This ancient Spanish surname, is now quite popular world wide. This is perhaps not surprising as in the medieval period the Carillo's were the Kings of Galicia, now part of Spain, and among the most ancient and honourable families of Europe. An unusual feature of the surname is its original meaning in that 'Carillo' derives from 'carro' meaning cart or wagon, and yet 'carillo' as a word implies a 'broken or deformed jaw'. 'Nicknames' were very common in medieval times, and despite the fact that they often seem uncomplimentary to the 20th century, this does not seem to have been the case in the 13th century. What is certain is that the 'Carillo' family held prominent positions through out Spain in the early days of colonial expansion, and the name itself is recorded early in what was then Mexico, and part of Spain, but is now California. Amongst these early recordings is that of Jose Raymondo Carillo, who with his wife Maria Thomasa de Lugo, was registered in Santa Barbara, on December 24th 1783. Other recordings but from the home country include Luissa Matylla Carillo, the daughter of Andreas Carillo de Ariega, christened at Valladolid, Spain, on September 24th 1640, and Maria Carillo, married at San Pedro, Navarra, on February 2nd 1730. The coat of arms has the prominent blazon of a castle tower with three turrets in gold, on a red field. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Juan Martin Carillo, which was dated June 1st 1548, christened at Cadiz, Spain, during the reign of King Charles 1 of Spain, 1519 - 1556. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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