Latin American Last Names

These Latin American last names cover Spanish, Portuguese, indigenous and immigrant families from Mexico to Argentina, each listed with its meaning, plus how the double surname system works across the region.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abreu

Portuguese-Galician place name

Dominican
Acevedo

Galician-Portuguese for holly grove

Puerto Rican
Acosta

Spanish for the coast

Mexican
Adames

Son of Adam; Dominican surname

Dominican
Adorno

Genoese noble family name

Puerto Rican
Agosto

Spanish for August; month-based surname

Puerto Rican
Aguayo

From Aguayo in Cantabria

Mexican
Agudelo

Galician-Asturian place name; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Aguilar

Place of eagles

Mexican
Aguirre

Basque: prominent, exposed place

Mexican
Albornoz

Spanish from Arabic for hooded cloak

Argentinian
Alcántara

Arabic: the bridge

Mexican
Alfonso

Germanic for noble and ready

Cuban
Alicea

Distinctive Puerto Rican surname; possibly Italian origin

Puerto Rican
Almaraz

From Almaraz in Cáceres

Mexican
Almeida

Portuguese town name, from Arabic for table

Cuban
Almonte

Andalusian town name; at the mountain

Dominican
Alonso

Noble and ready

Mexican
Alvarado

From Alvarado in Badajoz

Mexican
Álvarez

Son of Álvaro; possibly all-guarding

Mexican
Alzate

Basque for alder grove gate

Colombian
Amaya

From Amaya in Burgos; possibly Basque for end

Colombian
Anaya

Possibly Basque: brother

Mexican
Andrade

Galician place name

Mexican
Andújar

From the Andalusian town of Andújar

Puerto Rican
Ángeles

Spanish for angels

Mexican
Angulo

Spanish place name in Burgos; corner

Colombian
Aponte

Galician for at the bridge

Puerto Rican
Aquino

From the Italian town of Aquino

Dominican
Aranda

From Aranda de Duero

Mexican
Arango

Place name found in Asturias; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Arbeláez

Basque patronymic; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Arboleda

Spanish for grove of trees

Colombian
Arce

Spanish for maple tree

Argentinian
Arcila

Possibly from the Moroccan town of Asilah

Colombian
Ardila

Spanish place name; common in Santander

Colombian
Arellano

From Arellano in Navarre

Mexican
Arencibia

Canarian surname of Basque origin

Cuban
Arias

Possibly Germanic: eagle or honor

Mexican
Arocho

Puerto Rican surname; possibly from Galician Arocha

Puerto Rican
Arreola

Basque place name

Mexican
Arriaga

Basque: stony place

Mexican
Arroyo

Spanish for stream, brook

Mexican
Arteaga

Basque: place of holm oaks

Mexican
Ávalos

From Ávalos in Burgos

Mexican
Ávila

From the city of Ávila

Mexican
Avilés

From the Asturian town of Avilés

Puerto Rican
Ayala

Basque: slope, pasture

Mexican

B

Báez

Son of Pay, form of Pelayo

Dominican
Balam

Yucatec Maya: jaguar

Mexican
Bañuelos

Spanish for small baths

Mexican
Barajas

From Barajas near Madrid

Mexican
Barbieri

Italian for barber

Argentinian
Barón

Spanish for baron

Colombian
Barrera

Barrier; clay pit

Mexican
Barrionuevo

Spanish for new neighborhood

Argentinian
Barrios

Spanish for neighborhoods or outskirts

Colombian
Barroso

Portuguese-Galician for muddy place

Cuban
Batista

Spanish-Portuguese for Baptist

Cuban
Bautista

Baptist; after Saint John the Baptist

Mexican
Bazán

Navarrese noble surname; common in northwest Argentina

Argentinian
Bedoya

Basque-Cantabrian place name

Colombian
Beltrán

Germanic: bright raven

Mexican
Beltré

Dominican form of Beltrán, bright raven

Dominican
Benavides

From Benavides in León

Mexican
Benítez

Son of Benito; blessed

Mexican
Bermúdez

Son of Bermudo

Mexican
Bernal

Strong as a bear; from Bernard

Mexican
Berríos

Puerto Rican surname; possibly Basque origin

Puerto Rican
Betancourt

From Norman Béthencourt via the Canary Islands

Cuban
Betancur

From Norman Béthencourt; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Bianchi

Italian, from bianco, fair-haired; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Bianco

