The Meanings and Origins of Spanish Surnames

Find Out the History of Your Spanish Last Name

Spanish Surnames - Meanings of Common Hispanic Last Names
Kimberly T. Powell, 2014 ThoughtCo

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

  1. GARCIA
  2. MARTINEZ
  3. RODRIGUEZ
  4. LOPEZ
  5. HERNANDEZ
  6. GONZALES
  7. PEREZ
  8. SANCHEZ
  9. RIVERA
  10. RAMIREZ
  11. TORRES
  12. GONZALES
  13. FLORES
  14. DIAZ
  15. GOMEZ
  16. ORTIZ
  17. CRUZ
  18. MORALES
  19. REYES
  20. RAMOS
  21. RUIZ
  22. CHAVEZ
  23. VASQUEZ
  24. GUTIERREZ
  25. CASTILLO
  26. GARZA
  27. ALVAREZ
  28. ROMERO
  29. FERNANDEZ
  30. MEDINA
  31. MENDOZA
  32. HERRERA
  33. SOTO
  34. JIMENEZ
  35. VARGAS
  36. RODRIQUEZ
  37. MENDEZ
  38. MUNOZ
  39. PENA
  40. GUZMAN
  41. SALAZAR
  42. AGUILAR
  43. DELGADO
  44. VALDEZ
  45. VEGA
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Powell, Kimberly. "The Meanings and Origins of Spanish Surnames." ThoughtCo, Sep. 22, 2024, thoughtco.com/spanish-surnames-meanings-and-origins-1420795. Powell, Kimberly. (2024, September 22). The Meanings and Origins of Spanish Surnames. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/spanish-surnames-meanings-and-origins-1420795 Powell, Kimberly. "The Meanings and Origins of Spanish Surnames." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/spanish-surnames-meanings-and-origins-1420795 (accessed January 9, 2025).