Nieves surname meaning

Nieves is a Spanish surname from a short form of the Marian title and personal name María de las Nieves, “Mary of the Snows,” especially for children born on 5 August, the feast linked with a legendary summer snowfall in Rome. It may also refer to a local church dedicated under that title. DAFN notes a possible nickname from the plural of nieve, “snow,” for snow-white hair, and a Castilianized form of Galician or Asturian Neves. Parent’s name is high confidence for the Marian given-name path that DAFN puts first; the snow nickname and Neves place/devotional forms are secondary rather than rival cores.