South American Last Names

These South American last names span all twelve countries of the continent, from Brazilian Silvas to Andean Quispes and Italian Argentines, each listed with its meaning and regional background.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Acosta

Portuguese-Spanish for from the coast

Colombian
Afonso

From the given name Afonso, noble and ready

Portuguese
Agudelo

Galician-Asturian place name; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Aguilar

Spanish for eagle's nest

Argentinian
Aguirre

Basque for open place or pasture

Colombian
Albornoz

Spanish from Arabic for hooded cloak

Argentinian
Albuquerque

Habitational name from Alburquerque, white oak

Portuguese
Almeida

From Arabic, the plateau

Portuguese
Álvarez

Son of Álvaro; possibly Germanic, all guard

Colombian
Alves

Son of Álvaro

Portuguese
Alzate

Basque for alder grove gate

Colombian
Amaya

From Amaya in Burgos; possibly Basque for end

Colombian
Amorim

Habitational name from Minho

Portuguese
Angulo

Spanish place name in Burgos; corner

Colombian
Antunes

Son of Antão

Portuguese
Aranda

Spanish town Aranda de Duero

Argentinian
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
Arias

Galician-Leonese patronymic, possibly Germanic origin

Colombian
Ávila

From the Castilian city of Ávila

Colombian
Ayala

Basque for slope or pasture

Colombian
Azevedo

Place of holly trees

Portuguese

B

Barbieri

Italian for barber

Argentinian
Barbosa

Habitational name, possibly from barba, beard, for a bushy place

Portuguese
Barón

Spanish for baron

Colombian
Barrera

Spanish for barrier or clay pit

Colombian
Barreto

Cap, hat maker

Portuguese
Barrionuevo

Spanish for new neighborhood

Argentinian
Barrios

Spanish for neighborhoods or outskirts

Colombian
Bazán

Navarrese noble surname; common in northwest Argentina

Argentinian
Bedoya

Basque-Cantabrian place name

Colombian
Beltrán

From Germanic Bertram, bright raven

Colombian
Benavides

From the Leonese town of Benavides

Colombian
Benítez

Spanish, son of Benito; blessed

Argentinian
Bermúdez

Son of Bermudo, from Germanic Veremund

Colombian
Bernal

Germanic for strong bear

Colombian
Betancur

From Norman Béthencourt; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Bezerra

Heifer, young cow

Portuguese
Bianchi

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

Argentinian
Bianco

Italian for white or fair

Argentinian
Blanco

Spanish for white

Colombian
Bohórquez

Andalusian noble surname, possibly Germanic origin

Colombian
Bonilla

Spanish place name; good little town

Colombian
Botero

Spanish for maker of wine skins

Colombian
Braga

From the city of Braga

Portuguese
Bravo

Spanish for fierce or brave

Argentinian
Brizuela

Spanish place name in Burgos

Argentinian
Bruno

Italian for brown-haired

Argentinian
Buitrago

Spanish place name near Madrid

Colombian
Bustos

Spanish for cattle pastures

Colombian

C

Cabrera

Spanish for goat place

Colombian
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

Spanish for cauldron

Colombian
Calle

Spanish for street; Antioqueño surname

Colombian
Camacho

Possibly Old Spanish for crooked or lame

Colombian
Campos

Spanish for fields

Argentinian
Cano

Spanish for grey-haired

Colombian
Carabajal

Spanish for oak grove; Santiago del Estero surname

Argentinian
Cárdenas

Spanish place name; from cárdeno, purple-blue

Colombian
Cardona

Catalan place name; possibly thistle

Colombian
Cardoso

Place of thistles

Portuguese
Cardozo

Portuguese Cardoso, thistle place; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Carmona

From the Andalusian city of Carmona

Colombian
Caro

Spanish for dear or beloved

Colombian
Carrizo

Spanish for reed grass; common in northwest Argentina

Argentinian
Caruso

Italian, Sicilian for close-cropped boy

Argentinian
Carvajal

Spanish for oak grove

Colombian
Carvalho

Oak tree

Portuguese
Castaño

Spanish for chestnut tree or brown-haired

Colombian
Castillo

Spanish for castle

Colombian
Castro

Spanish for fortified hill settlement

Colombian
Cavalcante

Brazilian spelling of Cavalcanti, horseman

Portuguese
Ceballos

Cantabrian place name; possibly onion fields

Colombian
Cejas

Spanish for eyebrows or ridges; Córdoba surname

Argentinian
Chaparro

Spanish for scrub oak or short person

Colombian
Chávez

From the Portuguese town of Chaves (Latin Aquae Flaviae)