Italian for white or fair

Argentinian
Blanco

Spanish for white, fair

Mexican
Bohórquez

Andalusian noble surname, possibly Germanic origin

Colombian
Bonilla

Spanish place name; good little town

Colombian
Borges

Portuguese-Canarian for townsman

Cuban
Borrero

Spanish, possibly for maker of borra wool

Puerto Rican
Botero

Spanish for maker of wine skins

Colombian
Bravo

Spanish for brave, fierce

Mexican
Brito

Portuguese place name; Canarian surname

Cuban
Brizuela

Spanish place name in Burgos

Argentinian
Bruno

Italian for brown-haired

Argentinian
Buitrago

Spanish place name near Madrid

Colombian
Burgos

From the Castilian city of Burgos

Dominican
Bustamante

From Bustamante in Cantabria; cattle pasture

Mexican
Bustos

Spanish for cattle pastures

Colombian

C

Caamal

Yucatec Maya surname; meaning uncertain

Mexican
Cab

Yucatec Maya: earth; honey, bee

Mexican
Caballero

Spanish for knight, horseman

Mexican
Cabral

Portuguese for goat pasture

Dominican
Cabrera

Spanish for goat pasture

Mexican
Cáceres

From the Extremaduran city of Cáceres

Argentinian
Cadavid

Possibly from an Asturian place name; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Caicedo

From Caicedo, a place in Álava; meaning uncertain

Colombian
Calabrese

Italian for from Calabria

Argentinian
Calderón

Cauldron; cauldron maker

Mexican
Calle

Spanish for street; Antioqueño surname

Colombian
Camacho

Possibly Old Spanish for crooked or lame

Colombian
Camilo

From Latin Camillus, attendant

Dominican
Campos

Spanish for fields

Mexican
Can

Yucatec Maya: snake, or four

Mexican
Canché

Yucatec Maya: wooden bench or seat

Mexican
Candelaria

Candlemas; Canary Islands Marian devotion

Puerto Rican
Cano

Spanish for gray-haired

Mexican
Cantú

From Cantù in Lombardy; common in Nuevo León

Mexican
Canul

Yucatec Maya: guardian, protector

Mexican
Carabajal

Spanish for oak grove; Santiago del Estero surname

Argentinian
Caraballo

Possibly from Galician carballo, oak

Puerto Rican
Carbonell

Catalan for little charcoal burner

Cuban
Cárdenas

From Cárdenas in La Rioja; cárdeno, purplish

Mexican
Cardona

Catalan place name; possibly thistle

Colombian
Cardozo

Portuguese Cardoso, thistle place; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Carmona

