This is a Spanish locational surname of which the various forms are Canada, Canadas, Caneda, Canedo, and probably other rare spellings as well. The name is first found in relation to former residents of the town of Canada de Hoya, near Cuenca, and it was from this source that the country of Canada was later named. Locational surnames, those which derive from specific cities, towns or villages, are amongst the most popular surnames in almost every country in Europe. They were usually given either to the land owning families of the area, or to people who left their original homes and went to live elsewhere. Here to make identification easy, they would be called by the name of their former homeland. Examples of the early recording of the surname taken from surviving church records include Mateo Gonzales Canedo, at St Nicholas de Bari, Valldolid, on September 20th 1620, Crispa Canadas of Barrax, Albacete, christened there on March 3rd 1638, and Eastavia Canada, who married Anna Maria Payro at La Bisbal, Gerona, on July 6th 1676. The name is early into California for instance, Pedria Canedo being recorded at San Diego in February 27th 1797, in the days when it was a Spanish colony. The coat of arms granted in Aragon, Spain, in circa 1670, has the blazon of a silver field, an eagle displayed between four crosses, all gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Isabel de Montenegro Canedo, which was dated July 1st 1612, married at Lugo, Spain, during the reign of King Phillip 111 of Spain, reigned 1598 - 1621. 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.