Colombian
Cifuentes

Spanish place name; hundred springs

Colombian
Coelho

Rabbit

Portuguese
Colombo

Italian for dove; Lombard origin

Argentinian
Condori

Aymara-Quechua for condor; common in Jujuy

Argentinian
Conti

Italian for counts; noble retainer

Argentinian
Contreras

Spanish place name; facing or opposite

Colombian
Cordeiro

Lamb, a shepherd

Portuguese
Córdoba

From the Andalusian city; very common in Chocó

Colombian
Coronel

Castilian surname of uncertain origin, possibly from corona, crown

Argentinian
Correa

Spanish for leather strap

Colombian
Correia

Leather strap, strap maker

Portuguese
Cortés

Spanish for courteous

Colombian
Costa

Italian and Portuguese for coast or slope

Argentinian
Cruz

Spanish for cross; religious devotion

Colombian
Cuesta

Spanish for slope

Colombian
Cunha

Wedge, or a place name in northern Portugal

Portuguese

D

Daza

Spanish place name; common in Valledupar

Colombian
Delgado

Spanish for thin

Colombian
Díaz

Son of Diego

Colombian
Domínguez

Spanish, son of Domingo; of the Lord

Argentinian
Duque

Spanish for duke

Colombian
Durán

From Latin Durandus, enduring

Colombian

E

Echavarría

Basque for new house

Colombian
Echeverri

Basque for new house; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Echeverría

Basque for new house; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Escobar

Spanish for place of broom plants

Colombian
Espinosa

Spanish for thorny place

Colombian
Esposito

Italian for exposed, a foundling; Neapolitan origin

Argentinian
Estrada

Spanish for paved road

Colombian
Etcheverry

French Basque for new house

Argentinian

F

Farias

Brazilian spelling of Faria

Portuguese
Farías

Portuguese-Galician place name

Argentinian
Fernandes

Son of Fernando

Portuguese
Fernández

Spanish, son of Fernando; bold journey

Argentinian
Ferrara

Italian, from the city of Ferrara

Argentinian
Ferrari

Italian for smith; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Ferraro

Italian, southern form of smith

Argentinian
Ferreira

Ironworks, blacksmith's forge

Portuguese
Ferrero

Italian, Piedmontese for smith

Argentinian
Ferreyra

Portuguese Ferreira, ironworks; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Figueroa

Galician for fig tree place

Colombian
Flores

Spanish for flowers

Argentinian
Flórez

Son of Floro; flowery

Colombian
Fonseca

Portuguese for dry spring

Colombian
Fontana

Italian for fountain or spring

Argentinian
Forero

Spanish for holder of a fuero charter

Colombian
Franco

Spanish for free or Frankish

Colombian
Freitas

Broken ground, rocky land

Portuguese
Frías

Spanish town in Burgos; cold

Argentinian

G

Galeano

Spanish, possibly from Galen; Litoral surname

Argentinian
Gallego

Spanish for Galician

Colombian
Galli

Italian for roosters

Argentinian
Gallo

Spanish for rooster

Colombian
Galvis

Colombian form of Gálvez, son of Galván

Colombian
Garay

Basque for high place

Argentinian
García

Possibly from Basque for young or bear

Colombian
Garzón

Spanish for heron

Colombian
Gauna

Basque place name in Álava; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Gaviria

Basque place name in Gipuzkoa

Colombian
Genovese

Italian for from Genoa

Argentinian
Gentile

Italian for kind or noble

Argentinian
Gil

From Latin Aegidius, young goat

Colombian
Giménez

Spanish, son of Jimeno; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Giordano

Italian, from the river Jordan

Argentinian
Giraldo

From Germanic Gerald, spear rule; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Godoy

