Expert: Irulan Serena - 7/4/2006

Question
Any information or history leading to the origin of the last name Sabat. thank you kindly

Answer
Hello Greg,

The origins old family name of Sabat can be found within medieval Spain.   Spanish names were influenced by the Germanic speaking Visigoths, who conquered Spain from the mid-5th to 8th centuries, and the Arabic and Muslim Moors who conquered the Spanish homeland from the 8th to 12th centuries. Since Spain was periodically dominated by both of these nations in its past, it shared much in common with both the Visigoths and the Muslims in the occupations they described.

Spelling variations include: Zapata, Zapato, Zapatero, Zapatera, Sabato, Sabata and many more.

The name was first found in Castile, whose language and culture was carried to many countries of the world.

Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were:

Migrants to the New World included Juan Zapata, who sailed to New Spain in 1580.

Juan Zapata de Cárdenas sailed to Peru in 1535; Marcucio Zapata sailed to Peru in 1534.