Nieves

Nieves, the Spanish plural form of nieve (English: snow), is a surname and female given name derived from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows), a reference to the 4th-century Catholic miracle of a summertime snowfall on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, where the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ad Nives was built.^[1] According to Roser Saurí Colomer and Patrick Hanks of Brandeis University, the surname is original to northwestern Spain, descending from the Asturleonese language.^[2]

Within Spain, it is most common in Andalusia, Madrid, Canary Islands, and Galicia. In the Americas, it is most prevalent in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and particularly Puerto Rico, where it is most densely concentrated.^[3] It has also been introduced into the United States from Hispanic America.^[4]

The Portuguese variant of Nieves is Neves, and it is most common in Brazil.^[5] There is also a Nieves surname of Scottish origin that originated in Nevay, located in Angus, Scotland, and thus can be found in the United Kingdom.^[6]