lastnamegenerators

Colombian Last Names

These Colombian last names run from the everyday Rodríguez, Gómez and Martínez to regional names like Restrepo, Mosquera, Fontalvo and Tunubalá, listed A to Z with meanings so you can see where in the country a family is likely rooted.

276 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Abdala

    Arabic Abdullah, servant of God; Lebanese-Colombian

  • Acosta

    Portuguese-Spanish for from the coast

  • Afanador

    Spanish for hard worker; Santander surname

  • Agudelo

    Galician-Asturian place name; Antioqueño family

  • Aguirre

    Basque for open place or pasture

  • Álvarez

    Son of Álvaro; possibly Germanic, all guard

  • Alzate

    Basque for alder grove gate

  • Amaya

    From Amaya in Burgos; possibly Basque for end

  • Angulo

    Spanish place name in Burgos; corner

  • Arango

    Place name found in Asturias; Antioqueño family

  • Araújo

    Galician-Portuguese place name

  • Arbeláez

    Basque patronymic; Antioqueño family

  • Arboleda

    Spanish for grove of trees

  • Arcila

    Possibly from the Moroccan town of Asilah

  • Ardila

    Spanish place name; common in Santander

  • Arias

    Galician-Leonese patronymic, possibly Germanic origin

  • Arrieta

    Basque for stony place

  • Asprilla

    Afro-Colombian surname of Chocó; possibly Spanish origin

  • Ávila

    From the Castilian city of Ávila

  • Ayala

    Basque for slope or pasture

B

  • Barón

    Spanish for baron

  • Barraza

    Caribbean coast surname; possibly Basque origin

  • Barrera

    Spanish for barrier or clay pit

  • Barrios

    Spanish for neighborhoods or outskirts

  • Bedoya

    Basque-Cantabrian place name

  • Beltrán

    From Germanic Bertram, bright raven

  • Benavides

    From the Leonese town of Benavides

  • Bermúdez

    Son of Bermudo, from Germanic Veremund

  • Bernal

    Germanic for strong bear

  • Betancur

    From Norman Béthencourt; Antioqueño family

  • Blanco

    Spanish for white

  • Bohórquez

    Andalusian noble surname, possibly Germanic origin

  • Bonilla

    Spanish place name; good little town

  • Botero

    Spanish for maker of wine skins

  • Buitrago

    Spanish place name near Madrid

  • Bustos

    Spanish for cattle pastures

C

  • Cabrera

    Spanish for goat place

  • Cadavid

    Possibly from an Asturian place name; Antioqueño family

  • Caicedo

    From Caicedo, a place in Álava; meaning uncertain

  • Calderón

    Spanish for cauldron

  • Calle

    Spanish for street; Antioqueño surname

  • Camacho

    Possibly Old Spanish for crooked or lame

  • Cano

    Spanish for grey-haired

  • Cárdenas

    Spanish place name; from cárdeno, purple-blue

  • Cardona

    Catalan place name; possibly thistle

  • Carmona

    From the Andalusian city of Carmona

  • Caro

    Spanish for dear or beloved

  • Carvajal

    Spanish for oak grove

  • Casas

    Spanish for houses

  • Castaño

    Spanish for chestnut tree or brown-haired

  • Castillo

    Spanish for castle

  • Castrillón

    Spanish for small fort

  • Castro

    Spanish for fortified hill settlement

  • Cataño

    Canarian-Genoese family established in Antioquia

  • Ceballos

    Cantabrian place name; possibly onion fields

  • Cely

    Boyacá surname; possibly from Celi or Cela

  • Chaparro

    Spanish for scrub oak or short person

  • Char

    Lebanese-Colombian family of Barranquilla; Arabic origin

  • Charris

    Caribbean coast surname; origin uncertain

  • Chávez

    From the Portuguese town of Chaves (Latin Aquae Flaviae)