Galician place name; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Gomes

Son of Gomes, from Gothic guma, man

Portuguese
Gómez

Son of Gome; old word for man

Colombian
Gonçalves

Son of Gonçalo

Portuguese
González

Son of Gonzalo; Germanic for battle

Colombian
Grasso

Italian for fat or stout

Argentinian
Greco

Italian for Greek

Argentinian
Grisales

Possibly from grisal, grey land; Caldas and Risaralda

Colombian
Guedes

Son of Guede, from Germanic

Portuguese
Guerrero

Spanish for warrior

Colombian
Guevara

Basque place name in Álava

Colombian
Gutiérrez

Son of Gutierre; Germanic for army ruler

Colombian
Guzmán

Germanic for good man

Colombian

H

Henao

From Hainaut in the Low Countries; Antioqueño family

Colombian
Heredia

Spanish for inherited estate

Argentinian
Hernández

Son of Hernando; Germanic for bold journey

Colombian
Herrera

Spanish for forge or blacksmith's place

Colombian
Holguín

Spanish surname from Extremadura; origin uncertain

Colombian
Hoyos

Spanish for pits or hollows

Colombian
Hurtado

Spanish for stolen; possibly a foundling

Colombian

I

Ibáñez

Spanish, son of Ibán, form of John

Argentinian
Ibarra

Basque for meadow or river plain

Colombian
Insaurralde

Basque for beside the walnut trees; Litoral surname

Argentinian
Isaza

Basque place name; place of broom shrubs

Colombian

J

Jaimes

Son of Jaime; Santander surname

Colombian
Jaramillo

Spanish for small place of rockrose

Colombian
Jesus

From the name of Jesus, devotional

Portuguese
Jiménez

Son of Jimeno; possibly Basque origin

Colombian
Juárez

Spanish variant of Suárez

Argentinian

L

De la Hoz

Spanish for of the gorge

Colombian
Leal

Loyal, faithful, a trustworthy person

Portuguese
Ledesma

Spanish town near Salamanca

Argentinian
Leiva

Spanish place name in La Rioja

Argentinian
León

From the kingdom of León; lion

Colombian
Leone

Italian for lion

Argentinian
Lima

From the River Lima

Portuguese
Loaiza

Basque place name; muddy place

Colombian
Lombardi

Italian for from Lombardy

Argentinian
Londoño

Possibly from a Basque place name; paisa family

Colombian
Longo

Italian for tall

Argentinian
Lopes

Son of Lopo, wolf

Portuguese
López

Son of Lope; wolf

Colombian
Lozano

Spanish for lush or proud

Colombian
De Luca

Italian, son of Luca

Argentinian
Lucero

Spanish for morning star; common in Cuyo

Argentinian
Luna

Spanish for moon; Aragonese place name

Argentinian

M

Machado

Axe, woodcutter

Portuguese
Maldonado

Spanish for badly given or ill-favored

Argentinian
Mamani

Aymara for falcon; common in Jujuy

Argentinian
Mancini

Italian for left-handed

Argentinian
Manrique

Germanic for powerful man

Colombian
Mansilla

Spanish place name in León

Argentinian
Mariani

Italian, from Mariano, of Mary

Argentinian
Marín

From Latin Marinus, of the sea

Colombian
Marino

Italian for of the sea

Argentinian
Marques

Son of Marcos

Portuguese
Martinelli

Italian, little Martino

Argentinian
Martínez

Son of Martín; dedicated to Mars

Colombian
Martini

Italian, son of Martino

Argentinian
Martins

Son of Martim

Portuguese
Matias

From the given name Matthias

Portuguese
Matos

Brushwood, scrubland

Portuguese
Medina

From Arabic for city

Colombian
Mejía

Possibly from Messias or a Galician place name

Colombian
Mendes

Son of Mendo

Portuguese
Mendoza

Basque for cold mountain

Colombian
Mercado

Spanish for market

Colombian
Mesa

Spanish for table or plateau

Colombian
Miranda

Spanish-Portuguese place name of uncertain meaning

Argentinian
Molina

Spanish for mill

Colombian
Monsalve

Spanish surname, possibly mount of salvation

Colombian
Monteiro

Huntsman, forester

Portuguese
Montoya

Place name in Álava; mountain

Colombian
Mora

Spanish for blackberry or Moorish

Colombian
Morales

Spanish for mulberry trees

Colombian
Moreira

Mulberry tree grove

Portuguese
Moreno

Spanish for dark-haired or dark-skinned

Colombian
Mosquera

Galician place name; Popayán noble family

