South American Surnames

Abarca Spanish
From the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.

Abascal Spanish
Means "priest's street" from Basque abas "priest" and kale "street".

Abel 1 English, French, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Abel.

Abraham Jewish, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Abreu Portuguese, Galician
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a given name that was of Germanic origin.

Acosta Spanish
Spanish form of Da Costa (from a misdivision of the surname).

Agua Spanish
Means "water" in Spanish, indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Aguado Spanish
Derived from Spanish agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Aguilar Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

Aguilera Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish aguilera meaning "eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).

Aguirre Spanish
From Basque ageri meaning "open, cleared, prominent", originally given to a peron who lived in an open area.

Aiza Spanish, Basque
From Basque aitz meaning "rock, stone".

Alamilla Spanish
From Spanish alamillo meaning "poplar, aspen".

Alba Spanish
From a Spanish nickname meaning "white".

Alberto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
From the given name Alberto.

Albuquerque Portuguese
From the name of the Spanish town of Alburquerque, near the Portuguese border in the province of Badajoz. It is probably derived from Latin alba quercus meaning "white oak".

Alexandre French, Portuguese
From the given name Alexandre.

Alfaro Spanish
Originally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".

Alfonso Spanish
From the given name Alfonso.

Almeida Portuguese
Designated a person who had originally lived in the town of Almeida in Portugal. The place name is from Arabic ال مائدة (al māʾida) meaning "the plateau, the table".

Alonso Spanish
From the given name Alonso.

Alvarado Spanish
From a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish alba "white".

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

Alvarez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Álvarez.

Alves Portuguese
Means "son of Álvaro".

Amador Spanish
Derived from the given name Amador.

Anaya Spanish
From the names of a few Spanish towns, possibly of Arabic origin meaning "stagnant water" or "path".

Andrade Portuguese, Galician
Possibly from the given name André.

Andrés Spanish
Derived from the given name Andrés.

Anselmo Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Anselmo.

Antón Spanish
From the given name Antón.

Antonio Spanish
From the given name Antonio.

Antunes Portuguese
Means "son of António".

Antúnez Spanish
Means "son of Antonio".

Aquino Italian, Spanish
From the name of an Italian town near Rome, derived from Latin aqua meaning "water", the home town of the 13th-century saint Thomas Aquinas. In Italy the surname is derived directly from the town's name. As a Spanish-language surname, it was sometimes bestowed by missionaries in honour of the saint as they evangelized in Spanish colonies.

Araújo Portuguese
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many areas that bear this name in Portugal, which is of unknown meaning.

Araujo Spanish
Spanish form of Araújo.

Araya Spanish
Denoted a person from Araia in the Basque Country, Spain. It is of uncertain meaning.

Arce Spanish
Means "maple tree" in Spanish.

Arechavaleta Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Aretxabaleta in Spain. It means "oak trees" in Basque.

Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.

Aritza Spanish, Basque
From Basque aritz meaning "oak tree". This was a nickname of Iñigo, the first king of Pamplona, Spain (9th century).

Armando Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Armando.

Arreola Spanish
Variant of Arriola, found predominantly in Mexico.

Arriola Spanish, Basque
From Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque arri "stone" and -ola "place of, house".

Arroyo Spanish
Means "stream, brook" in Spanish.

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Asturias Spanish
From the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque asta "rock" and ur "water".

Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.

Ayala Spanish
From the name of the town of Ayala (called Aiara in Basque) in Álava, Spain. It might be derived from Basque aiher "slope" or alha "pasture".

Banderas Spanish
Spanish cognate of Banner.

Barrera Spanish
Spanish cognate of Barr.

Barros Portuguese, Spanish
From the Portuguese and Spanish word barro meaning "clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.

Basurto Spanish
From the Basque place name Basurtu, a village (now part of Bilbao) in Biscay. It means "middle of the forest".

Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.

Bello Spanish, Italian
Means "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.

Belmonte Spanish, Italian
From various place names in Italy and Spain meaning "beautiful mountain".

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.

Benítez Spanish
Means "son of Benito".

Benito Spanish
From the given name Benito.

Bermúdez Spanish
Means "son of Bermudo".

Bernardino Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Bernardino.

Bernardo Portuguese
From the given name Bernardo.

Blanco Spanish
Means "white" in Spanish. The name most likely referred to a person who was pale or had blond hair.

Bolívar Spanish
From Bolibar, the name of a small Basque village, derived from Basque bolu "mill" and ibar "meadow". This name was borne by the revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).

Borja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic برْج (burj) meaning "tower".

Bosque Spanish
Spanish form of Bosco.