  • Chindoy

    Kamëntsá indigenous surname of Putumayo

  • Cifuentes

    Spanish place name; hundred springs

  • Contreras

    Spanish place name; facing or opposite

  • Córdoba

    From the Andalusian city; very common in Chocó

  • Correa

    Spanish for leather strap

  • Cortés

    Spanish for courteous

  • Cruz

    Spanish for cross; religious devotion

  • Cubillos

    From Spanish places named Cubillos; Cundinamarca surname

  • Cuello

    Spanish for neck or mountain pass

  • Cuesta

    Spanish for slope

D

  • Daza

    Spanish place name; common in Valledupar

  • Delgado

    Spanish for thin

  • Díaz

    Son of Diego

  • Duque

    Spanish for duke

  • Durán

    From Latin Durandus, enduring

E

  • Echavarría

    Basque for new house

  • Echeverri

    Basque for new house; Antioqueño family

  • Escobar

    Spanish for place of broom plants

  • Espinosa

    Spanish for thorny place

  • Estrada

    Spanish for paved road

F

  • Figueroa

    Galician for fig tree place

  • Flórez

    Son of Floro; flowery

  • Fonseca

    Portuguese for dry spring

  • Fontalvo

    Caribbean coast surname; possibly white fountain

  • Forero

    Spanish for holder of a fuero charter

  • Franco

    Spanish for free or Frankish

G

  • Gallego

    Spanish for Galician

  • Gallo

    Spanish for rooster

  • Galvis

    Colombian form of Gálvez, son of Galván

  • García

    Possibly from Basque for young or bear

  • Garzón

    Spanish for heron

  • Gaviria

    Basque place name in Gipuzkoa

  • Gerlein

    German-Colombian family of Barranquilla

  • Gil

    From Latin Aegidius, young goat

  • Giraldo

    From Germanic Gerald, spear rule; Antioqueño family

  • Gómez

    Son of Gome; old word for man

  • González

    Son of Gonzalo; Germanic for battle

  • Grisales

    Possibly from grisal, grey land; Caldas and Risaralda

  • Guarín

    Santander surname; possibly Germanic origin

  • Guerrero

    Spanish for warrior

  • Guevara

    Basque place name in Álava

  • Gutiérrez

    Son of Gutierre; Germanic for army ruler

  • Guzmán

    Germanic for good man

H

  • Henao

    From Hainaut in the Low Countries; Antioqueño family

  • Hernández

    Son of Hernando; Germanic for bold journey

  • Herrera

    Spanish for forge or blacksmith's place

  • Hincapié

    Spanish for dig in one's heels; Antioqueño surname

  • Hinestroza

    From Castilian Hinestrosa; common in Chocó

  • Holguín

    Spanish surname from Extremadura; origin uncertain

  • Hoyos

    Spanish for pits or hollows

  • Hurtado

    Spanish for stolen; possibly a foundling

I

  • Ibarra

    Basque for meadow or river plain

  • Isaza

    Basque place name; place of broom shrubs

J

  • Jaimes

    Son of Jaime; Santander surname

  • Jaramillo

    Spanish for small place of rockrose

  • Jiménez

    Son of Jimeno; possibly Basque origin

  • Julio

    From Latin Julius; Caribbean coast surname

L

  • De la Hoz

    Spanish for of the gorge

  • Lacouture

    French origin; Valledupar family

  • Lasso

    Spanish for weary; Castilian noble family

  • Lemos

    From the Galician county of Lemos

  • León

    From the kingdom of León; lion

  • Lleras

    Possibly from Catalan llera, stony riverbank

  • Loaiza

    Basque place name; muddy place

  • Londoño

    Possibly from a Basque place name; paisa family

  • Lopera

    From the Andalusian town of Lopera

  • López

    Son of Lope; wolf

  • Lozano

    Spanish for lush or proud

M

  • Maestre

    Spanish for master; Cesar and La Guajira

  • Manjarrés

    Caribbean coast surname; possibly Catalan place name

  • Manrique

    Germanic for powerful man

  • Mantilla

    Spanish for small cloak

  • Marín

    From Latin Marinus, of the sea

  • Martínez

    Son of Martín; dedicated to Mars

