Esquivel surname meaning

Esquivel is a Basque surname, a Castilianized spelling of Ezkibel or Eskibel. DAFN explains Esquibel as probably a topographic name from Basque (h)aizkibel, “behind the cliffs,” and treats Esquivel as the same name under a different Castilian spelling. Families living behind rocky outcrops or cliff faces could have taken the byname, which then became hereditary. Esquibel remains a common variant in Spanish and American records. Place (including topographic “dweller behind the cliffs”) is high confidence for the Basque Ezkibel/Eskibel origin; dictionary sources do not present a competing non-Basque primary etymology for Esquivel.