Colombian
Moura

Moorish woman, or a place name

Portuguese
Muñoz

Son of Muño; possibly Latin for fortified

Colombian

N

Neto

Grandson, distinguishes from a grandfather

Portuguese
Neves

Snows, from Our Lady of the Snows

Portuguese
Nunes

Son of Nuno

Portuguese

O

Ocampo

Galician for the field

Colombian
Ojeda

Spanish place name in La Rioja

Argentinian
Oliveira

Olive tree

Portuguese
Orozco

Basque place name in Biscay

Colombian
Ortega

Spanish for nettle or grouse

Colombian
Ortiz

Son of Orti; possibly fortunate

Colombian
Osorio

Possibly Latin ursus, bear; Leonese noble family

Colombian
Ospina

Spanish surname of uncertain meaning; Antioqueño family

Colombian

P

Palacios

Spanish for palaces or manor houses

Colombian
Parra

Spanish for grapevine trellis

Colombian
Patiño

Galician surname, possibly little duck or small courtyard

Colombian
Paz

Spanish for peace

Argentinian
Peña

Spanish for rock or crag

Colombian
Peralta

Navarrese town; Latin for high rock

Argentinian
Pereira

Pear tree

Portuguese
Pereyra

Galician-Portuguese Pereira, pear tree; Argentine spelling

Argentinian
Pérez

Son of Pedro; rock

Colombian
Pineda

Spanish for pine grove

Colombian
Pinheiro

Pine tree

Portuguese
Pinto

Painted, spotted, freckled

Portuguese
Pires

Son of Pero, Peter

Portuguese
Ponce

Spanish, from Latin Pontius

Argentinian
Prado

Meadow, dweller by a meadow

Portuguese

Q

Queiroz

Habitational name, variant of Queirós

Portuguese
Quintero

Spanish for tenant farmer of a quinta

Colombian

R

Ramírez

Son of Ramiro; famed counsel

Colombian
Ramos

Spanish for branches; Palm Sunday devotion

Colombian
Reis

Kings, from Epiphany

Portuguese
Restrepo

Asturian place name; key Antioqueño family

Colombian
Reyes

Spanish for kings; Epiphany devotion

Colombian
Rezende

Brazilian spelling of Resende

Portuguese
Ribeiro

Dweller by a small river

Portuguese
Rincón

Spanish for corner or nook

Colombian
Ríos

Spanish for rivers

Colombian
Rivera

Spanish for riverbank

Colombian
Rodrigues

Son of Rodrigo

Portuguese
Rodríguez

Son of Rodrigo; Germanic for famous ruler

Colombian
Rojas

Spanish place name; red lands

Colombian
Romano

Italian for Roman; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Romero

Spanish for rosemary or pilgrim to Rome

Colombian
Rossi

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

Argentinian
Ruiz

Son of Ruy, short form of Rodrigo

Colombian
Russo

Italian, southern form of rosso, red-haired

Argentinian

S

Salazar

Basque place name; old hall

Colombian
Sales

Habitational name, or from Saint Francis de Sales

Portuguese
Sánchez

Son of Sancho; holy

Colombian
Silva

Portuguese-Galician for woodland

Colombian
Simões

Son of Simão

Portuguese
Siqueira

Brazilian spelling of Sequeira

Portuguese
Soares

Son of Soeiro

Portuguese
Sosa

Portuguese-Spanish place name; common in Argentina

Argentinian
Sousa

From the River Sousa, possibly from Latin salsa, salty

Portuguese
Souza

Brazilian spelling of Sousa

Portuguese
Suárez

Son of Suero; possibly Latin for swineherd

Colombian

T

Tavares

Habitational name from Tavares, Viseu

Portuguese
Teixeira

Yew tree grove

Portuguese
Toro

Spanish for bull

Colombian
Torres

Spanish for towers

Colombian

U

Uribe

Basque for below the village

Colombian

V

Valencia

From the Spanish city; Latin for strength

Colombian
Vargas

Spanish for sloping meadows or huts

Colombian
Vásquez

Son of Vasco; Basque

Colombian
Vázquez

Spanish, son of Vasco; Basque

Argentinian
Velásquez

Son of Velasco; Basque for crow

Colombian
Vélez

Son of Vela; possibly raven or watchman

Colombian
Vera

Spanish for edge or riverbank

Argentinian
Vicente

From the given name Vincent

Portuguese
Vieira

Scallop shell, pilgrim emblem

Portuguese

Z

Zapata

Spanish for shoemaker or wearer of boots

Colombian

Generate random south american 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)

