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Venezuelan Last Names

These Venezuelan last names range from Spanish colonial families and Basque and Canarian settlers to Italian, Portuguese and Lebanese newcomers of the twentieth century, each shown with its origin and meaning.

178 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Abreu

    Portuguese place-name surname; meaning uncertain

    Portuguese

  • Acosta

    Coast or hillside

    Spanish

  • Afonso

    Canarian and Portuguese form of Alfonso

    Spanish

  • Alcalá

    From Arabic al-qal'a, the castle

    Spanish

  • Álvarez

    Son of Álvaro; Germanic for elf warrior

    Spanish

  • D'Amico

    Son of Amico; friend

    Italian

  • Andrade

    Galician place-name surname

    Spanish

  • Añez

    Variant of Yáñez; son of Juan

    Spanish

  • Aponte

    Galician place-name surname

    Spanish

  • Armas

    Arms or weapons; a Canarian surname

    Spanish

  • Arocha

    Canarian surname of uncertain origin

    Spanish

  • Arteaga

    Basque for place of holm oaks

    Spanish

  • Atencio

    Zulian surname of uncertain Spanish origin

    Spanish

  • Ávila

    From the Spanish city of Ávila

    Spanish

B

  • Barrientos

    From a place in León

    Spanish

  • Barrios

    Neighborhoods; from a place name

    Spanish

  • Bastidas

    Fortifications; from a fortified place

    Spanish

  • Bello

    Handsome or beautiful

    Spanish

  • Betancourt

    From Norman Béthencourt; conquerors of the Canary Islands

    Spanish

  • Bethencourt

    Original Norman spelling; Canarian founding family

    French

  • Bianchi

    White or fair-haired

    Italian

  • Blanco

    White; fair-haired or pale

    Spanish

  • Blohm

    Low German surname; possibly flower

    German

  • Bohórquez

    From a Spanish place name; meaning uncertain

    Spanish

  • Bolívar

    Basque for mill meadow

    Spanish

  • Bracho

    Venezuelan surname, possibly Asturian; meaning uncertain

    Spanish

  • Briceño

    From a Spanish place name; meaning uncertain

    Spanish

  • Brito

    Briton; or from Brito, a Portuguese place

    Spanish

C

  • Cabello

    Hair; nickname for someone with notable hair

    Spanish

  • Cabrera

    Place of goats

    Spanish

  • Camacho

    Spanish and Madeiran surname; meaning uncertain

    Portuguese

  • Capriles

    Sephardic family from Curaçao; possibly from Caprile, Italy

    Jewish

  • Carrasquero

    Place of holm oaks

    Spanish

  • Carrero

    Carter; or one by the road

    Spanish

  • Carrillo

    Cheek; or small cart

    Spanish

  • Caruso

    Close-cropped hair; young boy

    Italian

  • Castillo

    Castle; one who lived near a castle

    Spanish

  • Castro

    Hillfort; from Latin castrum

    Spanish

  • Cavallaro

    Horseman or horse keeper

    Italian

  • Chacón

    Old Spanish surname; meaning uncertain

    Spanish

  • Chirinos

    Possibly from a Spanish place name; common in Falcón

    Spanish

  • Colella

    Diminutive of Nicola

    Italian

  • Colmenares

    Beehives; one who kept bees

    Spanish

  • Contreras

    Surrounding district; from a place name

    Spanish

  • Coppola

    Cap or hat; a hatmaker

    Italian

  • Correia

    Leather strap; a belt maker

    Portuguese

  • Curiel

    Sephardic; from Curiel, a town in Spain

    Jewish

D

  • Delgado

    Thin or slender

    Spanish

  • Déniz

    Canarian surname, possibly from Dionisio

    Spanish

  • Díaz

    Son of Diego

    Spanish

  • Duarte

    Portuguese form of Edward; rich guardian

    Spanish

E

  • Echeverría

    Basque for new house

    Spanish

  • Espinoza

    Thorny place; from espino, hawthorn

    Spanish

  • Esposito

    Exposed; a name given to foundlings

    Italian

F

  • Febles

    Canarian surname; possibly from Catalan feble, weak

