Vidal

For other uses, see Vidal (disambiguation).
Vidal
Language(s)Catalan, Spanish
Origin
Language(s)Latin
Word/nameVitalis
Meaninglife, vitality
Other names
Cognate(s)Vital (surname and given name), Vitale, Vitali, Vitalii, Vitalie
Related namesVidales, Vivas, Vives, Vidaller, Vidals, Vivar, Vivó,[1]: 270, 293  Vidale, Vides

Vidal (Aragonese: [biˈðal], Catalan: [biˈðal], Occitan: [biˈðal, viˈdal], Spanish: [biˈðal]) is a name that originated in Spain based on the Latin Vitalis, referring to the trait of vitality. Though first used as a given name, this is rare and Vidal is most common as a surname. It is a Catalan surname, originally from the historic Kingdom of Aragon and now common across Spanish-speaking nations. Rarely seen as a given name, it has more popular variants, and is found globally.

Origins and etymology

As a name, Vidal originated as a given name and in early use was a baptismal name,[2] a rendering of the Latin name Vītālis (and its origin, vita), meaning "life" and "vitality". This ultimately derived from a proto-Indo-European root that Juan Sebastián Elián, in his dictionary of surnames, referred to as guem and defined as meaning "to come into the world"; Elián wrote that this root meaning was interpreted as a blessing for long life for newborns. The meaning is also reflected in some of the surname's variants, those coming from vivas, "(to will that) you live", and vivere, the imperative "to live".[1]: 270 

The name was recorded in Spain at least as early as the 3rd century AD, when Saint Vidal of Complutum was martyred.[3][4] As a surname, it was first used in the Catalan language, originating in Barcelona; one of the earliest records is of Raimon Vidal de Bezaudun (Vidal de Besalú), a Catalan troubadour of the 13th century.[1]: 270–271 [a] In the 17th century, Vicente Mares reviewed the surname's origins and, citing Rafael Martí de Viciana, attributed it to 13th century knight Bernardo Vidal, one of the first Christian settlers of Atzeneta in Valencia.[5]

History

Roman Hispania

During the Roman rule of the Iberian peninsula, Saint Vidal was born in Complutum (now Alcalá de Henares) in the 3rd century. He was young when he served in the Roman army and had his first son, Saint Natal, in Italy. After being widowed and returning to Hispania, he remarried and had two more sons, Justus and Pastor; he was then recalled to Rome to serve under Saint Sebastian. Witnessing Sebastian perform miracles converted Vidal and other companions to Christianity. When the Diocletianic Persecution began, Vidal and his companions moved to Campania in exile, but were discovered and martyred in 293 AD near Padua.[3][4] In Spain, the given name Vidal is mostly associated with this Spanish martyr, whose feast day is celebrated on 2 July,[6] but he is not the only saint of the name. The earlier martyr Vitalis of Milan (also known as Vidal in Spanish) may have contributed to the name being used by others. However, Vidal is practically unknown as a given name outside of Spanish-speaking nations, and has never been particularly common in Spain either.[7][6] Elián suggested usage may be more related to its meaning.[1]: 270 

Pre-Spanish kingdoms

Historian Julián del Castillo wrote in the 16th century that Vidal "is a noble surname of knights in the Kingdom of Aragon and Catalonia".[8] The name has been recorded since at least the 12th century in the east of Spain: Peter II of Aragon granted land in Baix Ebre to Martí Vidal in order to build a monastery for the founding of the Order of Sant Jordi d'Alfama.[5][9] The traditional coat of arms is a red background with a silver eagle wearing a golden crown.[1]: 270 