Bravo Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "angry, bold, brave" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).

Bueno Spanish
From a nickname meaning "good" in Spanish.

Bustillo Spanish
From the name of Spanish towns, diminutive forms of Busto.

Busto Spanish, Italian
From the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin bustum meaning "ox pasture".

Bustos Spanish
Variant of Busto.

Caballero Spanish
From a nickname derived from Spanish caballero meaning "knight", a cognate of Chevalier.

Cabello Spanish
Means "hair" in Spanish, used as a nickname for a person with a large amount of hair.

Cabral Portuguese
From places named from Late Latin capralis meaning "place of goats", derived from Latin capra meaning "goat".

Cabrera Spanish
From various place names derived from Late Latin capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin capra meaning "goat".

Calderón Spanish
Occupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin caldaria.

Calvo Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Means "bald" in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, from Latin calvus.

Camacho Spanish, Portuguese
Meaning unknown, possibly related to the Celtic root *kambos meaning "crooked, twisted".

Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.

Campo Spanish, Italian
Means "field" in Spanish and Italian.

Campos Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish variant of Campo.

Cano Spanish
Means "white-haired, old" in Spanish, from Latin canus.

Capela Portuguese
Portuguese form of Kappel.

Capilla Spanish
Spanish form of Kappel.

Cárdenas Spanish
From the name of towns in the Spanish provinces of Almería and La Rioja. They are derived from Spanish cárdeno "blue, purple".

Cardoso Portuguese, Spanish
From a place name meaning "thorny" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin carduus.

Cardozo Spanish
Variant of Cardoso.

Carmona Spanish
From the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see Ba'al Hammon).

Caro Spanish, Italian
From Spanish and Italian caro meaning "beloved".

Carrasco Spanish
Topographic name derived from Spanish carrasca meaning "holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).

Carrillo Spanish
Means "cheek, jaw" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a person with a distinctive cheek or jaw.

Carvalho Portuguese
Means "oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.

Casado Spanish
From a nickname meaning "married" in Spanish.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "farmhouse, country house", ultimately from Late Late casalis, from Latin casa.

Casales Spanish
Variant of Casal.

Casas Spanish
From Spanish casa meaning "house", of Latin origin.

Castañeda Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places called Castañeda, from a Spanish word meaning "chesnut grove", itself derived from castaña meaning "chesnut".

Castellano Spanish
Variant of Castilla.

Castelo Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Castle.

Castilla Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Castile, a region (and medieval kingdom) in Spain. The name of the region is derived from Late Latin castellum meaning "castle".

Castillo Spanish
Spanish cognate of Castle.

Castro Spanish, Portuguese
Means "castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.

Catalán Spanish
Originally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.

Cervantes Spanish
Possibly from Old Spanish servanto meaning "servant" or ciervo meaning "stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).

Chavarría Spanish
Variant of Echeverría.

Chaves Portuguese, Spanish
From the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).

Chávez Spanish
Variant of Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).

Clemente Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Clemente.

Coelho Portuguese
From the Portuguese word for "rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.

Collado Spanish
Means "hill" in Spanish.

Colón Spanish
Spanish form of Colombo.

Constantino Portuguese
From the given name Constantino.

Contreras Spanish
From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, derived from Late Latin contraria meaning "area opposite".

Correa Spanish
Spanish form of Correia.

Correia Portuguese
Means "leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.

Cortés Spanish
Means "polite, courteous" in Spanish.

Cortez Spanish
Variant of Cortés.

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".

Cruz Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Cross.

Cuéllar Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Cuéllar in the Segovia province of Spain. It may be derived from Latin collis meaning "hill".

Cuesta Spanish
Spanish form of Costa.

Cuevas Spanish
Derived from Spanish cueva meaning "cave".

Cunha Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Cunha, possibly from Portuguese cunha meaning "wedge".

Da Costa Portuguese
Variant of Costa.

Da Gama Portuguese
Variant of Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).

Dalí Spanish
From a given name, itself a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble". This was the surname of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).

Daniel um English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

David um English, French, German, Welsh, Czech, Portuguese, Romanian, Jewish
From the given name David.

De la Cruz Spanish
Spanish cognate of Delacroix.

Dela Cruz Spanish (Filipinized)
Variant of De la Cruz primarily used in the Philippines (where it is the most common surname).

De la Fuente Spanish
Means "of the fountain" in Spanish.

Del Bosque Spanish
Means "of the forest" in Spanish.

De León Spanish
Referred to someone from the Leon region of Spain.

Delgado Spanish, Portuguese
Means "thin" in Spanish and Portuguese, ultimately from Latin delicatus meaning "delicate, tender, charming".

