AMESTOY The origin of this surname is Laburdi, and Gipuzkoa (there are houses in Urnieta and Usurbil

Meaning: AMES or AMETS is the name of a Tree, simmilar to the oak, in Spanish is called "Quejigo" and in Lathin is "Quercus Lusitanica", I don't know the english name of it. TOY or DOI means the same than TI or DI, group of trees

There are families with this name in the whole Basque Country (North and South), but in Laburdi is more tipical, documented in Askain 1680, Itsasu 1735, Ainhoa 1749, Ziburu 1684, Sara 1653, Baiona 1891,

Variations of this surname: Amestoi, Amestoia,Amestoy (the more usual),d'Amestoy,Amestoya,Ameztoy, d'Ameztoy, Damestoi, Damestoy, Dameztoy, and de Mestoy (this last one documented in Iparralde in 1300).

Jaime Kerexeta think that is the same name than AMESTI (usual in Gipuzkoa)

Basque surnames are names of houses or farms (baserriak), there are good works about the farms of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, but there are not works about the ones of Iparralde

IHINTZIA: It is not clear the meaning of it: can be "rosee", but in toponims is not normal this name so can be, "Water place" or "place of rattans or rushes", other possibility is "walnut place".

Thomas Amestoy writes: We were always told our name meant something along these lines: "A lone tree on a hill that can not be cultivated."

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