The Spanish and Portuguese name Moreno is a  nickname for someone with dark hair and a swarthy complexion, from Spanish and Portuguese Moreno meaning “‘dark-haired”, a word of uncertain origin, probably from Late Latin maurinus, a derivative of classical Latin Maurus ‘Moor’. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Francisca Ruiz Moreno, which was dated July 1st 1545, christened at Chiclana, Cadiz, Spain, during the reign of King Charles 1 of Spain, 1519 - 1556.