Spanish Surname Meanings & Origins

The Hispanic double surname system traces back to the nobility class of Castile in the 16th century. The first surname generally comes from the father and is the primary family name, while the second (or last) surname comes from the mother. A man named Gabriel García Marquez, for example, indicates a father's surname of García and the mother's surname, Marquez. Portuguese names, including surnames from Brazil where Portuguese is the predominant language, often follow a different pattern than other Spanish speaking countries, with the mother's surname coming first, followed by the father's name, or primary family name.

In most Hispanic cultures women generally keep their father's surname (maiden name) throughout their life. Some also choose to add their husband's surname to the end of their own, or in place of their mother's surname, sometimes with a de between the two surnames. Thus, a wife will generally have a different double surname than her husband, and the children will have a different double surname than either of their parents.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Hispanic naming patterns were less consistent. It wasn't unusual, for example, for male children to be given the surname of their father, while females took the surname of their mothers. The double surname system which originated among the Castilian upper classes during the sixteenth century, did not come into common use throughout Spain until the nineteenth century. Thus double surnames in use prior to 1800 may reflect something other than the paternal and maternal surnames, such as a way to distinguish one family with a common surname from others of the same surname. Surnames might also have been chosen from a prominent family or even from grandparents.

Origins of Common Spanish Surnames, 51–100

* For additional Spanish surname meanings and origins, see Spanish Surname Meanings, 1–50

51. MALDONADO	76. DURAN
52. ESTRADA	77. CARRILLO
53. COLON	78. JUAREZ
54. GUERRERO	79. MIRANDA
55. SANDOVAL	80. SALINAS
56. ALVARADO	81. DELEON
57. PADILLA	82. ROBLES
58. NUNEZ	83. VELEZ
59. FIGUEROA	84. CAMPOS
60. ACOSTA	85. GUERRA
61. MARQUEZ	86. AVILA
62. VAZQUEZ	87. VILLARREAL
63. DOMINGUEZ	88. RIVAS
64. CORTEZ	89. SERRANO
65. AYALA	90. SOLIS
66. LUNA	91. OCHOA
67. MOLINA	92. PACHECO
68. ESPINOZA	93. MEJIA
69. TRUJILLO	94. LARA
70. MONTOYA	95. LEON
71. CONTRERAS	96. VELASQUEZ
72. TREVINO	97. FUENTES
73. GALLEGOS	98. CAMACHO
74. ROJAS	99. CERVANTES
75. NAVARRO	100. SALAS