  • Mazo

    Spanish for mallet; Cantabrian place name

  • Medina

    From Arabic for city

  • Mejía

    Possibly from Messias or a Galician place name

  • Mendoza

    Basque for cold mountain

  • Mercado

    Spanish for market

  • Mesa

    Spanish for table or plateau

  • Mira

    Spanish place name; lookout point

  • Molina

    Spanish for mill

  • Monsalve

    Spanish surname, possibly mount of salvation

  • Montes

    Spanish for mountains

  • Montoya

    Place name in Álava; mountain

  • Mora

    Spanish for blackberry or Moorish

  • Morales

    Spanish for mulberry trees

  • Moreno

    Spanish for dark-haired or dark-skinned

  • Mosquera

    Galician place name; Popayán noble family

  • Moya

    From the town of Moya in Cuenca

  • Múnera

    Possibly a Basque place name; Antioqueño family

  • Muñoz

    Son of Muño; possibly Latin for fortified

  • Murillo

    Spanish for small wall

N

  • Navarro

    From Navarre; Basque for plain

  • Neira

    Galician river and place name

  • Nieto

    Spanish for grandson

  • Niño

    Spanish for child

  • Núñez

    Son of Nuño; ninth

O

  • Obando

    Spanish place name in Extremadura

  • Ocampo

    Galician for the field

  • Ochoa

    Basque for wolf

  • Olarte

    Basque for between forges

  • Ordóñez

    Son of Ordoño; Germanic origin

  • Orozco

    Basque place name in Biscay

  • Ortega

    Spanish for nettle or grouse

  • Ortiz

    Son of Orti; possibly fortunate

  • Osorio

    Possibly Latin ursus, bear; Leonese noble family

  • Ospina

    Spanish surname of uncertain meaning; Antioqueño family

  • Ossa

    Of uncertain origin, possibly Basque; Antioqueño family

  • Otálvaro

    Distinctive Antioqueño surname; possibly Basque origin

P

  • Pabón

    Spanish for peacock

  • Pacheco

    Possibly from Latin Pacificus, peaceful

  • Padilla

    Spanish place name; small pan

  • Palacio

    Spanish for palace; Antioqueño variant

  • Palacios

    Spanish for palaces or manor houses

  • Pardo

    Spanish for brownish-grey

  • Parra

    Spanish for grapevine trellis

  • Pastrana

    From the Castilian town of Pastrana

  • Patiño

    Galician surname, possibly little duck or small courtyard

  • Peña

    Spanish for rock or crag

  • Perea

    Spanish place name; Afro-Colombian families of Chocó

  • Pérez

    Son of Pedro; rock

  • Pertuz

    Possibly Catalan pertús, mountain pass; Caribbean coast

  • Pineda

    Spanish for pine grove

  • Piñeros

    Spanish for pine growers; Boyacá and Cundinamarca

  • Pinzón

    Spanish for finch

  • Pizarro

    Spanish for slate

  • Plata

    Spanish for silver; common in Santander

  • Polo

    Possibly from Hipólito; Caribbean coast surname

  • Posada

    Spanish for inn

  • Poveda

    Spanish for poplar grove

  • Prieto

    Spanish for dark

  • Puerta

    Spanish for door or gateway

  • Pulido

    Spanish for polished or elegant

Q

  • Quiceno

    Paisa surname; possibly a Spanish place name

  • Quintero

    Spanish for tenant farmer of a quinta

  • Quiroga

    Galician place name

R

  • Ramírez

    Son of Ramiro; famed counsel

  • Ramos

    Spanish for branches; Palm Sunday devotion

  • Rangel

    Portuguese-Spanish surname, possibly from a Galician place

  • Rendón

    Spanish surname; possibly from a place name

  • Rentería

    From the Basque town of Errenteria

  • Restrepo

    Asturian place name; key Antioqueño family

  • Rey

    Spanish for king

  • Reyes

    Spanish for kings; Epiphany devotion

  • Riascos

    Pacific coast surname; possibly Galician place name

  • Rincón

    Spanish for corner or nook

  • Ríos

    Spanish for rivers

  • Rivera

    Spanish for riverbank

  • Rocha

    Portuguese-Galician for rock

  • Rodas

