enciclopèdia Diccionari (Catalan Dictionary), "-Ia"
5. ^ Mis apellidos.com, "Covarrubias"