110 Mexican Last Names or Surnames With Meanings
In this Article
Surnames are a kind of stamp that identifies where we come from. Our history and culture speak through our last names. Mexican family names follow a tradition where the first name is the father’s last name, and the surname is the mother’s last name. Some of the most common Mexican surnames are of Spanish origin, as Mexico is one of the most populous countries that speak Spanish. We decided to do the job for you and handpicked some of the popular, traditional, common, and uncommon Mexican last names for your perusal.
110 Common Mexican Last Names or Family Names
Typical Mexican last names are impressive and majestic. Along with their family names, they are also taken from places, occupations, or just descriptive surnames. Take a look at some of the most popular last names in Mexico to get a whiff of their history and tradition. Mexican surnames or last names are many, and this list will help you choose the right surname for your little bundle of joy. The list also gives you the meaning of the surname so that you select an apt one for you.
1. Abad
It comes from an Aramaic word that means “father”. It denotes the son of a priest.
2. Abalos
It is a name of Spanish origin, and it depicts desert dunes.
3. Aguilar
It is a habitational surname that originated in Castile, a Christian kingdom that belongs to medieval Spain. It can also be traced to the Latin word Aguilera, which means “haunt of eagles”.
4. Aguirre
This name has a Basque origin; it denotes an exposed prominent place.
5. Alfaro
It probably has an Arabic origin and means “the lighthouse”. It is also a name with geographical roots in the city of Alfaro in Spain.
6. Alvarez
Alvarez is a patronymic Spanish surname meaning “son of Alvaro”.
7. Ayala
A name of Basque origin, it means “hillside pasture”. It also has a toponymic connotation to the city of Aira in Spain.
8. Barrera
It denotes people who lived by fences. Its literal meaning is “barrier”. Apart from Spanish, it also has Portuguese and Italian roots.
9. Becerra
The meaning of this Spanish surname is “heifer”. The famous Spanish painter and sculptor Gasper Becerra donned this surname.
10. Belmonte
When translated to English, this name means “beautiful mountains”. It is also a name that denotes one of the numerous places in Spain, Italy, or Portugal.
11. Beltran
Beltran is a renowned Old Germanic name meaning “bright raven”.
12. Bernal
This name means “blessed”.
13. Borja
There is a Spanish town named Borja in Aragon. This name comes from there. It also has an Arabic origin and means “tower” (Burj).
14. Bravo
This means “courageous”. Few other meanings of this name are “wild” or “rough”. It has Spanish and Portuguese origins.
15. Bustos
It comes from a Latin word which means “oxen pasture”. It is also names of towns in Italy and Spain.
16. Campana
It is an occupational name. The origin of this name lies in the Latin word “campana” which means “bell”. In the Italian region, Campania bells were produced, and this surname was borne by people who were bell-ringers or bell-makers.
17. Cano
Cano is a popular surname taken from a nickname which means “white-haired”.
18. Cardozo
It has Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish origin. It means “thorny”.
19. Carrillo
This Spanish name means “cheek”. Maybe people who had unique cheeks were given this name.
20. Castro
This name means “a castle” or “a fortress”. It has originated from many places like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Jewish, and Galicia. It is a topographic name.
21. Cervantes
It seems to have come from old Spanish words which either means “a servant” or “stag”.
22. Chaves
The name denotes “someone who made keys for a living”.
23. Cisneros
This means “swan”. It is also a place in the province of Palencia.
24. De Jesus
This Spanish surname also has Brazilian and Portuguese origins. It means “of Jesus”.
25. De La Fuente
This name means “of the fountain”.
26. De Leon
This majestic surname means “of the lion”. It originated in the city of Leon, which was a Jewish city since the 10th century.
27. Del Bosque
This is a topographical surname denoting someone who lived by the woods. It also means “of the forest”.
28. Diaz
This name means “days” in Latin. It is supposed to have Jewish origins.
29. Dominguez
This is a patronymic last name for “son of Domingo”, or it derived from the Latin word Dominicus, meaning “belonging to the Lord”.
30. Enriquez
This name has patronymic connotation and means “son of Enrique”. It is a common surname in Ecuador, Mexico, and the Philippines.
31. Escamilla
This name means “scale”, and it has Castilian origins.
32. Escobar
Escobar means “broom” in Spanish. It could also be a geographical name for various cities like Escobar de Campos or Escobar de Polendos.
33. Esparza
It is a topographic name and comes from a town located in the Salazar valley, Espartza.
34. Espina
It means “thorn” or “prickle”, and it denotes people who live near a bush.
35. Espinoza
This means “thorny” in Spanish.
36. Felix
It has Spanish, German, English, and Portuguese origin, and it means “lucky”.
37. Fernandez
The name means “the son of Fernando”. It is derived from a German word that means a brave traveller.
38. Figueroa
Small towns in Galicia and Spain have this name. It means “fig tree”.
39. Flores
It comes from Latin flos, which means “flower”.
40. Franco
This name is derived from the word frank and refers to a tribe in Germany called Franks.
41. Galaz
It has a Gaelic heritage, and it means “foreign help”.
42. Galban
It is a habitational and noble surname. This was the name of towns and villages in Spain.
43. Gallardo
A name of Spanish origin, it means “joyous” or “cheerful”.
44. Gallego
This is a regional name and refers to someone from Galicia.
45. Garcia
This Hispanic surname means “son of Garcia”.
46. Garza
Garza is a habitational last name belonging to Basque and Galician roots. It means “dweller at the sign of the heron”.