    Spanish

  • Fermín

    From the saint's name Fermín; firm

    Spanish

  • Fernandes

    Portuguese: son of Fernando

    Portuguese

  • Fernández

    Son of Fernando; bold journey

    Spanish

  • Ferrari

    Blacksmith, from Italian ferro, iron

    Italian

  • Figueira

    Fig tree; from a place name

    Portuguese

  • Figueroa

    Galician for fig tree grove

    Spanish

  • Flores

    Flowers; possibly son of Froila

    Spanish

  • De Freitas

    Of the broken stones; Portuguese place name

    Portuguese

  • Fuenmayor

    Great spring; from a town in La Rioja

    Spanish

G

  • Gallo

    Rooster; a nickname for a proud man

    Italian

  • García

    Possibly from Basque for young or bear

    Spanish

  • Di Giacomo

    Son of Giacomo, James

    Italian

  • Gil

    From Egidio; young goat

    Spanish

  • Gómez

    Son of Gome; Germanic for man

    Spanish

  • Gonçalves

    Portuguese: son of Gonçalo

    Portuguese

  • González

    Son of Gonzalo; Germanic for battle

    Spanish

  • Gouveia

    From Gouveia, a Portuguese town

    Portuguese

  • Graterol

    Venezuelan surname of uncertain origin

    Spanish

  • Grimaldi

    Germanic for helmet ruler

    Italian

  • Guevara

    From a Basque place in Álava

    Spanish

  • Gutiérrez

    Son of Gutierre; Germanic for army ruler

    Spanish

H

  • Haddad

    Arabic for blacksmith

    Arabic

  • Hernández

    Son of Hernando; Germanic for bold journey

    Spanish

  • Herrera

    Forge or ironworks; place of iron

    Spanish

  • Hidalgo

    Nobleman; son of someone

    Spanish

  • Hurtado

    Stolen; possibly a nickname for a kidnapped child

    Spanish

I

  • Istúriz

    Basque place-name surname

    Spanish

J

  • Jardim

    Garden; a gardener's name

    Portuguese

  • Jiménez

    Son of Jimeno; possibly a form of Simeon

    Spanish

L

  • Lara

    From Lara de los Infantes in Burgos

    Spanish

  • Leal

    Loyal; a nickname for a faithful person

    Spanish

  • Linares

    Flax fields; from a place name

    Spanish

  • Lombardi

    From the Lombardy region

    Italian

  • López

    Son of Lope; wolf

    Spanish

  • De Luca

    Son of Luca

    Italian

  • Lugo

    From the Galician city of Lugo

    Spanish

M

  • Maduro

    Ripe or mature; a Sephardic Curaçao family

    Jewish

  • Mancini

    Left-handed, from Italian mancino

    Italian

  • Marcano

    Possibly from Marcos or a Spanish place name

    Spanish

  • Marino

    Of the sea

    Italian

  • Márquez

    Son of Marcos

    Spanish

  • Martínez

    Son of Martín; dedicated to Mars

    Spanish

  • Di Martino

    Son of Martino

    Italian

  • Mata

    Thicket or grove

    Spanish

  • Medina

    From Arabic madina, town

    Spanish

  • Meléndez

    Son of Melendo

    Spanish

  • Mendes

    Portuguese: son of Mendo

    Portuguese

  • Mendoza

    Basque for cold mountain

    Spanish

  • Monsalve

    Safe mountain; from a Cantabrian place

    Spanish

  • Montiel

    From Montiel, a town in La Mancha

    Spanish

  • Montilla

    Little hill; from Montilla in Córdoba

    Spanish

  • Mora

    Mulberry or blackberry; from a place name

    Spanish

  • Morales

    Mulberry trees; from a place with mulberries

    Spanish

  • Moreno

    Dark-haired or dark-skinned

    Spanish

  • Mujica

    Basque; from Múgica, a place in Biscay

    Spanish

N

  • Napolitano

    From the city of Naples

    Italian

  • Nieves

    Snows; from Our Lady of the Snows

    Spanish

  • Nóbrega

    From Nóbrega, a place in northern Portugal

    Portuguese

O

  • Ochoa

    Basque for wolf

    Spanish

  • Ornelas

    Madeiran surname; possibly from ornel, ash tree

    Portuguese

  • Ortega

    Nettle patch; from a place name

    Spanish

P

  • Pacheco

