indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Masculine
Usage Spanish (Canarian)
Other Forms FormsBenseguy, Benzebuy, Cebensui, Sebensui, Zebensaya, Zebensayas, Zebensui, Zebensuî, Zevensui
Meaning & History
From an indigenous Guanche name which may be derived from *zăbb-ən-əswy "blowfly of the sandgrouse", composed of *əzăbb "gadfly; blowfly", the preposition *n, and *(a)səwəy referring to a species of sandgrouse, a type of bird from the genus Pterocles. Zebenzuí or Zebensuí was a late 15th-century leader of the Guanches of the region now known as Punta del Hidalgo on the island of Tenerife (present-day Canary Islands, Spain). He participated in the aboriginal Guanche resistance to the conquest of Tenerife (1494-1496), which was the last of the eight Canary Islands to be defeated and submit to invading Spanish forces.