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Spanish Last Names

This list of Spanish last names gathers hundreds of real surnames from Spain, including Castilian, Catalan, Basque and Galician names, each with its meaning. Browse A to Z, search for a name, or generate a few at random.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Abad

    Abbot, or servant of an abbot

  • Acosta

    Dweller on the coast or slope

  • Aguilar

    Place of eagles

  • Aguirre

    Basque, open field or prominent place

  • Alcalá

    From Arabic, the castle

  • Alcántara

    From Arabic, the bridge

  • Almeida

    From Arabic, the plateau

  • Alonso

    From the given name Alonso, noble and ready

  • Alvarado

    Habitational name from Badajoz

  • Álvarez

    Son of Álvaro

  • Amador

    Lover, from Latin Amator

  • Amorós

    Catalan, loving or affectionate

  • Anaya

    Basque, brother, or habitational name

  • Andrés

    From the given name Andrew, manly

  • Aranda

    Habitational name from Aranda de Duero

  • Arce

    Maple tree

  • Arenas

    Sands, sandy place

  • Arias

    Possibly from the Germanic name Arias

  • Aristizábal

    Basque, wide oak grove

  • Arroyo

    Stream, brook, dweller by one

  • Ávila

    From the city of Ávila

  • Ayala

    Basque, hillside pasture

  • Aznar

    From a Latin name, donkey herder

B

  • Baeza

    Habitational name from Jaén

  • Balaguer

    Catalan habitational name from Lleida

  • Ballesteros

    Crossbowmen

  • Barrera

    Barrier, gate, or clay pit

  • Barroso

    Muddy, clay ground

  • Bautista

    Baptist, from John the Baptist

  • Bello

    Handsome, a good-looking person

  • Beltrán

    From Germanic Bertrand, bright raven

  • Benavides

    Habitational name from Benavides in León

  • Benítez

    Son of Benito

  • Berenguer

    Catalan, from Germanic Berengar

  • Bermejo

    Reddish, red-haired person

  • Bermúdez

    Son of Bermudo

  • Bilbao

    From the city of Bilbao

  • Blanco

    White, fair-haired

  • Blázquez

    Son of Blasco, from Velasco

  • Bonilla

    Habitational name from Cuenca

  • Borja

    From the town of Borja in Zaragoza

  • Bosch

    Catalan, wood or forest

  • Botella

    Bottle, a bottle maker

  • Bravo

    Fierce, brave, wild

  • Bueno

    Good, a kindly person

  • Bustamante

    Habitational name from Cantabria

C

  • Caballero

    Knight, horseman

  • Cabello

    Hair, for notable hair

  • Cabezas

    Heads, hilltops, habitational name

  • Cabrera

    Place of goats

  • Calderón

    Cauldron, cauldron maker

  • Calvo

    Bald

  • Camacho

    Possibly from a Portuguese place name

  • Camino

    Dweller by a road

  • Campos

    Fields

  • Cano

    White-haired, old

  • Cantero

    Stonecutter, quarry worker

  • Capdevila

    Catalan, head of the town

  • Carbonell

    Catalan, little charcoal burner

  • Cárdenas

    Bluish purple, place name in La Rioja

  • Cardona

    Catalan habitational name from Barcelona

  • Carmona

    Habitational name from Carmona, Seville

  • Carranza

    Basque habitational name from Biscay

  • Carrasco

    Holm oak grove

  • Carrera

    Road, highway, dweller by a road

  • Carrillo

    Cheek or jaw, a nickname

  • Carvajal

    Oak grove, habitational name

  • Casado

    Married man, a householder

  • Casas

    Houses, dweller by notable houses

  • Castells

    Catalan, castles or fortresses

  • Castillo

    Dweller at a castle

  • Castro

    Dweller near a castle or fortified place

  • Cerezo

    Cherry tree, cherry grower

  • Cervantes

    Habitational name from Lugo, Galicia

  • Céspedes

    Turf, sod, habitational name

  • Chacón

    Possibly from a nickname for a jackdaw

  • Chávez

    Habitational name from Chaves in northern Portugal

  • Cienfuegos

    Hundred fires

  • Cifuentes

    Hundred springs, habitational name

  • Coll

    Catalan, mountain pass

  • Comas

    Catalan, small valleys

  • Conde

    Count, or servant of a count

  • Contreras

    Habitational name from Burgos

  • Cordero

    Lamb, a shepherd or a gentle person

  • Corral

    Farmyard, enclosure for animals

  • Cortés

    Courteous, polite

  • Crespo

    Curly-haired

  • Cruz

    Dweller near a cross

  • Cuenca

    From the city of Cuenca

  • Cuevas

    Caves, dweller near caves

D

  • Dalmau

    Catalan, from Dalmatius

  • Dávila

    From Ávila

  • Delgado

    Thin, slender

  • Díaz

    Son of Diego

  • Diez

