(L.A.) Michael Atienza, 28, Died on a Freeway

Case Number: 2008-06161

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 28-year-old Filipino male that occurred on a freeway.

The coroner’s office identified the man as Michael Atienza.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Multiple Injuries

RIP MICHAEL ATIENZA (September 26, 1979 – September 2, 2008)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Tuesday at 4:13 p.m.

The surname Atienza is of Spanish origin. It is a toponymic surname, meaning it is derived from a place name—specifically, the town of Atienza in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. Surnames like this often originated as a way to identify people by the place they came from or had a connection to.

During the Spanish colonial period (1565-1898), many Spaniards, including soldiers, missionaries, and administrators, settled in the Philippine archipelago. Some were from the Atienza region. Furthermore, in 1849, Governor-General Narciso Clavería issued the Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos, a decree that forced Filipino families to adopt Spanish surnames. “Atienza” was one of the names on the list, and many families adopted it, which is why it is a relatively common and well-established surname in the Philippines today.

Like many Spanish surnames, Atienza also traveled to the Americas through colonization and later through immigration. You can find bearers of the name in various Latin American countries and in diaspora communities like the United States. Many OFWs (overseas foreign workers from the Philippines) in the Middle East also have this as a family name.