RAMIREZ Surname Meaning and Origin

hillside in southern Spain covered in buildings
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Ramirez is a patronymic name meaning "son of Ramon" or "son of Ramiro," a given name meaning "wise protector," from the Germanic elements ragin, meaning "counsel" and mari, meri, meaning "fame." The name is said to have originated with the  Visigoths, a Germanic goth tribe that settled in the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain and Portugal) during the 5th century.

Ramirez is the 42nd most popular surname in the United States, the 10th most common surname in Mexico and the 28th most common surname in Spain.

Surname Origin: Spanish, Portuguese

Alternate Surname Spellings: RAMIRES, REINMER, REMER, REIJMERS, REYMERS, REMIREZ

Famous People With the Last Name Ramirez

  • Sancho Ramírez - King of Aragon (1063–1094) and King of Navarre (1076–1094)
  • Ángel de Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano - Spanish poet and politician
  • Aramis Ramírez - Dominican former MLB professional baseball player
  • José Ramírez - founder of Ramírez Guitars
  • Manny Ramirez - Dominican American former MLB professional baseball player
  • Luis Ramírez de Lucena - 16th-century Spanish chess grandmaster

Where Do People With the Ramirez Surname Live?

The surname distribution data at Forebears ranks Ramirez as the 140th most common surname in the world, identifying it as most prevalent in Mexico and with the highest density in Costa Rica. The Ramirez surname is the 7th most common last name found in Colombia, 8th in Costa Rica, 9th in Mexico and Guatemala, and 10th in Paraguay. The Ramires spelling is much less common, ranking 10,317th in the world, and is most prevalent in Portugal and Brazil.

Within Europe, Ramirez is most frequently found in Spain, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler, especially in the Canary Islands and the southern provinces of Cádiz, Málaga, Jaén, and Sevilla in the Andalucia region.

Genealogy Resources for the Surname Ramirez

100 Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?

100 Most Common Spanish Surnames
Have you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames.

How to Research Hispanic Heritage
Learn how to get started researching your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean and other Spanish speaking countries.

Ramirez Family Crest - It's Not What You Think
Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Ramirez family crest or coat of arms for the Ramirez surname. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. 

Ramirez Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Ramirez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Ramirez query.

FamilySearch - RAMIREZ Genealogy
Access over 5.8 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Ramirez surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

RAMIREZ Surname & Family Mailing Lists
This free mailing list for researchers of the Ramirez surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archive of past messages.

DistantCousin.com - RAMIREZ Genealogy & Family History
Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Ramirez.

The Ramirez Genealogy and Family Tree Page
Browse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Ramirez from the website of Genealogy Today.

Sources

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.

Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.

Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

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Powell, Kimberly. "RAMIREZ Surname Meaning and Origin." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/ramirez-last-name-meaning-and-origin-1422594. Powell, Kimberly. (2023, April 5). RAMIREZ Surname Meaning and Origin. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/ramirez-last-name-meaning-and-origin-1422594 Powell, Kimberly. "RAMIREZ Surname Meaning and Origin." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/ramirez-last-name-meaning-and-origin-1422594 (accessed March 29, 2024).