Niño (
Spanish for boy) is a
given name,
nickname and
surname of Spanish origin. The appearance of the surname dates back to medieval Spain, where several prestigious families had the surname, such as the Niño de Guevara family of Bishops from
Andalusia, and the
Niño brothers, who were involved in the
Discovery of the Americas. Because of the popularity of the surname at the time of the colonization, it is now most common in countries such as Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, while relatively rare in Spain.[1]
The term Niño has also been used as a nickname since at least the 13th century, when the illegitimate son of
King Alfonso X was known as "
El Niño". The nickname has been especially popular among flamenco singers, such as el Niño de Cabra (1890s), el Niño del Carmen (1900s), el Niño Escacena (1900s), el Niño Genil (1920s), el
Niño Ricardo (1930s), el Niño Pérez (1930s), el Niño de Almadén (1950s), el Niño de Málaga (1950s), el Niño de Utrera (1950s), el
Niño de Murcia (1950s), el
Niño Josele (2000s) and Niño de Elche (2010s).[2][3] A related word and nickname is nene, by which several people are known, such as Argentine footballer
Juan Héctor Guidi, Cuban singer
Pedro Lugo and Moroccan drug trafficker
Mohamed Taieb Ahmed. The nickname nano (e.g. singer
Román León, F1 driver
Fernando Alonso) is less common.
Given name
Although rarely used as a forename in Spain or Latin America, Niño is a common name in the Philippines.[4]
Niño del Mar C. Volante, known as
Nyoy Volante (born 1978), Filipino entertainer
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given name or the same
family name. If an
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