Ortega is a Spanish surname with a toponymic origin, derived from various places in Spain called Ortega. The name's meaning is linked to the Spanish word ortiga, meaning "nettle" (from Latin urtica). According to a baptismal record from 1570, the name appears as de Ortega, indicating a person "from the village of Ortega." The surname thus originated as a geographic descriptor for someone who lived in or near a place named for the nettle plant. Etymology and Usage The ultimate root comes from Latin urtica, the word for nettle, which evolved into ortega in an earlier Spanish variant before it became the modern Castilian ortiga. Some notes mention alternative origins suggested by poet and author Gutierre Tibón, speculating a connection to Ortún, but the mainstream scholarship (as documented by Roberto Faure in the Diccionario de Apellidos Españoles) supports the toponymic-nettle explanation. The variant ortega persists specifically in the surname and in several place names scattered across Spain, including one in Burgos, another in Jaén, and one in Monfero (A Coruña). Variant spellings of the surname include Ortego, de Ortega, Ortegada, Ortegal, Hortega, Ortiga, Ortigueda, Ortigueira, Ortigosa, and Orreaga. Related Names and Cognates Frequently, the Italian cognate is