Prieto Family History
Prieto Name Meaning
Spanish: nickname for a dark-haired or dark-skinned man from Old Spanish prieto ‘dark black’. The adjective derives derived from the verb apretar ‘to squeeze or compress’ a metathesized form of apetrar Late Latin appectorare ‘to hold close to the chest’ (from pectus genitive pectoris ‘chest’). The use as a color term seems to have derived originally from its application to rain clouds and fog.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022