From Carmona in Seville

Mexican
Caro

Spanish for dear or beloved

Colombian
Carrasco

Holm oak scrubland

Mexican
Carrasquillo

Spanish for little holm oak

Puerto Rican
Carrillo

Small cart; also cheek

Mexican
Carrión

From Carrión de los Condes, Palencia

Puerto Rican
Carrizo

Spanish for reed grass; common in northwest Argentina

Argentinian
Cartagena

From the Spanish city of Cartagena

Puerto Rican
Caruso

Italian, Sicilian for close-cropped boy

Argentinian
Carvajal

Spanish for oak grove

Colombian
Casanova

Catalan for new house

Cuban
Casiano

From Latin Cassianus

Puerto Rican
Castañeda

Spanish for chestnut grove

Cuban
Castaño

Spanish for chestnut tree or brown-haired

Colombian
Castellanos

Spanish for Castilians

Cuban
Castillo

Spanish for castle

Mexican
Castro

Fortified hill; Roman fort

Mexican
Ceballos

From Cevallos in Cantabria

Mexican
Cejas

Spanish for eyebrows or ridges; Córdoba surname

Argentinian
Centeno

Spanish for rye

Puerto Rican
Cepeda

Place of stumps and brush

Mexican
Cervantes

From a place name in Galicia

Mexican
Céspedes

Spanish for turf or sod

Cuban
Chan

Yucatec Maya: small, little

Mexican
Chang

Chinese-Cuban, from Zhang, archer; Havana Chinatown

Cuban
Chaparro

Spanish for scrub oak or short person

Colombian
Chávez

From Chaves in Portugal, from Latin Aquae Flaviae

Mexican
Chi

Yucatec Maya: mouth

Mexican
Cifuentes

Spanish place name; hundred springs

Colombian
Cintrón

Possibly from Portuguese Sintra; Puerto Rican surname

Puerto Rican
Cisneros

From Cisneros in Palencia

Mexican
Clemente

From Latin clemens, merciful

Puerto Rican
Collazo

Galician for farm laborer

Cuban
Colombo

Italian for dove; Lombard origin

Argentinian
Colón

Spanish form of Colombo, dove

Dominican
Concepción

Spanish for Immaculate Conception

Dominican
Condori

Aymara-Quechua for condor; common in Jujuy

Argentinian
Conti

Italian for counts; noble retainer

Argentinian
Contreras

From Contreras in Burgos; land opposite

Mexican
Cordero

Spanish for lamb

Mexican
Córdoba

From the Andalusian city; very common in Chocó

Colombian
Córdova

Spanish surname from Córdoba

Mexican
Corona

Spanish for crown

Mexican
Coronado

Crowned; tonsured cleric

Mexican
Coronel

Castilian surname of uncertain origin, possibly from corona, crown

Argentinian
Correa

Spanish for leather strap

Colombian
Cortés

Spanish for courteous

Mexican
Costa

Italian and Portuguese for coast or slope

Argentinian
Cotto

Possibly Italian Cotto or Galician Couto

Puerto Rican
Couoh

Yucatec Maya: tarantula

Mexican
Crespo

Spanish for curly-haired

Cuban
Cruz

Cross; religious devotion

Mexican
Cuadrado

Spanish for square or stocky

Puerto Rican
Cuéllar

From Cuéllar in Segovia

Mexican
Cuesta

Spanish for slope

Colombian

D

Delgado

Spanish for thin, slender

Mexican
Díaz

Son of Diego

Mexican
Domínguez

Son of Domingo; of the Lord

Mexican
Duque

Spanish for duke

Colombian

E

Echeverri

Basque for new house; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Encarnación

Spanish for Incarnation; religious devotion

Dominican
Espinal

Spanish for thorny thicket

Dominican
Espinoza

Spanish for thorny place

Mexican
Estrada

Spanish for paved road

Mexican

F

Feliciano

From Latin Felicianus, happy

Puerto Rican
Féliz

Spanish for happy or fortunate

Dominican
Fernández

Spanish, son of Fernando; bold journey

Argentinian
Ferrari

Italian for smith; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Ferreyra

Portuguese Ferreira, ironworks; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Flores

Spanish for flowers

Mexican
Flórez

Son of Floro; flowery

Colombian
Fuentes

Spanish for springs, fountains

Mexican

G

Gallego

Spanish for Galician

Colombian
Gallegos

Spanish for Galicians

Mexican
García

Possibly from Basque for young or bear

Mexican
Giménez

Spanish, son of Jimeno; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Giraldo

From Germanic Gerald, spear rule; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Godoy

Galician place name; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Gómez

Son of Gome; man

Mexican
González

Son of Gonzalo; Germanic for battle

Mexican
Guerrero

Spanish for warrior

Mexican
Gutiérrez

Son of Gutierre; possibly army ruler

Mexican
Guzmán

Germanic: good man

Mexican

H

Hechavarría

Cuban spelling of Basque Echeverría, new house

Cuban
Henao

From Hainaut in the Low Countries; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Hernández

