A Spanish and Portuguese surname for the family name of Moreno refers to an individual with tanned skin color and or olive complexion. The word ‘mora’ refers to a blackberry.

In English the similar meaning is the surname of Brown. In Italian the surname is Marrone and in French the surname is Le Brun.

Spelling variations are Murena, Moratin, Morena, Morenos and Maratin.

Moreno families first lived in Castile, Spain then spread across the country.

In Scotland the only area with Moreno families is Angus on the eastern coast. In England the main area for those with the Moreno surname is London.

Immigration to New Spain by Spaniards increased the population of those with the Moreno surname in the Latin American counties of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Columbia and Argentina.

In the United States the southwest states of Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico have the great numbers of Moreno families.

Famous: Tony Moreno (actor), Rita Moreno (singer and dancer), Mario Moreno (actor in Mexico), Giacomo Moreno (19th century Italian sculptor), Gabriel G. Moreno (president of Ecuador), Jose Luis Moreno (astronomer from Spain), Orber Moreno (baseball player from Venezuela), Zeke Moreno (professional football player) and Carlos Buddy Moreno (singer and bandleader).