CARRANZA (KARRANZA) Carranza is a village in the West part of the province of Bizkaia, is the bigger village of Bizkaia (though have not many inhabitants), and this is the origin of your surname. There were other house with this name in the Valley of Truzios (near Karranza). There has been branches of this family in Gipuzkoa (Diego Carranza lived in Elgoibar in 1567, Pedro Carranza y Torre in Arrasate in 1762), Navarra (Miranda de Arga), Rioja, Santander, Castilla, Andalucia and America (Mexico XVI century). There were knights of Santiago,Calatrava, and Alcantara, surnamed Carranza.

Meaning: is not clear if is a Basque or Castilian toponim, but I think is Basque, and derivates from CARRANTIA, KARR is HARRI: Stone or rock and ANTIA is ANDIA:Big, so the evolution could be Harriandia-Karriantia-Karrantia-Karrancia-Karranza......of course that is only a theorie, that i have read in some books. There exist the surname Carrandi

Coat of arms: There are a lot of Coats of Carranza, depending on the branch, but this one is the Coat of the House of Karranza: Cuartelado, 1st.and 4th- en plata un lobo andante de sable. 2nd. and 3rd.- en sinople una torre de plata.

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