    Old Spanish nickname; meaning uncertain

    Spanish

  • Padrón

    Register or census; a Canarian surname

    Spanish

  • Páez

    Son of Pay or Pelayo

    Spanish

  • Parra

    Grapevine trellis; one who kept vines

    Spanish

  • Pellegrino

    Pilgrim; one who went on pilgrimage

    Italian

  • Peña

    Rock or crag

    Spanish

  • Perdomo

    Canarian surname, possibly of Norman origin

    Spanish

  • Pérez

    Son of Pedro; rock

    Spanish

  • Pestana

    Eyelash; a Madeiran surname

    Portuguese

  • Petit

    French for small

    French

  • Pineda

    Pine grove; from a place name

    Spanish

Q

  • Quintero

    Tenant farmer who paid a fifth

    Spanish

R

  • Ramírez

    Son of Ramiro; famed counsel

    Spanish

  • Ramos

    Branches; from Palm Sunday

    Spanish

  • Rangel

    Possibly from a Portuguese place name; meaning uncertain

    Spanish

  • Ricci

    Curly-haired, from Italian riccio

    Italian

  • Rivas

    Riverbanks; one who lived by a river

    Spanish

  • Rivero

    One who lived by a stream

    Spanish

  • Rodrigues

    Portuguese: son of Rodrigo

    Portuguese

  • Rodríguez

    Son of Rodrigo; famous ruler

    Spanish

  • Rojas

    Red; from a place with red earth

    Spanish

  • Romano

    From the city of Rome

    Italian

  • Romero

    Pilgrim to Rome; also rosemary

    Spanish

  • Rondón

    Night patrol; or from a place name

    Spanish

  • Rosales

    Rose gardens; from a place name

    Spanish

  • Rossi

    Red-haired, from Italian rosso

    Italian

  • Russo

    Red-haired; southern Italian form

    Italian

S

  • Saab

    Arabic for difficult or strong

    Arabic

  • Salas

    Halls; from a manor house

    Spanish

  • Salazar

    Basque place name; old manor house

    Spanish

  • Salcedo

    Willow grove; from a place name

    Spanish

  • Sánchez

    Son of Sancho; holy

    Spanish

  • Senior

    Sephardic; elder or lord

    Jewish

  • Sifontes

    Venezuelan variant of Cifuentes; hundred springs

    Spanish

  • Silva

    Forest or woodland; from Latin silva

    Spanish

  • Da Silva

    Of the woods

    Portuguese

  • Sosa

    From Sousa, a place in Portugal

    Spanish

  • Sousa

    From the Sousa river in Portugal

    Portuguese

  • Suárez

    Son of Suero; possibly from Latin for swineherd

    Spanish

  • Sucre

    Of Flemish origin; possibly French sucre, sugar

    Spanish

T

  • Teixeira

    Place of yew trees

    Portuguese

  • Tirado

    Pulled or thrown; an old nickname

    Spanish

  • Toro

    Bull; a nickname for a strong man

    Spanish

  • Torres

    Towers; from a place with towers

    Spanish

  • Tovar

    From Tovar, a village in Burgos

    Spanish

  • Trujillo

    From Trujillo, a town in Extremadura

    Spanish

U

  • Umpiérrez

    Canarian surname, possibly of Norman origin

    Spanish

  • Urbina

    Basque for place of two waters

    Spanish

  • Urdaneta

    Basque place name in Gipuzkoa

    Spanish

  • Uzcátegui

    Basque place-name surname

    Spanish

V

  • Valera

    From Valera, a town in Cuenca

    Spanish

  • Vargas

    Sloping meadows; from a Cantabrian place name

    Spanish

  • Vieira

    Scallop shell; a pilgrim's badge

    Portuguese

  • Villalobos

    Town of wolves

    Spanish

  • Villegas

    From a place in Burgos

    Spanish

  • Viloria

    From a Spanish place name

    Spanish

  • Vitale

    Full of life

    Italian

  • Vollmer

    From German Volkmar, famous people

    German

Y

  • Yépez

    From Yepes, a town near Toledo

    Spanish

Z

  • Zambrano

    Possibly from a Spanish place name

    Spanish

  • Zapata

    Shoe or boot; a shoemaker

    Spanish

  • Zuloaga

    Basque for place of holes or pits

    Spanish

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Results (6)

