The Spanish word 'apellido' (meaning 'surname') has its roots in Latin. It comes from combining two Latin elements: the prefix 'ad-' meaning 'toward' and the verb 'pellere' meaning 'to push or set in motion'. These combined to form the Latin verb 'appellitare' meaning 'to call repeatedly'. This evolved into the Spanish verb 'apellidar' ('to call or name'), and finally gave us the noun 'apellido', which specifically refers to a family name or surname - essentially what someone is repeatedly called to identify their family lineage.

A simpler related Spanish word is the verb 'apellidar' (to call or name someone), which is less commonly used in modern Spanish but shows the direct connection between the act of calling someone by name and the concept of a surname.

The English word 'appeal' shares the same Latin roots as 'apellido'. While 'appeal' has taken on broader meanings like 'to make an earnest request' or 'to be attractive', it originally came from the same idea of 'calling out to' someone. You can see how both 'apellido' and 'appeal' retain a connection to addressing or calling to someone, though they've developed different specific uses in their respective languages.