Hispanic Surnames, Meanings, and Origins

Does your last name fall into this list of the 100 most common Hispanic surnames? For additional Spanish surname meanings and origins, see Spanish Surname Meanings, 1–50. Continue reading below this list of common Hispanic surnames to learn about Hispanic naming customs, including why most Hispanics have two last names and what those names represent. 51. MALDONADO 76. DURAN 52. ESTRADA 77. CARRILLO 53. COLON 78. JUAREZ 54. GUERRERO 79. MIRANDA 55. SANDOVAL 80. SALINAS 56. ALVARADO 81. DELEON 57. PADILLA 82. ROBLES 58. NUNEZ 83. VELEZ 59. FIGUEROA 84. CAMPOS 60. ACOSTA 85. GUERRA 61. MARQUEZ 86. AVILA 62. VAZQUEZ 87. VILLARREAL 63. DOMINGUEZ 88. RIVAS 64. CORTEZ 89. SERRANO 65. AYALA 90. SOLIS 66. LUNA 91. OCHOA 67. MOLINA 92. PACHECO 68. ESPINOZA 93. MEJIA 69. TRUJILLO 94. LARA 70. MONTOYA 95. LEON 71. CONTRERAS 96. VELASQUEZ 72. TREVINO 97. FUENTES 73. GALLEGOS 98. CAMACHO 74. ROJAS 99. CERVANTES 75. NAVARRO 100. SALAS Hispanic Surnames: Why Two Last Names? The Hispanic double surname system traces back to the nobility class of Castile in the 16th century. The first surname generally comes from the father and is the primary family name, while the second (or last) surname comes from the mother. A man named Gabriel Garcà ­a Marquez, for example, indicates a fathers first surname of Garcà ­a and the mothers first surname, Marquez. Father: Pedro  Garcà ­a  Pà ©rezMother: Madeline Marquez  Rodrà ­guezSon: Gabriel  Garcà ­a Marquez Portuguese names, including surnames from Brazil where Portuguese is the predominant language, often follow a different pattern than other Spanish speaking countries, with the mothers surname coming first, followed by the fathers name, or primary family name. How Does Marriage Affect the Surname? In most Hispanic cultures women generally keep their fathers surname (maiden name) throughout their life. At marriage, many choose to add their husbands surname in place of their mothers surname, sometimes with a  de  between their fathers and husbands surnames. Thus, a wife will generally have a different double surname than her husband. Some women also choose to use all three surnames. Because of this, children will have a different double surname than either of their parents, as their name is made up of (as discussed previously) their fathers first surname (the one from his father) and their mothers first surname (the one from her father). Wife: Madeline  Marquez  Rodrà ­guez   (Marquez is her fathers first surname,  Rodrà ­guez her mothers)Husband:  Pedro  Garcà ­a  Pà ©rez  Name After Marriage:  Madeline  Marquez  Pà ©rez or  Madeline  Marquez de Pà ©rez Expect Variants—Especially As You Go Back in Time During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Hispanic naming patterns were less consistent. It wasnt unusual, for example, for male children to be given the surname of their father, while females took the surname of their mothers. The double surname system which originated among the Castilian upper classes during the sixteenth century  did not come into common use throughout Spain until the nineteenth century. Thus double surnames in use prior to 1800 may reflect something other than the paternal and maternal surnames, such as a way to distinguish one family with a common surname from others of the same surname. Surnames might also have been chosen from a prominent family or even from grandparents.