    Son of Diego

  • Domingo

    From the given name Dominic, of the Lord

  • Domínguez

    Son of Domingo

  • Dueñas

    Habitational name from Palencia, ladies

  • Durán

    Enduring, steadfast

E

  • Echegaray

    Basque, house on the height

  • Echeverría

    Basque, new house

  • Elizondo

    Basque, beside the church

  • Elorza

    Basque, place of hawthorn

  • Enríquez

    Son of Enrique

  • Escobar

    Place of broom shrubs

  • Escribano

    Scribe, notary, a clerk

  • Escudero

    Squire, shield bearer

  • Espada

    Sword, a swordsmith

  • Esparza

    Basque habitational name from Navarre

  • Espinosa

    Thorny place

  • Esteban

    From Stephen, crown

  • Estrada

    Paved road

  • Etxeberria

    Basque, new house, native spelling

F

  • Fabregat

    Catalan, forge or smithy

  • Falcón

    Falcon, a falconer

  • Farré

    Catalan, blacksmith or ironworker

  • Fernández

    Son of Fernando

  • Ferreiro

    Galician, blacksmith or ironworker

  • Ferrer

    Catalan for blacksmith

  • Figueras

    Catalan, fig trees

  • Figueroa

    Place of fig trees

  • Flores

    Flowers, possibly from Gothic Froila

  • Font

    Catalan, spring or fountain

  • Fraga

    Galician, rocky place or thicket

  • Franco

    Free, or a Frank

  • Freire

    Galician, friar or monk

  • Fuentes

    Springs, fountains

G

  • Galán

    Gallant, handsome, elegant man

  • Galindo

    From a Visigothic personal name

  • Gallardo

    Gallant, dashing

  • Gallego

    Person from Galicia

  • Gálvez

    Possibly son of Galve, or from the place Galve

  • Gamboa

    Basque, quince grove

  • Garay

    Basque, height or hilltop

  • García

    Possibly from Basque, young or bear

  • Garmendia

    Basque, mountain of ferns

  • Garrido

    Handsome, elegant

  • Garzón

    Boy, young servant

  • Gascón

    Person from Gascony

  • Gil

    From the given name Gil, Egidius

  • Giménez

    Son of Jimeno, variant spelling

  • Girón

    Habitational name, or a strip of cloth

  • Godoy

    Habitational name from Galicia

  • Goicoechea

    Basque, upper house

  • Gómez

    Son of Gome, from Gothic guma meaning man

  • González

    Son of Gonzalo

  • Grau

    Catalan, step, or from Gerald

  • Guerra

    War, a soldier

  • Guerrero

    Warrior, soldier

  • Guevara

    Basque habitational name from Álava

  • Guillén

    From Guillermo, William

  • Gutiérrez

    Son of Gutierre, from Gothic Walter

  • Guzmán

    Possibly from Gothic, good man

H

  • Heredia

    Basque habitational name, inherited land

  • Hernández

    Son of Hernando

  • Herrera

    Ironworks, blacksmith's forge

  • Herrero

    Blacksmith

  • Hidalgo

    Nobleman, son of something

  • Hinojosa

    Place of fennel

I

  • Ibáñez

    Son of Ibán, John

  • Ibarra

    Basque, valley or river meadow

  • Iglesias

    Dweller near the churches

  • Iniesta

    Habitational name from Cuenca

  • Irigoyen

    Basque, upper village

  • Izquierdo

    Left-handed

J

  • Jiménez

    Son of Jimeno, possibly from Simon

  • Juárez

    Son of Suero, variant of Suárez

  • Jurado

    Sworn official, juror

L

  • Lara

    Habitational name from Lara de los Infantes

  • León

    Lion, or from the city of León

  • López

    Son of Lope, wolf

  • Lorenzo

    From Latin Laurentius, man from Laurentum

  • Lozano

    Vigorous, lush, exuberant

  • Lucas

    From the given name Luke

  • Luna

    Moon, habitational name from Zaragoza

M

  • Macías

    Son of Matías

  • Manzano

    Apple tree, dweller by one

  • Marcos

    From the given name Mark, of Mars

  • Marín

    Of the sea, from Latin Marinus

  • Márquez

    Son of Marcos

  • Martín

    From the Roman name Martinus, of Mars

  • Martínez

    Son of Martín

  • Mata

    Thicket, scrubland, dweller nearby

  • Mateo

    From the given name Matthew

  • Medina

    From Arabic, the city

  • Méndez

    Son of Mendo, from Menendo

  • Mendoza

    Basque, cold mountain

  • Merino

    Royal official, or sheep breed

  • Mesa

    Table, a plateau

  • Millán

    From the given name Emilianus

  • Miranda

    Admirable, or a lookout place

  • Molina

    Dweller near a mill

  • Montero

    Huntsman, forester

  • Montes

    Mountains, hills, a highlander

  • Montoya

    Basque, hills and pastures

  • Mora

    Mulberry, or from a place named Mora

  • Morales

    Grove of mulberry trees

  • Moreno

    Dark-haired or dark-skinned

  • Moya

