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Cuban Last Names

These Cuban last names include the Spanish names heard all over the island, like Rodríguez and Pérez, and names that are distinctly Cuban, such as Hechavarría, Frómeta, Valdés and Pupo, listed A to Z with the meaning and background of each.

191 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Acosta

    Portuguese-Spanish for from the coast

  • Agramonte

    Place name, possibly rough mountain; Camagüey patrician family

  • Aguilar

    Spanish for eagle's nest

  • Alfonso

    Germanic for noble and ready

  • Almeida

    Portuguese town name, from Arabic for table

  • Alonso

    Germanic for noble and ready

  • Álvarez

    Son of Álvaro; Asturian-Leonese patronymic

  • Arencibia

    Canarian surname of Basque origin

  • Arteaga

    Basque for place of holm oaks

B

  • Bacardí

    Catalan surname from Sitges; rum-making family

  • Barroso

    Portuguese-Galician for muddy place

  • Batista

    Spanish-Portuguese for Baptist

  • Bello

    Spanish for handsome

  • Bermúdez

    Son of Bermudo

  • Betancourt

    From Norman Béthencourt via the Canary Islands

  • Borges

    Portuguese-Canarian for townsman

  • Bosch

    Catalan for forest

  • Brito

    Portuguese place name; Canarian surname

C

  • Cabrera

    Spanish for goat place; Canarian surname

  • Calzadilla

    Spanish for small paved road

  • Carbonell

    Catalan for little charcoal burner

  • Cárdenas

    Spanish place name; purple-blue

  • Carmenate

    Distinctive Cuban surname; possibly Italian origin

  • Carpentier

    French for carpenter; French-Cuban

  • Carrillo

    Spanish for little cart or cheek

  • Casanova

    Catalan for new house

  • Castañeda

    Spanish for chestnut grove

  • Castellanos

    Spanish for Castilians

  • Castillo

    Spanish for castle

  • Castro

    Galician for hill fort

  • Cepero

    Spanish for vine stock

  • Céspedes

    Spanish for turf or sod

  • Chang

    Chinese-Cuban, from Zhang, archer; Havana Chinatown

  • Chao

    Chinese-Cuban, from Zhao; ancient state name

  • Chávez

    From the Portuguese town of Chaves (Latin Aquae Flaviae)