Son of Hernando; from Germanic for bold journey

Mexican
Herrera

Ironworks, blacksmith's forge

Mexican

I

Ibarra

Basque: meadow, riverside valley

Mexican
Irizarry

Basque Irizarri, old village

Puerto Rican

J

De Jesús

Spanish for of Jesus

Dominican
Jiménez

Son of Jimeno; possibly from Simeon

Mexican
Juárez

Variant of Suárez; son of Suero

Mexican

L

De la Cruz

Of the cross

Mexican
Lara

From Lara de los Infantes in Burgos

Mexican
León

Lion; from the kingdom of León

Mexican
Londoño

Possibly from a Basque place name; paisa family

Colombian
López

Son of Lope; wolf

Mexican
Luna

Spanish for moon

Mexican

M

Machado

Portuguese for axe

Cuban
Maldonado

Spanish for ill-given; unfortunate

Mexican
Márquez

Son of Marcos

Mexican
Marrero

Canarian surname; possibly from marra, stone hammer

Cuban
Martín

From Latin Martinus; common in the Canaries

Cuban
Martínez

Son of Martín; dedicated to Mars

Mexican
Mateo

From Matthew, gift of God

Dominican
Medina

Arabic for city

Mexican
Mejía

Possibly from Messiah; old Iberian name

Mexican
Meléndez

Son of Melendo, from Hermenegildo

Puerto Rican
Méndez

Son of Mendo, short for Menendo

Mexican
Mendoza

Basque: cold mountain

Mexican
Mercedes

Spanish for mercies; Our Lady of Mercy

Dominican
Molina

Spanish for mill

Mexican
Montañez

Spanish for mountain dweller

Puerto Rican
Montero

Spanish for hunter

Cuban
Montes

Mountains, wooded hills

Mexican
Morales

Spanish for mulberry trees

Mexican
Moreno

Dark-haired or dark-skinned

Mexican
Mosquera

Galician place name; Popayán noble family

Colombian
Muñoz

Son of Muño

Mexican

N

Nava

Plain between mountains

Mexican
Navarro

Spanish surname from Navarre

Mexican
Negrón

Spanish for dark one

Puerto Rican
Nieves

Spanish for snows; Our Lady of the Snows

Puerto Rican

O

Ojeda

Spanish place name in La Rioja

Argentinian
Oliva

Spanish for olive

Cuban
Ortega

Possibly from nettle or a type of grouse

Mexican
Ortiz

Son of Orti; fortunate

Mexican
Ospina

Spanish surname of uncertain meaning; Antioqueño family

Colombian

P

Pacheco

Possibly from Latin for peaceful

Mexican
Pagán

Spanish from Latin paganus, villager

Puerto Rican
Patiño

Galician surname, possibly little duck or small courtyard

Colombian
Paulino

From Latin Paulinus, small

Dominican
Peralta

Navarrese town; Latin for high rock

Argentinian
Pereyra

Galician-Portuguese Pereira, pear tree; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Pérez

Son of Pedro; rock

Mexican
Pineda

Spanish for pine grove

Mexican
Pino

Spanish for pine; Canarian surname

Cuban
Polanco

Cantabrian place name

Dominican

R

Ramírez

Son of Ramiro; famed counsel

Mexican
Ramos

Branches; Palm Sunday

Mexican
Restrepo

Asturian place name; key Antioqueño family

Colombian
Reyes

Kings; Feast of the Three Kings

Mexican
Ríos

Spanish for rivers

Mexican
Rivera

Spanish for riverbank

Mexican
Robles

Spanish for oak trees

Mexican
Rodríguez

Son of Rodrigo; famous ruler

Mexican
Rojas

Red; from reddish land

Mexican
Román

Spanish for Roman

Puerto Rican
Romano

Italian for Roman; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Romero

Pilgrim to Rome; also rosemary

Mexican
Rosa

Spanish for rose

Dominican
Rosado

Spanish for rosy or pink

Puerto Rican
Rosales

Spanish for rose bushes

Mexican
Rosas

Spanish for roses

Mexican
Rossi

Italian, from rosso, red-haired; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Ruiz