Mares wrote that by the 1680s the Vidal family had "governed the city of Valencia for three hundred years";[5] indeed, there were at least twelve members of the Vidal family present when the city was signed over to James I of Aragon in the 13th century, most of whom received land grants.[b][10] The knight Bernardo Vidal had been an advisor to James I during the conquest of Valencia.[c] According to Francisco Diago, Bernardo Vidal de Besalú (either the advisor Bernardo Vidal or his relative) was courageous in the Battle of the Puig and was thus awarded Carpesa by James I.[5][d] Additionally, Berenguer Vidal and the Bishop of Valencia were entrusted with distribution of lands in the new Kingdom of Valencia and for drawing borders with the Kingdom of Castile.[10]

Raimon Vidal de Bezaudun is attributed with founding the Consistori del Gay Saber in Toulouse (present day France), a literary and poetry academy for the art of troubadours that also started the tradition of Floral Games in the Catalan-speaking world.[12] The first winner of this event, in 1324, was another Vidal: Occitan writer Arnaut Vidal de Castelnou d'Ari.[13]

In the 14th century, Vidal knights were closely connected to the royal household of Aragon and participated in the Siege of Almería and the Aragonese conquest of Sardinia, while others were royal prosecutors in the kingdom's territories of Roussillon (present day France), Cerdanya (France-Spain border), and Sardinia (present day Italy).[10] The city of Barcelona had two Vidal knights promoted to the Order of the Golden Spur: Mateo de Vidal y Despla and his son Lorenzo Antonio de Vidal y de Sabastida, who were elevated to the honour by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 and 1537 respectively.[14]

In the Balearics

A Pedro Vidal participated in the conquest of Mallorca and was rewarded with Montuïri in 1230 in return.[10] Vidal has been identified as a typical Mallorcan surname.[15] In the 14th century, there was a deputy for Mallorca called Pedro Vidal.[16]: 251 

The surname has illustrious history on the Balearic island of Menorca, where it was first recorded at the start of the 14th century with Pedro Vital – whose high office required Latinisation of names but whose name would have been Vidal – a deputy for Menorca but based in Perpignan.[16]: 251  The name is found written as Vidal from at least the 15th century, when notary Pedro Vidal was living in Mahón; it is also found rendered as Vitalis, in the case of a council member,[16]: 251  and again as Vital, with two men who were part of the island's jury. The jurors' family name was at this point well established in Ciutadella, and persisted through the 16th century.[16]: 252 

There are extensive records from the early 16th century with the Vidal del Rafalet line,[e] members of which held municipal positions in Mahón between 1509 and 1679, including those of Sindico, Bayle and Amostazen.[16]: 250 [f] In 1678, Francisco Vidal hijo de Antonio, a member of the line, was made a captain; his brother Juan was promoted to captain two days after Francisco retired, in recognition of the service of himself and his father, and had a more notable career in warfare and royal service. Their line, vassals in Mahón, was still producing captains in 1724.[16]: 250–251  Another Vidal line, from Alaior, also held high municipal positions there and produced captains in the 17th century,[16]: 252  and the lines of two brothers, Don Juan and D. Domingo Vidal y Segui, were ennobled by Charles III in 1782.[16]: 251  The name was very widespread: there was also a peasant farmer called Juan Vidal, recorded in the 17th century due to his bravery in capturing twelve Moors disembarking near Mahón.[16]: 252 

Among Sephardim

As a given name, Vidal is one of the Spanish names common among Sephardim; the surname, though less than the given name, is also common among this population.[20] The surname is among the 276 found in records of the Spanish Inquisition that were used to identify supposed Judaizers, those who promoted Jewish practice.[g] Though it lacks a Jewish origin and is not associated with Judaism within Spain, it is "so widespread" among the Sephardi diaspora; Gonzalo Álvarez Chillida and Ricardo Izquierdo Benito, experts on antisemitism in Spain, considered this among the reasons that identifying Spanish Jewish names is difficult. They also wrote that the diaspora proliferation is "not surprising" in the case of Vidal, due to the known fact of conversos taking such Catalan names upon conversion, "even those [names] of noble benefactors."[15]

