The associated coat of arms for this name are recorded in J.B Rietstaps Armorial General. Illustrated by V & H.V Rolland's. This Monumental work took 23 years to complete and 85,000 coats of Arms are included in this work. The surname of ALBARADO is a French and Spanish topographic name for someone who lived near a poplar tree or poplar grove. The name was originally derived from the Spanish word ALAMO, and rendered in medieval documents in the Latin form ELMOS (poplar). The name is also spelt ALAMO, ALAMEDA, ALBAREDE, AUVRAY, ALBAREDA and ALBORETO. The ALAMO was a mission in the USA in San Antonio, Texas. During the Texas revolution it was defended from 24th February until 6th March, 1836 by less than 200 Texan volunteers (including the legendary Davy Crockett) who were all massacred during the onslaught of 4000 Mexican troups led by Santa Anna. Six weeks later a victory at San Jacinto secured Texan Independence. Over the centuries, most people in Europe have accepted their surname as a fact of life, as irrevocable as an act of God. However much the individual may have liked or disliked the surname, they were stuck with it, and people rarely changed them by personal choice. A more common form of variation was in fact involuntary, when an official change was made, in other words, a clerical error. French, or rather Norman French, was the language of the aristocracy and the upper classes in England at the time fixed surnames were being developed, it is therefore not surprising that many of our well-known family names are derived from French words. Originally only Christian or personal names were used, and although a few came into being during the 10th century, surnames were not widely used until much later, when people began to realize the prestige of having a second name. In the Middle Ages the Herald (old French herault) was an officer whose duty it was to proclaim war or peace, carry challenges to battle and messages between sovereigns; nowadays war or peace is still proclaimed by the heralds, but their chief duty as court functionaries is to superintend state ceremonies, such as coronations, installations, and to grant arms. Edward III (1327-1377) appointed two heraldic kings-at-arms for south and north, England in 1340. The English College of Heralds was incorporated by Richard III in 1483-84.