  • Petit

    French for small

    French

  • Maduro

    Ripe or mature; a Sephardic Curaçao family

    Jewish

  • Ricci

    Curly-haired, from Italian riccio

    Italian

  • Sánchez

    Son of Sancho; holy

    Spanish

  • Lombardi

    From the Lombardy region

    Italian

  • Pineda

    Pine grove; from a place name

    Spanish

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    Spanish, Basque and Canarian roots

    Most Venezuelans carry Spanish surnames, and many are patronymics formed with the ending ez, meaning son of. González comes from Gonzalo, Rodríguez from Rodrigo, Pérez from Pedro and Hernández from Hernando. The Canary Islands sent settlers to Venezuela for centuries, and names such as Perdomo and Betancourt are closely linked to the islands. Betancourt comes from Jean de Béthencourt, the Norman noble who led the early conquest of the Canaries.

    Basques also played a large part. In the eighteenth century the Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas, a trading company from the Basque Country, controlled much of the colony's cacao trade and brought Basque staff and settlers with it. Bolívar comes from the village of Bolibar in Biscay, and names such as Urdaneta, Echeverría, Aristeguieta and Larrazábal share the same roots. Many of these families became part of the colonial elite in Caracas.

    Newer Venezuelan last names from immigration

    After the Second World War, oil wealth drew large numbers of immigrants to Venezuela. Italians settled in Caracas, Valencia and Maracay, which is why names like Rossi, Russo and Esposito are familiar there. Portuguese newcomers, many from Madeira, often ran bakeries and grocery shops, bringing names such as Fernandes, Gonçalves and Rodrigues with their Portuguese spelling. Spaniards from Galicia and the Canaries continued to arrive as well.

    Other communities add to the mix. Lebanese and Syrian families brought Arabic names, and German settlers founded Colonia Tovar in the hills near Caracas in 1843, where names from the Kaiserstuhl region in Baden are still found. Because Venezuelans use two surnames, a person may combine these layers, for example an Italian father's name followed by a Spanish mother's name, which the list lets you explore one name at a time.

    Using Venezuelan last names well

    Remember the double surname. A full Venezuelan name normally includes the father's first surname followed by the mother's first surname, as in Luis Eduardo Rondón Pérez, although in daily life many people use only the first. Simón Bolívar's full name ended Bolívar y Palacios, with Palacios from his mother. When you pair names from the list, choose two surnames and decide which one the character goes by.

    Compound first names such as María Alejandra, José Gregorio or Luis Eduardo are common and sound natural with most surnames here. Writers, telenovela fans, game designers and genealogists can use the search box to find a known name, the letter bar to browse, and the small generator below the list to pull several names at once. Check the origin shown with each name if you want a character with Italian, Portuguese or Basque ancestry.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why do Venezuelan last names come in pairs?

    Venezuela follows the Spanish naming custom. Each person has two surnames, the father's first surname followed by the mother's first surname. Only the first usually passes to the next generation. People often use just the first surname day to day, but both appear on official documents.

    Is Bolívar a Basque name?

    Yes. Bolívar comes from Bolibar, a small village in the Basque province of Biscay. The Bolívar family arrived in Venezuela in the sixteenth century, and Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas in 1783. The name is often explained as meaning mill meadow in Basque.

    Why do some Venezuelans have Italian or Portuguese names?

    In the decades after the Second World War, Venezuela's oil economy attracted many Italian, Portuguese and Spanish immigrants. Portuguese families, especially from Madeira, and Italians from southern Italy settled in the cities, and their surnames became part of everyday Venezuelan life.

    What does González mean?

    González means son of Gonzalo. Gonzalo is an old name of Visigothic origin, and the ending ez marks a patronymic in Spanish. Pérez, Rodríguez, Martínez and Hernández follow the same pattern and are also widespread in Venezuela.

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