The historical archives show the last name Andalon as first appearing in Spain and then in Mexico and the United States, respectively. Variations in the spelling of this surname throughout history include Andallón or Andayón (Castilian Spanish), Andalón (Mexican Spanish), Andalon (American English), and, the most archaic version, Andalionis (Roman Latin). Andalon traces its origins to es:Asturias, a north-west coastal province in Spain. Over several hundred years in es:Las Regueras, a municipality of Asturias, Andallón, which is an older derivation of Andalon, has been used to identify a town, river, street, church, chapel, religious festival, military fortress, nobility residence, governmental palace, and Roman relic. Andallón is believed to be the historical site of Andalionis, a Roman-era ruin in Spain.
Archival immigration records and other population census data from Spain, Mexico, and the United States indicate that most individuals with the surname Andallón immigrated to the Americas, where the spellings of Andalón (accented) and Andalon (unaccented) became customary. The use of the ll (Spanish double L) in the name was dropped and replaced with only one l through the migration experience to the Americas. At the present time, most individuals with the last name Andalon live in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, and the State of California, United States.
In Spain, Mexico and among Spanish-speaking populations of the United States, Andalón is pronounced hAn-DA-lÓn (the h is silent; the An is slightly emphasized, the DA is stressed, and the O in lón is accentuated). In English, Andalon is pronounced ANDA-lawn (the ANDA is emphasized and the lon is pronounced softly). In the older versions from Spain, the ll (double L) and y, which sound the same when pronounced, have been used interchangeably over time. Spain’s older version also includes the accented ó. The ancient Latin iteration includes the first part of the name, Anda, followed by one l and i, an unaccented o, an n, and ends with is.
Over the years, in Spain, Mexico, and the United States, Andalon has had a colloquial and formal translation. For example, when one says in Spanish Andalón this translates into the following: on the move, making steady strides, or well-paced. Andalon appears to be a toponym, which means to indicate a name's place of origin or to describe the distinct geographic location where it derives from.
An early reference to Andalon is seen in 13th-century Spanish historical archives documenting the existence of a church in the year 1253 named Santa Cruz de Andallón, which was located in present-day Las Regueras, Asturias. These archives also show that in the 18th and 19th centuries in the same area there was a church between the years 1711 and 1857 called Santa Maria de Andallón. Even today, in the 21st-century, there exists in Las Regueras La Capilla de Santa Isabel Patrona de Andallón, which is a historical chapel where religious and community-related functions take place.
Another early reference to Andalon is seen in 14th- and 15th-century Spanish historical records documenting the presence of an ancient military fortress that in later years became an administrative governmental palace and a nobility residence, respectively, called El Palacio de Andallón, which was located in Las Requeras, Asturias. These records also note that in the late 19th-century, around 1890, the property was converted into a fortified, two-floor, Asturian large house typical of the time. In the 21st-century, specifically in 2011, El Palacio de Andallón was officially designated a historical cultural site that is to be preserved and protected by the Council of Culture of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, which is under the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture.
Andallón is believed to be the historical site of Andalionis, a 4th-century Roman villa and town that existed in Spain sometime between the years 300 and 400. Roman relics from Andalionis including “el Mosaico de Andallón” (the Mosaic of Andallón), “la Pulsera de Andallón” (the Bracelet of Andallón), and “el Cuchillo de Andallón” (the Knife of Andallón), along with related historical accounts, are showcased at the Museo Arqueológico de Asturias (Archaeological Museum of Asturias).
Spanish archives from the early 1600s to the late 1700s document Andalon as the last name of individuals in records pertaining to township residents, church parishioners, marriages, births, baptisms, deaths, and burials. These records come from the following northern communities of Spain: Las Regueras and Oviedo, Asturias; Montemayor de Pililla, Valladolid; Pembes and Mogrovejo, Santander; and Pamplona, Navarra. In the early- to mid-1700s and through the 1800s, the last name Andalon is seen in the Americas, specifically in records concerning the inhabitants of western Spanish territories that eventually became municipalities of Mexico, including: Guadalajara, Jalisco; Encarnacion de Diaz, Jalisco; Ameca, Jalisco; Tequila, Jalisco; Jalostotitlan, Jalisco; Teuchitlan, Jalisco; and Ahualulco de Mercado, Jalisco. While not as prevalent as in the state of Jalisco, the last name Andalon also appears in the archival records of these neighboring Mexican States: Nayarit, Aguascalientes, and San Luis Potosí.
During the mid-1800s, the last name Andalon also begins appearing in official Mexican populace governmental records; that is, in non-church related records. Complementing existing Spanish Catholic Church archives, these Mexican civil documents provide information related to places of residence, parents and siblings, birth dates, marriages, baptisms, deaths, and other census-related demographics.
In the United States, primarily in the southwestern states of California and Texas, the last name Andalon appears in Census and Immigration Records from the late 1800s and early- to mid-1900s. In these records, individuals with the surname Andalon are shown as being born in the United States, as well as in official documents relating to United States - Mexico Immigrant Border Crossing Information.
While most Andalons have lived in Mexico over 400 years and in the United States slightly over 100 years, Las Regueras, Asturias, Spain, is where they draw their early ancestry, which can be traced back several centuries. As the archives show, over the years the early derivations of the name Andalon (i.e., Andallón, Andayón, Andalionis) have been used in Las Regueras, Asturias to identify a town, river, street, church, chapel, religious festival, military fortress, nobility residence, governmental palace, and Roman relic.
At the present time, individuals with the last name Andalon live in central-west Mexico, specifically in the State of Jalisco and mainly in the City of Guadalajara, as well as on the west coast of the United States, primarily in the State of California and mostly in the City of Los Angeles and neighboring municipalities. While not prevalent outside these geographic locations, individuals with the last name Andalon do live in other regions of Mexico and the United States.