A genetic analysis of people with the surname was published within a wider Catalan surname and genetics study by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in 2015. The study noted speculation of a Jewish origin for some lines of the name (as a possible direct translation of the Hebrew name Haim), but actually found that the proportion of Y chromosomes with potential Jewish origin among Vidal subjects is – at most – the 10% average observed across the general Spanish population.[21]

In modernity

The 2015 UPF study had 67 usable samples; of these, it found the subjects came from 57 different lines, showing significant genetic diversity and a large number of name origins.[21]

As of 2014, there were reportedly over 500,000 people with the surname Vidal, making it the 1,019th most common in the world.[22]

People

Vidal may refer to:

Surname

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

V

W

X

Y

Given name

First name

Other given name

In fiction

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The County of Besalú was annexed into the County of Barcelona in the 12th century.
  2. ^ Ferrer Vidal was given the property of Ali Alhadava; Domingo Vidal was given that of Mahomet Alquertevi; Berenguer Vidal was given that of Ali Amnalezmer (or Abnalezmer); Guillen Vidal received that of Ebray Abneledi; Alegre Vidal received the property of Ali Amizleati; Bernardo Vidal was given Carpesa; Bertran Vidal received land in Avingahuf; J. Vidal was given property and inheritance of Juçef Abnibediç; G. Vidal received land in Coscollar as well as the property of Aly Alamello and properties of Juçef Benaladip next to that of Alamello; B. Granera Vidal was among the people awarded Castellón to split between themselves; J. Vidal was one of three people awarded land in "Beniloco near Maçalmarda"; and B. Vidal received other land near la Boatella. Guillen Vidal (son of Ramon Vidal), Juan Vidal, Bernardo Vidal (I) Pedro Vidal, Berenguer Vidal, and Bernardo Vidal (II) are named as participants in the conquest.[10][11]
  3. ^ A relative of, but not the same person as, the Bernardo Vidal from whom Mares said the surname originated.
  4. ^ The Llibre del Repartiment recorded that Carpesa was given to Bernardo Vidal de Besalú. The Trobes de mossèn Jaume Febrer suggest Vidal sold it back to James I.
  5. ^ Rafalet being located in present-day Es Castell
  6. ^ A Sindico was a member of the council of judges who also performed the everyday running of the Ayuntamiento, and a Bayle was analogous to a bailiff in the sense of overseeing a bailiwick (Menorca's regions sometimes described as Baylias, bailiwicks). Though these offices held less power than that of the Governor (of the island),[17] the Sindicos and Bayle of Mahón are known to have forced the Governor to back down on at least one occasion, despite threats of punishment, by showing he was subject to the rule of law and the matter had already been previously dismissed.[18]
    Amostazen was defined as originating from the Arabic-Spanish term almotacén, equating to "judge of weights and measures" (i.e. an overseer of markets); as well as the officeholder title within the Balearic Islands, Amostazen could also refer to rules by which markets were organised in different towns on the islands.[19]
  7. ^ This list mostly comprised the surnames of defendants tried before the Cremadissa in 1691, and so is neither an accurate reflection of Jews persecuted by the Inquisition nor of Jewish families of the time.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Elián, Juan Sebastián (2001). El gran libro de los apellidos y la heráldica (in Spanish). American Bar Association. ISBN 978-84-7927-549-5.
  2. ^ "El Origen, Historia y Significado del Apellido Vidal (Valencia)". Instituto de Historia y Heráldica Familiar (in Spanish). 2016-03-13.
