Have you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? Spanish surnames (apellidos) first came into use around the 12th century when populations began to expand and it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same first name. Modern Spanish surnames generally fall into one of four categories, as noted below.
Patronymic & Matronymic Surnames
Based on a parent's first name, patronymic and matronymic surnames include some of the most common Hispanic last names. These names originated to distinguish between two men of the same first name by using the name of their father (patronymic) or mother (matronymic). Grammatically, Spanish patronymic surnames were sometimes an unchanged form of the father's given name, distinguished by a difference in pronunciation. However, Spanish patronymic surnames were most often formed by adding suffixes meaning "son of" such as es, as, is, or os (common to Portuguese surnames) or ez, az, is, or oz (common to Castilian or Spanish surnames) to the end of the father's name.
Examples:
- Leon Alvarez—Leon, son of Alvaro
- Eduardo Fernández—Eduardo, son of Fernándo
- Pedro Velazquez—Pedro, son of Velasco
Geographical Surnames
Geographical surnames, another common type of Hispanic last name, are often derived from the homestead location where the first bearer and his family came from or resided. Medina and Ortega are common geographical Hispanic surnames (numerous towns in the Spanish-speaking world bear these names). Some Spanish geographic surnames refer to landscape features, such as Vega (meaning "meadow) and Mendoza (meaning "cold mountain," a combination of mendi (mountain) and (h)otz (cold) + a). Many Spanish geographic surnames feature the suffix de, meaning "from" or "of."
Examples:
- Ricardo de Lugo—Ricardo, from the town of Lugo
- Lucas Iglesias—Lucas, who lived near a church (iglesia)
- Sebastián Desoto—Sebastián, of 'the grove' (soto)
Occupational Surnames
Occupational Hispanic last names were initially derived from a person's job or trade.
Examples:
- Roderick Guerrero—Roderick, the warrior or soldier
- Lucas Vicario—Lucas, the vicar
- Carlos Zapatero—Carlos, the shoemaker
Descriptive Surnames
Descriptive surnames based on an individual's unique quality or physical feature often developed in Spanish-speaking countries from nicknames or pet names; they were sometimes based on an individual's physical characteristics or personality.
Examples:
- Juan Delgado—John the thin
- Aarón Cortes—Aarón, the courteous
- Marco Rubio—Marco, the blonde
Why Do Most Hispanic People Use Two Last Names?
Hispanic surnames can be especially important to genealogists because children are commonly given two surnames, one from each parent. The middle name (first surname) traditionally comes from the father's name (apellido paterno), while the last name (second surname) is the mother's maiden name (apellido materno). Sometimes, these two surnames may be separated by y (meaning "and"), although this is no longer as common as it once was.
Due to recent changes in Spanish law, you may also find the two surnames reversed, with the mother's surname appearing first and the father's surname second. The pattern of the mother's surname followed by the father's is also common for Portuguese surnames. In the United States, where using two surnames is less common, some families give children only the paternal surname or they sometimes hyphenate the two names.
The above naming patterns are the most common, but variations exist. In the past, Hispanic naming patterns were less consistent. Sometimes, sons took their father's surname, while daughters took their mother's. Double surnames didn’t become common throughout Spain until the 1800s.
Origins and Meanings of 45 Common Hispanic Last Names
- GARCIA
- MARTINEZ
- RODRIGUEZ
- LOPEZ
- HERNANDEZ
- GONZALES
- PEREZ
- SANCHEZ
- RIVERA
- RAMIREZ
- TORRES
- GONZALES
- FLORES
- DIAZ
- GOMEZ
- ORTIZ
- CRUZ
- MORALES
- REYES
- RAMOS
- RUIZ
- CHAVEZ
- VASQUEZ
- GUTIERREZ
- CASTILLO
- GARZA
- ALVAREZ
- ROMERO
- FERNANDEZ
- MEDINA
- MENDOZA
- HERRERA
- SOTO
- JIMENEZ
- VARGAS
- RODRIQUEZ
- MENDEZ
- MUNOZ
- PENA
- GUZMAN
- SALAZAR
- AGUILAR
- DELGADO
- VALDEZ
- VEGA