  • Chediak

    Lebanese-Cuban family surname

  • Chiong

    Chinese-Cuban; romanized form of Zhang or Jiang

  • Chiu

    Chinese-Cuban, Cantonese form of Zhao or Qiu

  • Cisneros

    From the Castilian town of Cisneros

  • Collazo

    Galician for farm laborer

  • Crespo

    Spanish for curly-haired

  • Cruz

    Spanish for cross; religious devotion

  • Cuesta

    Spanish for slope

  • Cueto

    Asturian for rocky hill

D

  • Delgado

    Spanish for thin

  • Deschapelles

    French for of the chapels; French-Cuban family

  • Díaz

    Son of Diego

  • Dorta

    Canarian surname; from Portuguese da Horta, of the garden

  • Duarte

    Portuguese form of Edward, rich guardian

  • Dubois

    French-Haitian in eastern Cuba; of the wood

  • Duvergel

    French-Haitian surname of Guantánamo and Oriente

E

  • Espinosa

    Spanish for thorny place

  • Estrada

    Spanish for paved road

  • Expósito

    Spanish for exposed; given to foundlings

F

  • Fajardo

    Galician place name, possibly beech grove

  • Farah

    Lebanese-Cuban, Arabic for joy

  • Fernández

    Son of Fernando; common among Asturian immigrants

  • Ferrer

    Catalan for blacksmith

  • Figueredo

    Portuguese-Galician for fig grove

  • Fleitas

    Canarian surname; possibly Flemish origin

  • Fong

    Chinese-Cuban, Cantonese form of Fang or Kuang

  • Fonseca

    Portuguese for dry spring

  • Fournier

    French for baker; French-Haitian families in Oriente

  • Frómeta

    Distinctive eastern Cuban surname of uncertain origin

  • Fuentes

    Spanish for springs

G

  • Garcés

    Son of García

  • García

    Possibly from Basque for young or bear

  • Gil

    From Latin Aegidius

  • Gómez

    Son of Gome; man

  • González

    Son of Gonzalo; Germanic for battle

  • Guerra

    Spanish for war

  • Guerrero

    Spanish for warrior

  • Guevara

    Basque place name in Álava

  • Guillén

    Spanish form of William

  • Gutiérrez

    Son of Gutierre; army ruler

H

  • Haddad

    Lebanese-Cuban, Arabic for blacksmith

  • Hechavarría

    Cuban spelling of Basque Echeverría, new house

  • Hernández

    Son of Hernando; bold journey

  • Herrera

    Spanish for forge

I

  • Iglesias

    Spanish for churches; Galician surname

J

  • Jiménez

    Son of Jimeno; possibly Basque origin

L

  • Lafargue

    French for the forge; Santiago de Cuba

  • Lam

    Chinese-Cuban, Cantonese form of Lin, forest

  • Lamothe

    French-Haitian; the mound or castle motte

  • Leal

    Spanish for loyal

  • Ledesma

    Spanish town near Salamanca

  • Lee

    Chinese-Cuban, from Li, plum tree

  • Lema

    Galician place name

  • Lescay

    French-Haitian surname of eastern Cuba

  • Leyva

    Spanish place name in La Rioja

  • Lezama

    Basque place name in Álava

  • Llanes

    From the Asturian town of Llanes

  • López

    Son of Lope; wolf

  • Lorenzo

    From Latin Laurentius

  • Loynaz

    Basque surname; Cuban literary family

M

  • Maceo

    Spanish surname of uncertain origin; national hero Antonio Maceo

  • Machado

    Portuguese for axe

  • Maluf

    Lebanese-Cuban, Arabic for familiar

  • Manzano

    Spanish for apple tree

  • Marrero

    Canarian surname; possibly from marra, stone hammer

  • Martí

    Catalan form of Martín

  • Martín

    From Latin Martinus; common in the Canaries

  • Martínez

    Son of Martín; dedicated to Mars

  • Mederos

    Canarian surname; possibly Portuguese Medeiros

  • Medina

    From Arabic for city

  • Mena

    Spanish place name in Burgos

  • Méndez

    Son of Mendo, Galician patronymic

  • Menéndez

    Son of Menendo; Asturian surname

  • Mesa

    Spanish for plateau; Canarian surname

  • Mestre

    Catalan for master

  • Milián

    From Saint Emilian; Aragonese-Catalan surname

  • Miranda

    Spanish-Portuguese place name; lookout

  • Montero

    Spanish for hunter

  • Montes de Oca

    Spanish for mountains of Oca, Burgos

  • Mora

    Spanish for blackberry

  • Morales

    Spanish for mulberry trees

  • Morejón

    Spanish place name; Cuban surname

  • Moya

    From the town of Moya in Cuenca

  • Muñoz

    Son of Muño

N

  • Nápoles

    Spanish for Naples

  • Nasser

    Lebanese-Cuban, Arabic for helper or victor

  • Navarrete

    Spanish place name in La Rioja

  • Navarro

    From Navarre

O

  • Oliva

    Spanish for olive

  • Olivera

    Spanish for olive grove

  • Ortega

    Spanish for nettle or grouse

  • Otero

    Galician-Spanish for small hill

P

  • Padrón

    Galician town; Canarian surname

  • Palma

    Spanish for palm tree

  • Paz

    Spanish for peace

  • Pazos

    Galician for manor houses

  • Peña

    Spanish for rock or crag

  • Perdomo

    Canarian surname of Norman origin

  • Pérez

    Son of Pedro; rock

  • Pineda

    Spanish for pine grove

  • Pino

    Spanish for pine; Canarian surname

  • Planas

    Catalan for plains

  • Pon

    Chinese-Cuban, Cantonese form of Pan

  • Ponce

    From Latin Pontius

  • Pons

    Catalan, from Latin Pontius

  • Portal

    Spanish for gateway or porch

  • Portuondo

    Basque surname; Santiago de Cuba family

  • Pozo

    Spanish for well

  • Pupo

    Common surname in Holguín; possibly Italian origin

Q

  • Quesada

    From the Andalusian town of Quesada

  • Quiñones

    Leonese place name; shares of land

  • Quintana

    Spanish for country house

R

  • Ramírez

    Son of Ramiro; famed counsel

  • Ramos

    Spanish for branches; Palm Sunday

  • Ravelo

    Canarian surname; possibly Portuguese origin

  • Rey

    Galician-Spanish for king

  • Reyes

    Spanish for kings; Epiphany devotion

  • Ricardo

    Germanic for powerful ruler; eastern Cuban surname

  • Rivas

    Spanish for riverbanks

  • Rivero

    Spanish for riverbank dweller

  • Rodríguez

    Son of Rodrigo; Germanic for famous ruler

  • Roig

    Catalan for red-haired

  • Rojas

    Spanish place name; red lands

  • Rondón

    Spanish surname; possibly from ronda, patrol

  • Rosales

    Spanish for rose gardens

  • Rosell

    Catalan for little red one

  • Ruiz

    Son of Ruy, short for Rodrigo

S

  • Salas

    Spanish for halls; Asturian place name

  • Sánchez

    Son of Sancho; holy

  • Santana

    Spanish for Saint Anne; Canarian surname

  • Sardiñas

    Galician for sardines

  • Sarduy

    Cuban surname; possibly Basque or Catalan origin

  • Seoane

    Galician for Saint John

  • Serrano

    Spanish for mountain dweller

  • Sierra

    Spanish for mountain range

  • Siu

    Chinese-Cuban, Cantonese form of Xiao or Shao

  • Sosa

    Portuguese-Spanish place name

  • Soto

    Spanish for grove

  • Sotolongo

    Spanish for long grove; Cuban surname

  • Suárez

    Son of Suero; common Asturian surname

T

  • Tamayo

    Spanish place name in Burgos

  • Tejeda

    Spanish for yew grove; Canarian place name

  • Toledo

    From the Castilian city of Toledo

  • Torres

    Spanish for towers

  • Trujillo

    From the Extremaduran city of Trujillo

V

  • Valdés

    Asturian place name (val, valley); given to Havana foundlings after Bishop Valdés

