Popular Mexican Last Names
These popular Mexican surnames have been used across time and have a very rich history. Some of these popular surnames were used by Kings or were used to describe strong and powerful families.
1. Aguilar (Spanish origin) means "eagles’ lair". Famous last name bearer: French footballer Ruben Aguilar.
2. Aguirre (Spanish origin) meaning "prominent".
3. Alvarez (Spanish origin) meaning "son of Alvaro". Famous last name bearer: Spanish-American doctor and researcher Luis Fernández Álvarez.
4. Arellano (Latin origin) means "farm or the estate of Aurelius".
5. Bernal (Hebrew origin) means "blessed".
6. Barrera (Spanish origin) meaning "barrier". Famous last name bearer: Mexican professional boxer Marco Antonio Barrera.
7. Becerra (Spanish origin) means "young cow".
8. Beltran (Germanic origin) means "raven". Famous last name bearer: Spanish footballer Fran Beltrán.
9. Bravo (Spanish origin) meaning "rough, wild, and courageous". Famous last name bearer: Chilean footballer Claudio Bravo. You cam also use this name as a nickname.
10. Cano (Latin origin) means "white or gray haired".
11. Cardenas (Spanish origin) means "purplish-blue".
12. Castaneda (Spanish origin) means "chestnut".
13. Castellanos (Latin origin) means "castle". Famous last name bearer: American professional baseball player Nicholas Castellanos.
14. Castro (Spanish origin) meaning "castle". It's among the most popular surnames in Mexico.
15. Carrillo (Spanish origin) means "cheek".
16. Cervantes (Latin origin) means "to serve". Famous last name bearer: Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.
17. Cisneros (Spanish origin) means "swan". The name originated from Cisneros in Palencia, a province of Spain.
18. Contreras (Spanish origin) meaning "surrounding region".
19. Cortes (Spanish origin) means "polite" or "gracious". It is also the name of an island off Canada. Famous last name bearer: Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.
20. Cuevas (Spanish origin) means "caves". This name is a native surname of the provinces of Malaga and Burgos of Spain.
21. de Leon (Spanish origin) means "Lion".
22. Dominguez (Spanish origin) means "of the Lord". Famous last name bearer: Cuban chess player Leinier Domínguez.
23. Enriquez (Spanish origin) meaning "son of Enrique".
24. Espinoza (Spanish origin) means "thorny". Famous last name bearer: Mexican musician Espinoza Paz.
25. Figueroa (Spanish origin) means "fig tree". This name is commonly found in various provinces of the Galicia region of Spain
26. Franco (Spanish origin) means "frank or free". Famous name bearers: Brothers and actors James and Dave Franco. This is another of the most popular Mexican surnames.
27. Gallardo (Spanish origin) means "strong" or "brave".
28. Gallego (Spanish origin) meaning "someone from the Galicia region of Spain".
29. Garza (Spanish origin) means "heron".
30. Guerrero (Spanish origin) means "warrior". Famous last name bearer: Peruvian footballer Paolo Guerrero.
31. Guzman (Spanish origin) means "belonged to the village of Guzman".
32. Hernandez (Spanish origin) meaning "son of Hernando". It is one of the most common Mexican surnames today.
33. Herrera (Spanish origin) means "blacksmith". The surname is very common in the provinces of Seville and Badajoz of Spain.
34. Ibarra (Spanish origin) means "meadow or a valley".
35. Jimenez (Spanish origin) means "son of Jimeno".
36. Lara (Spanish origin) meaning "someone from a place called Lara de los".
37. Leon (Spanish origin) means "lion".
38. Lopez (Spanish origin) means "son of Lope". It comes from a Latin word ‘lupus’ that means "wolf". Famous last name bearers: Jennifer Lopez, American actress; Spanish tennis player Feliciano López, and actor Mario Lopez.
39. Lozano (Spanish origin) means "lush".
40. Lugo (Spanish origin) means "city of Lugo".
41. Luna (Spanish origin) means "moon".
42. Macias (Spanish origin) meaning "gift of God".
43. Maldonado (Spanish origin) means "ill-favored". Famous last name bearer: Pastor Guillermo Maldonado.
44. Marin (Latin origin) means "of the sea".
45. Marquez (Latin origin) means "son of Marcos". In Greek mythology, this name also means "God of Mars".
46. Mata (Spanish origin) means "bush" or "shrubs".
47. Medina (Arabic origin) means "many places".
48. Mendez (Old German origin) meaning "complete sacrifice". Famous last name bearer: American reporter Tony Mendez.
49. Miranda (Latin origin) means "lovely", "wondrous" or "admirable".
50. Molina (Spanish origin) means "mill".
51. Montiel (Spanish origin) means "hill or a mountain".
52. Montoya (Spanish origin) means "mountain".
53. Mora (Spanish origin) means "blackberry and mulberry".
54. Moreno (Spanish origin) meaning "dark in color". It is also a city in California, Moreno Valley. It was a common nickname among the Moorish invaders of Spain.
55. Munoz (Spanish origin) means "son of Muno".
56. Murillo (Spanish origin) means "wall".
57. Navarro (Spanish origin) meaning "a valley or plain of people". Famous last name bearer: Honduran First Lady Aguas Santas Ocaña Navarro.
58. Ochoa (Spanish origin) means "wolf".
59. Olivares (Spanish origin) meaning "olive grove".
60. Orozco (Spanish origin) means "Orozco is a place in Spain".
61. Osorio (Spanish origin) means "wolf".
62. Pacheco (Spanish origin) means "short, small and little".
63. Palacios (Spanish origin) means "palace".
64. Parra (Spanish origin) means "lived around plants".
65. Peralta (Latin origin) means "high rock". A common surname in the Peralta provinces of Spain.
66. Pineda (Spanish origin) means "pine forest".
67. Quintero (Spanish origin) means "Galicia region". This surname is very commonly found in Galicia region of Spain.
68. Ramirez (German origin) means "son of Ramiro". Famous last name bearer: American-Mexican actor Sara Ramirez, who portrayed the role of Dr. Callie Torres on TV show 'Grey's Anatomy'.
69. Ramos (Latin origin) means "branch". Famous last name bearer: Spanish footballer Sergio Ramos.
70. Rangel (Latin origin) means "curved or bent or slender".
71. Resendiz (Germanic origin) means "path or way".
72. Rios (Spanish origin) means "river". Famous last name bearer: Brazilian actress Mariana Rios.
73. Robles (Spanish origin) means "oak tree".
74. Rocha (Spanish origin) means "rock". This surname is used to identify someone who lived near a cliff.
75. Rodriguez (Latin and Spanish origin) means "son of". Famous last name bearer: Actress Gina Rodriguez. It is one of the most common last names in Spanish.
76. Rosales (Spanish origin) means "rose bushes". These Spanish last names are very common in the O Rosal and El Rosal provinces of Galicia region of Spain.
77. Rosas (Spanish origin) means "rose". One of the most common Spanish last names used in Mexico and Spanish-speaking countries.
78. Ruiz (Spanish origin) means "son of Ruy".
79. Salgado (Spanish origin) means "salty".
80. Salinas (Spanish origin) means "saline". It is also a city in California.