Rocha

Portuguese-Galician for rock

Colombian
Kirchner

German-Swiss for church sexton

Argentinian
Guerrero

Spanish for warrior

Colombian
Rivero

Spanish for riverbank dweller

Argentinian
Carmona

From the Andalusian city of Carmona

Colombian
Hoffmann

German for steward of a farm

Argentinian

Saved names

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

Open the full generator

South American last names country by country

South America has twelve independent countries, and their surnames vary more than people expect. Brazil, the largest, uses Portuguese names led by Silva, Santos, Oliveira, Souza and Rodrigues, often with particles like da and dos. Colombia and Venezuela lean toward Spanish names such as Rodríguez, Gómez and González, with Venezuela adding Italian, Portuguese and Canarian names from twentieth century immigration. Ecuador mixes Spanish names with Kichwa ones such as Quishpe, Guamán and Caiza.

Peru and Bolivia have the strongest indigenous presence in their surnames. Quispe, often glossed as free in Quechua, is one of the most common names in Peru, and Mamani, from the Aymara word for falcon, leads in Bolivia. Chile, Argentina and Uruguay look more European: González, Muñoz and Rojas top Chilean records, while Argentine phone books are full of Italian names alongside Spanish ones. Guyana and Suriname, once British and Dutch colonies, add English, Dutch, Hindi and Javanese names.

Immigrant names in the Southern Cone and Brazil

From the 1870s to the 1950s, South America received millions of Europeans. Italians made up the largest group in Argentina and Uruguay, and names like Rossi, Bianchi, Romano and Esposito became part of everyday life. Spaniards kept arriving too, especially from Galicia, so much so that Argentines still call any Spaniard a gallego. Germans settled in southern Chile and southern Brazil, and names like Müller or Schneider are common in towns such as Blumenau and Puerto Varas.

Brazil also received the largest Japanese community outside Japan, beginning in 1908, and names like Tanaka, Suzuki and Yamamoto are common in São Paulo. Lebanese and Syrian immigrants, mostly Christians, settled throughout the continent, and their names, such as Haddad, Maluf and Menem, are familiar in business and politics in Brazil and Argentina. Welsh settlers in Patagonia and Croatians in Chile and Argentina add further layers to the list above.

Getting the order and region right

Most people in Spanish-speaking South America carry two surnames, the father's and the mother's, so a Colombian named Juan Gómez Restrepo uses Gómez in daily life. In Brazil the mother's name usually comes first and the father's last, so Ana Oliveira Santos is normally called Ana Santos. Getting this order right is the easiest way to make a character's full name look authentic, and it matters on forms and in formal speech.

For fiction, a quick way to add realism is to combine a common national name with a regional one. Restrepo and Echeverri suggest Antioquia in Colombia, Quispe or Mamani point to the Andes, and a Galician name like Otero or Castro in Buenos Aires hints at an immigrant grandparent. Search the list above by letter, read the meanings, and choose names that fit the city and the decade in which your story is set.

Frequently asked questions

Which South American last names are the most common?

Silva is the most common name on the continent because of Brazil's large population. Among the Spanish-speaking countries, González, Rodríguez, Gómez, Fernández, López and Martínez are very common, and Quispe and Mamani are leading names in Peru and Bolivia. Each country has its own ranking.

Why do so many Argentines have Italian family names?

Italians made up the largest share of immigrants to Argentina between the 1870s and the 1950s, and many Argentines have at least one Italian grandparent. Their names were kept, sometimes with Spanish spelling, so Rossi, Russo, Ferrari and Romano sit comfortably beside Fernández and González.

How are Brazilian names different from Spanish ones?

Brazilians speak Portuguese, so the names use Portuguese spellings like Gonçalves instead of González and Souza instead of Sosa. The order also differs, with the father's name usually last. Brazilians often have more than two surnames and frequently use particles such as da, de and dos.

Do South American last names include indigenous names?

Yes, particularly in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, where Quechua, Kichwa and Aymara names are common. Examples include Quispe, Mamani, Condori, Huanca and Guamán. In most other countries indigenous people were given Spanish or Portuguese surnames during colonial times, so native names are less visible even where native ancestry is common.