    Habitational name from Moya, Cuenca

  • Muñoz

    Son of Muño, from a Basque or Gothic name

  • Murillo

    Small wall, habitational name from Navarre

N

  • Nadal

    Catalan, born at Christmas

  • Navarro

    Person from Navarre

  • Nieto

    Grandson

  • Núñez

    Son of Nuño

O

  • Ojeda

    Habitational name from Burgos

  • Oliva

    Olive tree, olive grower

  • Orozco

    Basque habitational name from Biscay

  • Ortega

    Nettle patch, habitational name

  • Ortiz

    Son of Orti, from Fortún

  • Osorio

    Of uncertain origin, possibly from a medieval personal name

  • Otero

    Galician, hillock or knoll

P

  • Pacheco

    Possibly from a Latin personal name, Paciecus

  • Padilla

    Small frying pan, a hollow valley

  • Palacios

    Palaces, dweller near a palace

  • Palma

    Palm tree, or from the city of Palma

  • Pardo

    Brownish-grey, dusky

  • Parra

    Grapevine trellis

  • Pascual

    Born at Easter

  • Pastor

    Shepherd

  • Paz

    Peace, from Our Lady of Peace

  • Peña

    Dweller near a crag or rock

  • Pérez

    Son of Pedro

  • Pineda

    Pine grove, dweller by pines

  • Plaza

    Dweller by the town square

  • Polo

    From Pablo, or the Catalan name Pol

  • Ponce

    From the Roman name Pontius

  • Prieto

    Dark-complexioned

  • Pujol

    Catalan, small hill

Q

  • Quesada

    Habitational name from Jaén

  • Quintero

    Farmer paying a fifth of produce as rent

R

  • Ramírez

    Son of Ramiro

  • Ramos

    Branches, often for one born on Palm Sunday

  • Rangel

    Possibly from Rangel in Extremadura

  • Redondo

    Round, plump

  • Rey

    King, nickname or servant of the king

  • Reyes

    Kings, from the Feast of the Three Kings

  • Rico

    Rich, or a noble person

  • Ríos

    Rivers

  • Riquelme

    From Germanic Richelm, power + helmet

  • Rivas

    Riverbanks

  • Rivera

    Riverbank, shore

  • Robledo

    Oak grove, habitational name

  • Robles

    Oak trees, dweller by oaks

  • Rodríguez

    Son of Rodrigo

  • Roig

    Catalan, red-haired or ruddy

  • Rojas

    Red, habitational name

  • Román

    Roman, from the given name Román

  • Romero

    Pilgrim to Rome

  • Rosales

    Rose bushes, dweller by roses

  • Rubio

    Blond, fair-haired

  • Rueda

    Wheel, a wheelwright

  • Ruiz

    Son of Ruy, short for Rodrigo

S

  • Sáez

    Son of Sancho

  • Salas

    Halls, manor houses

  • Salgado

    Salty, a witty person, Galician

  • Salvador

    Savior, a devotional name

  • San Martín

    Habitational name from a place named for Saint Martin

  • Sánchez

    Son of Sancho

  • Sancho

    From a Latin name meaning holy

  • Sandoval

    Habitational name from Burgos, meaning grove

  • Santana

    Saint Anne, habitational name

  • Santiago

    Saint James

  • Santos

    Saints, from All Saints Day

  • Sanz

    Variant of Sancho, holy

  • Segura

    Safe, secure, habitational name

  • Serrano

    Dweller in the mountains, highlander

  • Sevilla

    From the city of Seville

  • Sierra

    Mountain range

  • Silva

    Woodland, forest

  • Simón

    From the given name Simon

  • Soler

    Catalan, dweller on a plot of land

  • Solís

    Habitational name from Asturias

  • Soriano

    Person from Soria

  • Soto

    Grove, thicket

  • Suárez

    Son of Suero, possibly swineherd

T

  • Tomás

    From the given name Thomas, twin

  • Torre

    Dweller by a tower

  • Torres

    Dweller near the towers

  • Tovar

    Habitational name from Burgos

  • Trejo

    Habitational name from Cáceres

U

  • Uribe

    Basque, lower part of the village

V

  • Valdez

    Variant of Valdés, habitational name

  • Valero

    From Valerius, strong

  • Valle

    Dweller in a valley

  • Vallejo

    Small valley, habitational name

  • Varela

    Galician habitational name, from a small valley

  • Vargas

    Steep hillside or thatched hut

  • Vázquez

    Son of Vasco

  • Vega

    Fertile lowland meadow

  • Velasco

    From Basque bela, crow

  • Velázquez

    Son of Velasco

  • Vera

    Riverbank or edge, habitational name

  • Vicente

    Conquering, from Latin Vincentius

  • Vidal

    Vital, full of life

  • Villar

    Hamlet, small village

  • Villarreal

    Royal town, habitational name

Z

  • Zapata

    Shoe, a shoemaker

  • Zavala

    Basque, wide or broad place

  • Zúñiga

    Basque habitational name from Navarre

Generate random spanish surnames