  3. ^ a b González, Lola.Los Santos mártires Justo y Pastor. 'Transmisión y praxis cultual en España en la segunda mitad del siglo XVI (1568)' Criticón, 102, 2008, pp. 55-67.
  4. ^ a b Biografía eclesiástica completa: vida de los personajes del Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento, de todos los santos que venera la Iglesia, papas y eclesiásticos célebres por su virtudes y talentos en órden alfabético (in Spanish). Eusebio Aguado. 1868. p. 226.
  5. ^ a b c d Mares, Vicente (1681). La fenix Troyana; epitome de varias y selectas historias, assi divinas como humanas (in Spanish). por Matheo Penen. pp. 293–294.
  6. ^ a b Vélez, Laura (24 July 2023). "Día del Santo Vidal, 2 de julio. Nombres para niños". Guia Infantil (in Spanish).
  7. ^ "Vidal: Significado del nombre Vidal. Nombre para niños". Guia Infantil (in Spanish). 21 March 2017.
  8. ^ CASTILLO, Julian del (1624). Historia de los reyes godos que vinieron de Scythia de Europa contra el Imp. Romano y a España: con sucesión de ellos hasta los reyes católicos Fernando e Isabel (in Spanish). Sanchez. p. 451.
  9. ^ "orde de Sant Jordi d'Alfama". Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  10. ^ a b c d e Ribera, Manuel Mariano (1726). Centuria primera del Real, y Militar Instituto de la Inclita Religion de Nuestra Senora de la Merced Redempcion de Cautivos Christianos. Parte Primera. Nuevamente illustrada por mandato,... Por el Rdo. padre maestro Fr. Manuel Mariano Ribera,... Ofrecida a las soberanas plantas de Maria Santissima fundarora, y patrona de dicho mercenario instituto,... (in Spanish). por Pablo Campins. pp. 589–590.
  11. ^ Colección de documentos inéditos del Archivo de la Corona de Aragón. Barcelona Archive Press. 1856. pp. 160–161, 164, 189, 233, 310, 525, 541.
  12. ^ Balaguer, Victor (1866). Las calles de Barcelona. Origen de sus nombres. Sus recuerdos, sus tradiciones y leyendas. Biografías de los personajes ilustres que han dado nombre a algunas ... Adornada con ... láminas. [With plans.] (in Spanish). p. 408.
  13. ^ Gélis, François de (1912). Histoire critique des jeux floraux depuis leur origine jusqu'à leur transformation en Académie (1323-1694) (in French). p. 285. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  14. ^ Morales Roca, Francisco José (1988). Caballeros de la Espuela Dorada del Principado de Cataluña, dinastia de Trastamara: 1412 - 1555 (in Spanish). Ediciones Hidalguia. p. 192. ISBN 978-84-00-06844-8.
  15. ^ a b Chillida, Gonzalo Alvarez; Benito, Ricardo Izquierdo (2007). El antisemitismo en España (in Spanish). Univ de Castilla La Mancha. p. 137. ISBN 978-84-8427-471-1.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ramis i Ramis, Joan (1817). Varones ilustres de Menorca y noticia de los apellidos que mas se han distinguido en ella (in Spanish). Serra. pp. 250–252. ISBN 978-1-01-954082-4. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  17. ^ Ramis y Ramis, Juan (1819). Historia civil, y politica de Menorca: Parte I, que empieza en los tiempos mas antiguos, y acaba á principios de la Era Cristiana (in Spanish). Pedro Antoino Serra. p. 8.
  18. ^ Ramis y Ramis, Antonio (1829). Noticias relativas á la isla de Menorca (in Spanish). pp. 10–11.
  19. ^ Ramis i Ramis, Antonio (1832). Idea del antiguo directorio o libro de los Bayles, y Amostazenes de la isla, y suplemento al Pariatje (in Spanish). Pedro Antonio Serra. p. 22.
  20. ^ Estrugo, José M. (2002). "Nombres y apellidos sefardíes". Los sefardíes (in Spanish). Editorial Renacimiento. pp. 41–54. ISBN 978-84-8472-034-8.
  21. ^ a b Neus Solé-Morata, Jaume Bertranpetit, David Comas y Francisco Calafell, (2015), "Y-chromosome diversity in Catalán surname samples: insights into surname origin and frequency",European Journal of Human Genetics, 1-9, doi: 10.1038 / ejhg.2015.14[U4] [U5].
  22. ^ forebears.io
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