Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hace algunos días escribí a la Academia de la Llingua Asturiana acerca del origen de los apellidos Buylla y Pumariega. Hoy mismo recibí un e-mail de respuesta, y ésta es su contestación:

Estimáu Carlos: En rellación a les consultes que nos faes sobre los apellíos BUYLLA y PUMARIEGA:

Efeutivamente, y como bien presupones, pa BUYLLA paez que sedría meyor partir en principiu de la forma femenina d'un axetivu BOVILLUS, -A, -UM 'relativu al ganáu', deriváu de BO(V)EM 'güe', y conseñáu nes nómines d'Ernout-Meillet. Esta ye polo menos la hipótesis que plantega García Arias en "Toponimia asturiana. El porqué de los nombres de nuestros pueblos" (Uviéu, 2005, páx. 399).

Y tamién tas acertáu en suponer que PUMARIEGA foi n'aniciu un axetivu deriváu de PUMAR 'mazanal' que se sustantivizó depués: (una tierra) PUMARIEGA 'una tierra onde se planten pumares' / 'una tierra onde prosperen los pumares'. Sedría lo mesmo que'l güei mayoritariu y de tantu usu 'pumarada'.

Con un cordial saludu, disculpámonos por tardar en contestate. Secretaría Téunica-ALLA

Espero que esto termine con la prepotencia de quien confunde las explicaciones hechas con rigor, precisión y claridad con la pedantería, y le haga ganar un poco de humildad y dedicarse a otros temas en los que demuestre un mínimo de conocimientos.


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Translation by Carlos:

A few days ago I have write to the Academy of Asturian Language about Buylla and Pumariega surnames origin. Today I have received an answer, and this is their explanation:

Dear Carlos: about the questions that you ask us touching BUYLLA and PUMARIEGA surnames:

Effectively, and as well as you supposed, for BUYLLA it seems to be better to take as starting point the female form of an adjective BOVILLUS, -A, -UM 'relative to the livestock', derivated from BO(V)EM 'bull, cow', and included in the word list of (the French linguists) Ernout-Meillet. This is at least the hypothesys which García Arias states in "Asturian Toponymy. An Explanation on our Placenames" (Oviedo, 2005, p. 399).

And you are right too when you suppose that PUMARIEGA was at the origin an adjective derivated from PUMAR 'apple tree' becomed later in a noun: (a land) PUMARIEGA 'a land where apple trees are planted' / 'a land where apple trees grow well'. It will be the same that the modern and very much used 'pumarada'.

With our greetings, we apologize the delay in answer. Technical Secretary of the ALLA.

I hope all this finish with the arrogancy of those people that confound the explanations given with rigour, precission and clarity with a matter of pedantry, and does them to gain in humility and to devote to other matters in which they can demonstrate a minimum of knowledgement.

Carlos.

At a website for Scottish surnames, I have found that the name "Buyll", Buylla sans the "a" meant "bull". So perhaps you are on to something.