People began adopting Spanish surnames in the Middle Ages to identify themselves from other races.
Some Spanish surnames have Germanic roots imported by the Visigoths during the fifth and seventh centuries while others have Latin or Roman origins. In traditional Spanish culture, a person inherits a surname of his or her ancestors.
In practice, they usually use two surnames, one inherited from their parents and other from grandparents, altering them depending on the occasion. These surnames often sound complex and are uncommon in the Hispanic world. Due to immigration and colonization, around 20% of the world's population has Spanish surnames.
Popular Spanish surnames can be descriptive, patronymic, matronymic, occupational, decorative, or allude to a certain career or domicile, and they form a part of a person's family identity. This exhaustive collection of Spanish surnames and last name meanings are as intriguing as the nation itself and should assist you in tracking your own family history.
Most Common Last Names in Spain
Nowadays, Spanish names are used worldwide. Given below are some of the most common Spanish last names. Check them out.
Abarca (Spanish origin), meaning 'maker of leather shoes', is an occupational surname.
Abaroa (Spanish origin), meaning 'refuge', is derived from the word Abaro.
Abel (Spanish origin), meaning 'breath', is derived from the Hebrew name Hevel.
Agua (Spanish origin), meaning 'water', is a surname that refers to 'someone who lives or works near the waterbody'.
Alamilla (Spanish origin), meaning 'a poplar tree' or 'aspen tree', is derived from the word Alamillo.
Alcaraz (Spanish origin), meaning 'the cherry', refers to the name of a place in Spain.
Aldana (Spanish origin), meaning 'a slope', is derived from the name of a Basque town, Aldats.
Balcazar (Spanish origin), meaning 'Bel Protect the king', was the name of a king back in the Babylonian Empire.
Banderas (Spanish origin), meaning 'a flag' or a 'banner', is an occupational surname that refers to 'those who worked as flag-bearers'.
Barbero (Spanish origin), meaning 'beard', is an occupational surname and refers to barber-surgeon in Spanish.
Bardales (Spanish origin), meaning 'a place covered with thorns', is a toponymic surname.
Baro (Spanish origin), meaning 'a warrior', has Germanic roots.
Basurto (Spanish origin) may refer to a place in the Basque country.
Bello (Spanish origin), meaning 'handsome' or 'attractive', is derived from Latin Bellus.
Cabello (Spanish origin), meaning 'a knight' or 'a person with a luxuriant growth of hair', is derived from the Latin word Capillus.
Cabrera (Spanish origin), meaning 'a place of goats', is derived from a Latin word and is a habitational surname.
Campana (Spanish origin) means 'a bell-ringer' or 'bell-maker'. This metonymic occupational surname denotes that bells were first made in Campania.
Candella (Spanish origin) means 'candle' or 'candlemaker'. Chandler is a metonymic occupational surname originating from a Spanish term.
Clemente (Spanish origin), meaning 'merciful' or 'gentle', is derived from the Latin name Clemens.
Colon (Spanish origin), meaning 'dove keepers', is a variant of the Italian word Colomba.
Popular Last Names In Spain
Here are some of the extremely popular last names in Spain which you must check out: -
Dali (Spanish origin), meaning 'noble', is a great surname.
De Jesus (Spanish origin), meaning 'of Jesus'. The name of the father is the source of this patronymic surname.
Del Campo (Spanish origin) refers to 'someone from the del or field'.
Diego (Spanish origin), meaning 'teaching', is derived from the Latin word Didacus.
Domingo (Spanish origin), meaning 'of the lord', is derived from the Latin name Dominicus.
Duran (Spanish origin), meaning 'hard' and 'steadfast', is derived from Latin Durus.
Echeverria (Spanish origin) is derived from the name of a place called Etxeberria (located in the Basque country of Spain). Echeverria is a toponymic last name.
Elizondo (Spanish origin) is derived from the Basque word Eleiza. Elizondo refers to 'people who live near or under a church'.
Enrique (Spanish origin) means 'home ruler'. This distinguished surname is derived from a German name Heimrich.
Escarra (Spanish origin), meaning 'left-handed', is derived from Esquerra.
Escobar (Spanish origin), meaning 'broom', refers to 'someone who lived in a place where brooms grow'.
Esperanza (Spanish origin), meaning 'to hope', is a popular surname.
Esteban (Spanish origin), meaning 'crown', is derived from the Greek word Stephanos and Latin word Stephanus.
Estrada (Spanish origin), meaning 'street' or 'road', is a toponymic surname.
Fernández (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Fernando', is one of the popular Spanish last names. The meaning 'son of Fernando' is quite popular with Spanish people.
Gabaldon (Spanish origin) refers to Gabaldon located in the Cuenca province of Spain.
Gallo (Spanish origin), meaning 'rooster', is a popular surname in Spain.
Gasper (Spanish origin), meaning 'treasurer', is a variant of Jasper.
Gomez (Spanish origin), meaning 'man', is derived from a Portuguese word Goma. Gomez is composed of old Spanish elements and patronymic ending '–ez' signifying 'son of'.
González (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Gonzalo', is one of the popular surnames in Spain. The meaning 'son of Gonzalo' is extremely interesting.
Guerra (Spanish origin), meaning 'a quarrelsome person', is a very popular surname in Spain.