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  • Miranda

    Admirable, or a lookout place

  • Otero

    Galician, hillock or knoll

  • Carrasco

    Holm oak grove

  • Cruz

    Dweller near a cross

  • Miró

    Catalan, from a Germanic name

  • Caballero

    Knight, horseman

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    Common last names in Spain and the -ez pattern

    García is the most common surname in Spain, followed by Rodríguez, González, Fernández, López, Martínez, Sánchez, Pérez, Gómez and Martín. Apart from García and Martín, all of these are patronymics ending in -ez, a suffix meaning son of. Fernández is the son of Fernando, Gómez the son of Gome and Sánchez the son of Sancho. The pattern spread through the medieval kingdoms of Castile and León and later travelled to the Americas with Spanish settlers.

    Other large groups of names describe a place or landscape. Torres means towers, Navarro someone from Navarre, Castillo castle, Iglesias churches, Serrano a highlander and Molina a mill. Occupational names are less common than in English or German, but they exist: Herrero means smith, Zapatero shoemaker and Pastor shepherd. Nickname surnames include Rubio (fair-haired), Moreno (dark), Delgado (thin) and Calvo (bald), which make useful choices when you want a name with a visual hint.

    Catalan, Basque and Galician family names

    Spain's regional languages give many surnames a distinct look. Catalan names from Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands include Puig (hill), Ferrer (smith), Vidal (from a name meaning life), Serra (mountain range) and Roca (rock). Galician names often describe the green northwestern landscape, as in Carballo (oak), Souto (grove), Outeiro (hill) and Castro (hillfort). Many Galician families also carry Castilian names such as Fernández and Vázquez in large numbers.

    Basque surnames are among the most recognizable in Europe because most of them describe the site of a farmhouse. Etxeberria (also Echeverría) means new house, Goikoetxea upper house, Zubizarreta old bridge, Aguirre a prominent or open place and Mendoza cold mountain. Basque emigrants carried these long compound names to Latin America, which is why names like Echeverría and Iturbide appear in Chile, Argentina and Mexico.

    How Spanish last names are passed down

    Spanish people carry two surnames, traditionally the father's first surname followed by the mother's first surname. Pablo Ruiz Picasso took Ruiz from his father and Picasso from his mother, and chose to be known by the second. Women do not change their surnames at marriage. Since 2017 Spanish law no longer gives the father's surname automatic priority, and parents decide the order when they register a birth.

    Some families joined surnames with y, meaning and, to prevent confusion when one name was very common, as in José Ortega y Gasset. The particle de often marks a place of origin, as in De la Torre or Del Valle, and is not a sign of nobility on its own. When choosing a name for a character, think about region. A Barcelona family named Puig, a Bilbao family named Etxeberria and a Madrid family named García each suggest a different part of Spain.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are some common last names in Spain?

    García leads, followed by Rodríguez, González, Fernández, López, Martínez, Sánchez, Pérez, Gómez and Martín. Most are patronymics ending in -ez, meaning son of, so the rankings are dominated by the sons of medieval Rodrigos, Gonzalos and Fernandos.

    Why do Spanish last names come in pairs?

    Spanish naming records both family lines. A child receives one surname from each parent, usually the father's first surname and then the mother's first surname. Both appear on official documents, and neither changes at marriage, so a family's history stays visible in every generation.

    Are Basque names considered Spanish surnames?

    They are surnames used in Spain, but they come from the Basque language, which is unrelated to Spanish. Names like Etxeberria, Goikoetxea and Aguirre describe houses and landscape features. Many also have Castilian spellings, such as Echeverría for Etxeberria.

    What does the -ez ending mean?

    It is an old patronymic suffix meaning son of. It was added to a father's first name, so Rodrigo became Rodríguez, Martín became Martínez and Álvaro became Álvarez. Related endings appear in Díaz, the son of Diego, and Muñoz, the son of Munio.

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