    Spanish surname, possibly from the island of Rhodes

  • Rodríguez

    Son of Rodrigo; Germanic for famous ruler

  • Rojas

    Spanish place name; red lands

  • Romero

    Spanish for rosemary or pilgrim to Rome

  • Rosales

    Spanish for rose gardens

  • Rosas

    Spanish for roses

  • Rosero

    Spanish for rose grower; common in Nariño

  • Rozo

    Spanish for cleared brushland; Boyacá surname

  • Rubio

    Spanish for blond

  • Rueda

    Spanish for wheel

  • Ruiz

    Son of Ruy, short form of Rodrigo

S

  • Sáenz

    Son of Sancho

  • Salazar

    Basque place name; old hall

  • Salcedo

    Spanish for willow grove

  • Samper

    Catalan form of Saint Peter

  • Sánchez

    Son of Sancho; holy

  • Sandoval

    Spanish place name; from Latin for new clearing

  • Santos

    Spanish for saints

  • Sarmiento

    Spanish for vine shoot

  • Sepúlveda

    From the Castilian town of Sepúlveda

  • Serna

    Spanish for cultivated field

  • Serrano

    Spanish for mountain dweller

  • Sierra

    Spanish for mountain range

  • Silva

    Portuguese-Galician for woodland

  • Solano

    Spanish for sunny place or east wind

  • Suárez

    Son of Suero; possibly Latin for swineherd

T

  • Tabares

    Colombian form of Portuguese Tavares; place name

  • Taborda

    Portuguese-Galician place name

  • Tamayo

    Spanish place name in Burgos

  • Tapias

    Spanish for mud walls

  • Téllez

    Son of Tello

  • Tobón

    Possibly from tobo, tufa stone; Antioqueño family

  • Toro

    Spanish for bull

  • Torres

    Spanish for towers

  • Tovar

    Spanish place name in Burgos

  • Trujillo

    From the Extremaduran city of Trujillo

  • Tunubalá

    Misak (Guambiano) indigenous surname of Cauca

  • Turbay

    Lebanese-Colombian surname; Arabic origin

U

  • Umaña

    Possibly a Basque place name

  • Uribe

    Basque for below the village

  • Urrea

    Aragonese place name; possibly Basque for gold

  • Úsuga

    Antioqueño surname of possible indigenous origin

V

  • Valderrama

    Spanish place name in Burgos

  • Valencia

    From the Spanish city; Latin for strength

  • Vallejo

    Spanish for small valley

  • Valoyes

    Afro-Colombian surname of Chocó; origin uncertain

  • Vanegas

    Colombian form of Venegas; Andalusian lineage

  • Vargas

    Spanish for sloping meadows or huts

  • Vásquez

    Son of Vasco; Basque

  • Vega

    Spanish for fertile meadow

  • Velásquez

    Son of Velasco; Basque for crow

  • Vélez

    Son of Vela; possibly raven or watchman

  • Vergara

    From the Basque town of Bergara

  • Villa

    Spanish for town or estate

  • Villada

    From Villada, a town in Palencia

  • Villalba

    Spanish for white town

  • Villamizar

    Spanish surname; common in Norte de Santander

  • Villegas

    Spanish place name in Burgos

  • Vivas

    Spanish for alive; long-lived

Y

  • Yepes

    From Yepes, a town near Toledo

Z

  • Zabala

    Basque for wide place

  • Zambrano

    Spanish surname; possibly of Arabic origin

  • Zapata

    Spanish for shoemaker or wearer of boots

  • Zea

    Spanish place name; Antioqueño family

  • Zuleta

    Basque place name in Navarre; meaning uncertain

  • Zuluaga

    Basque place name; place of hollows

Generate random colombian surnames

Filter by first letter, length and rarity, add a first name to preview the full name, then copy or save your favorites.

Results (6)

  • Casas

    Spanish for houses

  • Gallego

    Spanish for Galician

  • Zambrano

    Spanish surname; possibly of Arabic origin

  • Ardila

    Spanish place name; common in Santander

  • Vivas

    Spanish for alive; long-lived

  • Forero

    Spanish for holder of a fuero charter

Saved names

    Names you save will appear here. They stay in this browser only.