Hernández (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Hernando', is one of the common surnames in Spanish. The meaning 'son of Hernando' is extremely popular.
Huerta (Spanish origin), meaning 'garden' or 'orchard', was adopted mostly by people who lived near a garden.
Spain Common Women Last Names
Spanish surnames, like the culture from which they are derived, have a strong global presence. As with British surnames, colonization and immigration have spread Spanish surnames throughout the world, from Europe to Asia to South America. Whether the surname is occupational, hereditary, or distinctive, it ties persons who bear it to their Hispanic heritage.
Iglesias (Spanish origin), meaning 'dweller near a church', is a variant of Iglesia, Iglesias, Yglesias. Iglesias means 'churches' in Spanish.
Ignacio (Spanish origin), meaning 'born from the fire', is a very popular name.
Imperial (Spanish origin) means 'royalty'. Imperial was first used in the 16th century and spread from Genoa to Spain.
Jaramillo (Spanish origin) refers to a place in the Burgos province of Spain.
Juaquin (Spanish origin), meaning 'lifted by god', is a famous Spanish last name.
Juarez (Spanish origin), meaning 'an army', is derived from the Latin word Sueris.
Lago (Spanish origin), meaning 'lake', refers to 'someone living by the lake'.
Leo (Spanish origin), meaning 'lion-like', is a famous name in Spain.
Lopez (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Lope', is a patronymic surname derived from the Latin word Lupus. The meaning 'son of Lope' is one of the interesting Spanish last names.
Lovato (Spanish origin), meaning 'like a wolf', is a Latin word derived from Lupatus.
Lucia (Spanish origin), meaning 'light', is a very popular Hispanic name for a son in Mexico.
Maduro (Spanish origin) refers to a sensible or mature person. One of the fun Spanish last names.
Manuel (Spanish origin), meaning 'god is with us', is derived from the Hebrew name Immanuel.
Marco (Spanish origin), meaning 'Roman god Mars', is derived from the Latin word Marcus.
Martínez (Spanish origin) has a meaning 'son of Martin'. Martínez is commonly used in the Spanish region of Cuenca. Martínez is one of the most popular surnames in Spain.
Mendoza (Spanish origin), meaning 'a cold mountain', was originated in the Basque region.
Navar (Spanish origin), meaning 'treeless plateau', is a very popular name.
Neri (Spanish origin), meaning 'dark' or 'black', is derived from the Italian word Nero.
Noa (Spanish origin) means 'comfort' or 'wanderer'. It is mentioned in the Old Testament and originally meant 'movement' or 'motion'.
Nocito (Spanish origin), meaning 'walnut orchard', refers to a town in the Uesca province of Aragon.
Spain Two Last Names
In Spanish-speaking nations, people commonly have a single first name (called a nombre) and two surnames (Apellidos). The first surname is generally taken from one side of the family and the second surname from the other.
This is also why Spanish names are frequently quite lengthy. Many of them, though, will struggle to match the length of the most famous Mexican name, 'Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Mara de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso'.
Nunez (Spanish origin), meaning 'grandfather', is derived from the Latin word Nonus.
Nuno (Spanish origin), meaning 'tutor', is derived from Latin Nunnus.
Ocana (Spanish origin) is a habitational name that refers to Ocana in the Toledo province of Spain.
Ocon (Spanish origin), meaning 'a person who lived at the corner of a street or village', is a habitational surname for someone from the Ocon region in La Rioja Province.
Olivar (Spanish origin), meaning 'place of olives', originates from the Aragon kingdom of medieval Spain.
Olmeda (Spanish origin), meaning 'stand of elm trees', is a habitational name.
Ortega (Spanish origin), meaning 'nettle', derives from Urtica's plant.
Ortiz (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Orti', is derived from the Latin word Fortis.
Pablo (Spanish origin), meaning 'small' or 'little', is derived from the Latin word Paulus.
Padron (Spanish origin) refers to a town in the Galicia province of Spain.
Pena (Spanish origin), meaning 'rock' or 'boulder', is a very famous surname in Spain.
Pérez (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Pedro', is one of the popular Spanish last names. The meaning 'son of Pedro' is quite interesting.
Pinto (Spanish origin), meaning 'painted' or 'colorful', is derived from the name of a place, Pinto in Madrid.
Prado (Spanish origin), meaning 'a meadow', alludes to a resident of Prado, Spain.
Puerta (Spanish origin), meaning 'someone who lived near the gates of a town', is a popular Spanish surname.
Quevedo (Spanish origin) refers to a place Casa de Quevedo in Albacete province.
Ramírez (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Ramiro', is one of the common surnames in Spain. The meaning 'son of Ramiro' is quite interesting.
Rodríguez (Spanish origin) has the meaning 'famous power'. Rodríguez is derived from the Germanic name Roderick. Rodríguez refers to 'son of Rodrigo'.
Rozario (Spanish origin), meaning 'rosary beads' or 'prayer beads', is a very popular name.
Suárez (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Suero', is one of the prevalent Spanish last names. The meaning 'son of Suero' is very sought after.
Velázquez (Spanish origin), meaning 'son of Velasco', is one of the popular Spanish last names. The meaning 'son of Velasco' is equally famous.
