Meaning of the surname Ayala
Ayala is a Basque surname of the from a place type meaning "from Ayala". It is one of the 200 most common surnames in Mexico. Etymology uncertain.
About this meaning. The etymology is uncertain or the popular reading is folk etymology. The page gives the best-supported explanation.
Taken from a town, region, or landscape feature in Spain, or later in Mexico: Castillo (castle), Rivera (riverbank), Navarro (from Navarre), Ibarra (Basque valley).
In Mexico a person carries two surnames, the father's and then the mother's, so Ayala appears as either half of a pair: Ayala García, López Ayala. Read how the two-surname system works.