    Open the full generator

    What everyday Colombian last names mean

    The most frequent names in Colombia are Spanish patronymics, and the -ez ending is the clue. Rodríguez means son of Rodrigo, González son of Gonzalo, Martínez son of Martín, Hernández son of Hernando and Sánchez son of Sancho. Pérez, López, Díaz and Ramírez follow the same rule with Pedro, Lope, Diego and Ramiro. Because these fathers' names were popular across Spain, their patronymics became common everywhere Spain ruled, and Colombia is no exception.

    A second group describes people or places. Rojas and Moreno refer to red and dark colouring, while Castro means a fortified place, Torres towers, Vargas a slope or meadow in northern Spain and Ríos rivers. Gómez, near the top of most rankings, comes from the old given name Gome, and Muñoz from Muño. Together these names give most Colombian families at least one surname that a stranger anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world would recognise straight away.

    Regional names from Antioquia to the coasts

    Some names are so regional that they almost work as an address. Restrepo, Londoño, Jaramillo, Montoya, Henao, Botero, Ospina and Giraldo are strongly associated with Antioquia and the coffee region, many of them carried by colonial families from Asturias, Cantabria and other parts of northern Spain. Restrepo, for instance, comes from a place in Asturias. If a character is called Luisa Restrepo Londoño, most Colombians will guess Medellín before you say another word.

    The Caribbean coast has its own flavour, with names such as Fontalvo, Charris, Pertuz, Barraza, Maestre and De la Hoz. The Pacific coast and Chocó show many Afro-Colombian families named Asprilla, Rentería, Palacios, Perea and Hinestroza. In the southwest, Indigenous family names survive, including Tunubalá among the Misak people of Cauca and Chindoy among the Kamëntšá of Putumayo. Seeing them in one list is a reminder that Colombia is far more varied than its most common names suggest.

    Tips for building full names from the list

    Because every Colombian carries a father's and a mother's surname, the list works best in pairs. Real families mix the national and the regional, so pairing one name from the top of the rankings with one tied to a region usually sounds right: Gómez Zuluaga, Martínez Fontalvo or Pérez Mosquera each hint at a different part of the country. Pairing two rare regional names from opposite coasts is possible, but it reads as a deliberate story choice.

    Accents matter in Colombian spelling. Ramírez, Gómez and Vélez carry them on official documents, although many people drop them in email addresses and abroad. The search box ignores accents, so typing Velez finds Vélez, and it also searches the meanings, so a word like tower or river pulls up names built on it. Use the letter bar for long clusters such as the many C and G names, where scrolling alone would be slow.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the most common Colombian last names?

    Rodríguez, Gómez, González, Martínez, García, López, Hernández, Sánchez, Ramírez and Pérez usually lead Colombian rankings. They are Spanish names found across Latin America. Names such as Restrepo, Giraldo and Ospina are far more typical of Colombia itself, especially Antioquia and the coffee region.

    Which names are typical of Medellín?

    Names like Restrepo, Jaramillo, Londoño, Montoya, Henao, Botero, Gaviria, Uribe and Echeverri are strongly tied to Medellín and Antioquia. Several came from Basque and Asturian settlers, and families from Antioquia carried them south through the coffee region in the nineteenth century.

    What does Rodríguez mean?

    Rodríguez means son of Rodrigo. Rodrigo comes from a Germanic name meaning famous ruler, brought to Spain by the Visigoths. The -ez ending is the Spanish patronymic marker, the same one you see in Martínez, Sánchez and Fernández.

    Do Afro-Colombian and Indigenous families have distinct names?

    Most carry Spanish surnames, but some names are especially frequent in particular communities. Mosquera, Asprilla, Rentería and Palacios are common on the Pacific coast, while Indigenous names such as Tunubalá and Chindoy remain in use in Cauca and Putumayo. The meaning shown in the list explains each name's origin.

    More last name lists