  • Valdivia

    Spanish place name in Extremadura

  • Valle

    Spanish for valley

  • Varela

    Galician for staff or rod

  • Varona

    Spanish for manly woman or strong

  • Veloz

    Spanish for swift

  • Vidal

    From Latin vitalis, lively

  • Vila

    Galician-Catalan for town or estate

  • Villaverde

    Spanish for green town

W

  • Wong

    Chinese-Cuban, Cantonese form of Huang, yellow

Z

  • Zamora

    From the Leonese city of Zamora

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Results (6)

  • Mederos

    Canarian surname; possibly Portuguese Medeiros

  • Sosa

    Portuguese-Spanish place name

  • Gil

    From Latin Aegidius

  • Pineda

    Spanish for pine grove

  • Suárez

    Son of Suero; common Asturian surname

  • Espinosa

    Spanish for thorny place

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    Patronymics, places and foundling names

    The top of the Cuban list looks much like the rest of the Spanish-speaking world: Rodríguez, González, Hernández, Pérez, García, Díaz and Martínez. Most are patronymics, so Fernández means son of Fernando and Álvarez son of Álvaro. García is the exception, an old name from northern Spain whose meaning is still debated, possibly from a Basque word for young. Others are simple words: Castillo means castle, Cruz cross and Reyes kings, a name tied to the feast of the Three Kings.

    Two very Cuban names have a history tied to charity. Expósito means exposed and was given to children left at foundling homes, and Valdés became common because the Havana foundling house, the Casa Cuna, gave many children the surname of Bishop Gerónimo Valdés, its founder. Over generations these names lost any stigma, and Valdés in particular is now simply one of the most familiar surnames on the island, shared by families of every background.

    Names from the east of the island

    Eastern Cuba, the old province of Oriente, has a surname profile of its own. Hechavarría, a local spelling of the Basque Echeverría, meaning new house, is strongly linked to Santiago de Cuba. Frómeta, Leyva, Rondón and Pupo are far more common around Holguín, Granma and Santiago than in Havana. Portuondo recalls an old creole family of Santiago, and Figueredo is the surname of Perucho Figueredo, who wrote the national anthem in Bayamo in 1868.

    The east was also the heart of the independence wars, and several surnames carry that memory. Céspedes, Agramonte, Maceo and Martí are the names of leaders of those struggles, and Cubans see them on streets, schools and parks. Giving one of these names to a fictional character is perfectly realistic, since ordinary families share them, but a Maceo or a Céspedes in a story will make many Cuban readers think of history first.

    How to use this list of Cuban last names

    Every Cuban has two surnames, but you only need one entry at a time. Start with a common name for the paternal line and add a regional or rarer name for the maternal line, then say the pair aloud. Rodríguez Frómeta sounds like a family from the east, while García Valdés could be from anywhere. Keep in mind that Chinese-Cuban names such as Chiu and Fong, and Lebanese-Cuban names like Maluf, are part of the same national mix.

    The search box ignores accents, so you can type Cespedes or Frometa without worrying about the marks. It also searches meanings, which is handy for finding place names or origins. Try Canarian to see names tied to the Canary Islands, or Galician for the northern Spanish names that were so common among twentieth century migrants. The letter bar helps in dense sections like C, M and P, where many Spanish names cluster together.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the most common Cuban last names?

    Rodríguez, González, Hernández, Pérez, García, Díaz, Martínez, López, Fernández and Sánchez usually lead Cuban rankings. They are widespread across the Spanish-speaking world, so names such as Valdés, Hechavarría or Frómeta are better clues that a family is specifically Cuban.

    Why is Valdés so common in Cuba?

    For many years children taken in by the Havana foundling house were registered with the surname Valdés, after Bishop Gerónimo Valdés, who founded it in the early eighteenth century. Their descendants multiplied, and the name also came from ordinary Spanish families, so today it is simply a very common Cuban surname.

    What does Expósito mean?

    Expósito means exposed or abandoned and was historically given to foundlings in Spain and its colonies. In Cuba it survives as an ordinary family name. Many families with this name have had it for generations, and it says nothing special about anyone who bears it today.

    Are Cuban last names different from Puerto Rican ones?

    They overlap heavily, since both islands were settled from Spain and the Canary Islands. Cuba stands out for Valdés, Hechavarría and other eastern names, and for Chinese-Cuban families. Puerto Rico has more Corsican names in the west, such as Mattei and Franceschi, a history Cuba does not share to the same degree.

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