Son of Ruy, short form of Rodrigo

Mexican
Russo

Italian, southern form of rosso, red-haired

Argentinian

S

Salazar

Basque: old hall

Mexican
Salinas

Spanish for salt works

Mexican
Sánchez

Son of Sancho; holy

Mexican
Sandoval

From Sandoval in Burgos; new grove

Mexican
Santana

Spanish for Saint Anne; Canarian surname

Cuban
Santiago

Spanish for Saint James

Mexican
Serrano

Highlander, from the mountains

Mexican
Silva

From Latin silva, forest, woodland

Mexican
Solís

From Solís in Asturias

Mexican
Soto

Spanish for grove, thicket

Mexican
Suárez

Son of Suero; possibly Latin for swineherd

Colombian

T

Tavárez

Dominican form of Portuguese Tavares

Dominican
Taveras

Dominican variant of Portuguese Tavares

Dominican
Tejada

Spanish for yew grove

Dominican
Toro

Spanish for bull

Colombian
Torres

Spanish for towers

Mexican
Trejo

From a place name in Andalusia

Mexican

V

Valdés

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

Cuban
Valdez

Valley; variant of Valdés

Mexican
Valencia

From Valencia; strength, vigor

Mexican
Vargas

Sloping meadows with huts

Mexican
Vásquez

Son of Vasco; Basque

Colombian
Vázquez

Son of Vasco; Basque

Mexican
Vega

Fertile plain, meadow

Mexican
Velásquez

Son of Velasco; Basque for crow

Colombian
Velázquez

Son of Velasco; Basque for little crow

Mexican
Vélez

Son of Vela; possibly raven or watchman

Colombian
Ventura

Spanish for good fortune

Dominican
Villa

Town, country estate

Mexican

Z

Zamora

From the city of Zamora

Mexican

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Plascencia

From Plasencia; pleasing place

Mexican
Campos

Spanish for fields

Mexican
De la Cruz

Of the cross

Mexican
Sartori

Italian for tailors

Argentinian
Tunubalá

Misak (Guambiano) indigenous surname of Cauca

Colombian
Rosales

Spanish for rose bushes

Mexican

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Shared rules behind Latin American last names

Across Spanish-speaking Latin America, people carry two surnames: the father's first surname followed by the mother's first surname. Gabriel García Márquez was García on his father's side and Márquez on his mother's, and he is still filed under G. Brazil, where Portuguese is spoken, reverses the order, putting the mother's name before the father's. In both cases the whole set appears on official documents, while daily life usually uses only one.

Spanish patronymics ending in -ez, meaning son of, lead nearly every country's rankings. García, Rodríguez, González, Hernández, López, Martínez, Pérez and Sánchez are found everywhere from Mexico to Argentina. In Brazil the leading names are Silva, Santos, Oliveira, Souza and Rodrigues. These shared names make it easy to write a generic Latin American character, but the rest of the list above shows how much each country differs underneath.

Regional flavours from the Andes to the Southern Cone

Indigenous surnames are common in the Andes. Mamani, Quispe, Condori, Huamán and Choque are Quechua or Aymara names widespread in Peru and Bolivia, and Mamani, from the Aymara word for falcon, is among the most common surnames in Bolivia. In Guatemala, Maya names such as Tzul, Pop, Coc and Xol are found alongside Spanish ones. Paraguay, where Guaraní is an official language, has fewer native surnames than you might expect, because colonial registers favoured Spanish names.

Immigration reshaped other countries. Argentina and Uruguay received millions of Italians, so Rossi, Ferrari and Russo are as ordinary as Fernández. Chile had strong Basque and German settlement, with names like Echeverría, Errázuriz, Urrutia and Schmidt. Arab families, mostly Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian Christians, became prominent across the region, giving names such as Slim in Mexico and Bukele in El Salvador, while Japanese communities in Brazil and Peru carry names like Fujimori.

Writing with Latin American last names

Choose a country first. A character from Bogotá, one from Lima and one from Buenos Aires will not share a surname profile, and readers who know the region will notice. Pair a common Spanish name with a regional one for realism, such as Rodríguez Quispe for a Peruvian or González Echeverría for a Chilean. Then decide which name the character uses day to day, which is usually the first of the two surnames.

Remember that migration within and beyond the Americas mixes these patterns. A Salvadoran family in Los Angeles or a Venezuelan family in Madrid may drop the second surname or hyphenate the pair to fit local forms. Accents are often lost in English records, so Ramírez becomes Ramirez. The meanings in the list above can guide your choice, whether you want a name tied to a place, a saint, a trade or a parent.

Frequently asked questions

Which Latin American last names are the most common?

García, Rodríguez, González, Hernández, López, Martínez, Pérez and Sánchez are common across the Spanish-speaking countries. In Brazil, Silva and Santos lead. National rankings differ, for example Hernández leads in Mexico and González in Argentina and Chile, but these names are familiar everywhere in the region.

Why do people in Latin America use both parents' names?

The Spanish naming custom, carried to the Americas in colonial times, gives each child the father's first surname and the mother's first surname. It keeps both family lines visible in official records. Brazil uses a similar system but usually puts the mother's name first and the father's last.

Do Latin American last names include indigenous ones?

Yes, especially in the Andes, Guatemala and southern Mexico. Quechua and Aymara names like Mamani, Quispe and Condori are among the most common in Bolivia and Peru, and Maya names are frequent in Guatemala and Yucatán. Elsewhere, most indigenous families received Spanish surnames at baptism during the colonial period.

Is Latin American the same as Hispanic or Latino?

Not quite. Hispanic refers to Spanish-speaking origin, so it includes Spain but excludes Brazil. Latin American refers to the countries of the Americas where Romance languages are spoken, including Brazil but not Spain. Latino is mostly used in the United States for people with Latin American roots.