47. Gonzales
This prestigious Spanish surname means “battle elf”.
48. Hernandez
It is a patronymic name meaning “son of Hernan”.
49. Herrera
It comes from Latin Ferraria. It denotes an iron mine.
50. Holguin
It has Spanish origin, and means “to rest” or “to enjoy”.
51. Ibanez
This means “son of Iban” in Spanish. It has Greek origins.
52. Ibarra
It is a Basque surname, which means “valley”.
53. Iglesias
It has Spanish, Greek, and Latin origins, and means “churches”.
54. Ignacio
It has Spanish, Etruscan, and Latin origin. It means “fire” or “born from the fire”.
55. Iniguez
It has come from Spain and means “son of Inigo”.
56. Jacinto
This means “hyacinth” in Portuguese and Spanish.
57. Jimenez
It is a patronymic name in Spain which means “son of Jimeno”.
58. Delgado
It has Spanish and Portuguese roots and means “slender” or “thin”.
59. Lara
It is a regional name and denotes people from Lara de Los infants in the Burgos province.
60. Leon
In Spanish, it means “lion”. It is also a toponymic name depicting people from the city of Leon.
61. Lobo
The name means “wolf”. It has Spanish and Portuguese origins.
62. Lopez
Lopez is a patronymic surname with Spanish roots, derived from the Latin word Lupus, which means “wolf”. Lope means means “son of Lope”.
63. Loyola
Loyola is the name of a place near the town of Azpeitia. In Basque, it means “mud”.
64. Lozano
This means “vibrant” or “good looking”.
65. Machado
It is an occupational name in Spain for someone who makes hatchets.
66. Maldonado
It used to be a nickname in Spain which means “ill given”.
67. Marco Rubio
This is a descriptive name, and it means “Marco, the blonde”.
68. Marquez
It means “son of Marcus” in Spanish.
69. Martinez
It is derived from the name Martin, and it means “son of Martin”.
70. Medina
It is derived from the Arabic word Medinah, which means “city”.
71. Mendez
A patronymic name which means “son of Mendo”.
72. Mendoza
In Basque, this name means “cold mountain”.
73. Montoya
This is a Basque surname which means “hills and valleys”.
74. Navarro
It is a geographical name for people from the Navarre city in Spain. In Basque, it means “brown”.
75. Ochoa
It has Basque origin and means “the wolf”.
76. Ortiz
It seems to have come from a Latin word meaning “brave”. It also means “son of Orti” in Spanish.
77. Osorio
It means “wolf hunter”, and has Spanish or Basque origin.
78. Palencia
This name is a habitational name for people coming from the Palencia, a city in northern Spain.
79. Palomo
It comes from the Latin word Palumbes, which means “a dove” or “pigeon”.
80. Pantoja
This denotes people from the town of Pantoja in Spain.
81. Parra
It means “Vine” in Spanish.
82. Perez
The name has Spanish origin, and it means “son of Pedro”.
83. Quinteiro
This name means “a yard” or “a farmstead” in Spanish.
84. Quiroz
It has Spanish origin and means “humble”.
85. Ramirez
Ramirez is a patronymic name, meaning “son of Ramiro”.
86. Ramos
It has Latin and Spanish origins, and it means either “branch” or denotes someone who lives in a thickly wooded area.
87. Rangel
This has a French origin and means “curved” and “ring”.
88. Reyes
The name has a Latin origin, and it means “royalty” or “king”.
89. Rios
It comes from the Spanish word Rio, which means “river”.
90. Rivas
In Latin, this name means “banks of a river”.
91. Rodriguez
This is a common Mexican surname which means “son of Rodrigo”.
92. Romero
It comes from a Spanish word that means “pilgrim to Rome”.
93. Rosas
This name has Spanish origin, and it means “rose”.
94. Salazar
The surname means “old hall”, and it has a Basque origin.
95. Salinas
This is an occupational name in Spain for people who are salt workers.
96. Sanchez
This is a patronymic name meaning “son of Sancho”.
97. Soto
Soto is a topographic Spanish last name used for someone “who dwelled near a grove or small wood”.
98. Tellez
It either means “son of Tello” or “earth” in Spanish.
99. Torres
Torres is an ancient and common Spanish last name referring to “someone who lived near or in a tower”.
100. Trujillo
It depicts someone from Trujillo in Spain.
101 Valdez
It is a common patronymic name meaning “son of Baldo”. In German, it means “brave”.
102. Valencia
This is a toponymical name for people from Valencia. It is a feminine form of the word valour, which means “courage”.
103. Vargas
Vargas is a town in the Santander province in Spain. The name denotes people from that place. Varga also means a steep slope.
104. Vasquez
The name means “son of Vasco”. It comes from the Latin word “Velascus”.
105. Vazquez
Vazquez is a Spanish surname of Basque origin. You may find Vazquez families in Spain’s Castile region.
106. Vega
In Spanish, the name means “a meadow”. It has a Basque origin.
107. Vera
This is the name of a village near Almeria in Spain. It might have come from the Latin word abora, which means “border”.
108. Zarate
The name refers to people who live near the opening of a forest.
109. Zavala
It denotes people coming from Biscay. In Basque, it means “wide”.
110. Zuniga
This is the name of a place in Navarre province. In Basque, the word zuin means “cultivated land”.
Mexican last names were heavily influenced by their rich history and ancient civilisations like Mayans and Olmecs. They have a touch of the indigenous population and Spanish colonisers. A typical Mexican last name can be cool when you chose the right one. We hope you found this list of popular Mexican names interesting and informative.