Del Olmo Spanish
Variant of Olmo.

Del Río Spanish
Means "of the river" in Spanish.

De Santiago Spanish
Variant of Santiago.

Dias Portuguese
Means "son of Diogo" in Portuguese.

Díaz Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Diego Spanish
From the given name Diego.

Díez Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Domingo Spanish
From the given name Domingo.

Domínguez Spanish
Means "son of Domingo".

Duarte Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Duarte.

Durán Spanish
Spanish cognate of Durand.

Echevarría Spanish
Variant of Echeverría.

Echeverría Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque etxe "house" and berri "new".

Elizondo Spanish
Originally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque eleiza "church" and ondo "near".

Enríquez Spanish
Means "son of Enrique".

Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.

Escárcega Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque hazkar "maple".

Escarrà Spanish
Possibly from Catalan esquerrá meaning "left-handed".

Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.

Escudero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Lécuyer.

Esparza Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.

Espina Spanish
Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.

Espino Spanish
Variant of Espina.

Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Espinoza Spanish
Variant of Espinosa.

Esteban Spanish
From the given name Esteban.

Esteves Portuguese
Means "son of Estevão".

Estévez Spanish
Means "son of Esteban".

Estrada Spanish
Spanish form of Street.

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.

Feliciano Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Feliciano.

Felipe Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the given name Felipe.

Félix French, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Felix.

Fernandes Portuguese
Means "son of Fernando".

Fernández Spanish
Means "son of Fernando". This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Fernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Fernández.

Ferreira Portuguese, Galician
Denoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferreyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Ferreira.

Ferro Italian, Spanish
Means "iron", ultimately from Latin ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.

Fierro Spanish, Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Figueroa Spanish
From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".

Flores Spanish
Means "son of Floro" in Spanish.

Fonseca Spanish, Portuguese
Originally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin fons "well, spring" and siccus "dry".

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Francisco Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Francisco.

Franco Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Cognate of Frank 1. This name was borne by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

Freitas Portuguese
Means "broken" in Portuguese, a name for one who lived on broken, stony ground.

Fuentes Spanish
Means "spring, well" in Spanish, derived from Latin fons.

Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.

Gallego Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.

Gallegos Spanish
Variant of Gallego.

Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.

Gama Portuguese
Probably from a place name derived from Portuguese gama meaning "fallow deer doe", from Latin gammus.

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Garcia Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese form of García. It is also an unaccented form of the Spanish name used commonly in America and the Philippines.

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Garza Spanish
Derived from Spanish garza meaning "heron".

Gaspar Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Gaspar.

Gil Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Gil 1.

Giménez Spanish
Variant of Jiménez.

Gomes Portuguese
From the medieval given name Gomes.

Gómez Spanish
Spanish form of Gomes.

Gomez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Gómez.

Gonçalves Portuguese
Means "son of Gonçalo" in Portuguese.

Gonzales Spanish
Variant of González.

González Spanish
Means "son of Gonzalo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Gonzalez Spanish
Unaccented variant of González.

Gonzalo Spanish
From the given name Gonzalo.

Gouveia Portuguese
From the name of the city of Gouveia in Portugal, of unknown meaning.

Guadarrama Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Guadarrama near Madrid.

Guerra Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "war", given to a belligerent person or one engaged in warfare.

Guerrero Spanish
Means "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin werra "war", of Germanic origin.

Guevara Spanish
Hispanicized form of Gebara. A notable bearer was Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara (1928-1967).

Gutiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Gutierre".

Gutierrez Spanish
Variant of Gutiérrez.

Guzmán Spanish
From the name of the town of Guzmán in Burgos, Spain. The town's name itself may be derived from an old Visigothic given name, from the Germanic elements *gautaz "a Geat" and *mannô "person, man".

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Hernández Spanish
Means "son of Hernando" in Spanish.

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Hernando Spanish
From the given name Hernando.

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.

Hidalgo Spanish
Means "nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.

Hierro Spanish
Spanish form of Ferro.

Holguín Spanish
Possibly from Spanish holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".

Huerta Spanish
Means "garden, orchard" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin hortus.

Ibáñez Spanish
Means "son of Ibán".

Ibarra Basque, Spanish
From Basque place names derived from ibar meaning "meadow".

Iglesias Spanish
From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

Íñiguez Spanish
Means "son of Íñigo" in Spanish.

Iñíguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

Izquierdo Spanish
Means "left, left-handed" in Spanish, ultimately from Basque ezker.

Jesus Portuguese
Derived from the given name Jesus.

Jiménez Spanish
Means "son of Jimeno".

Jorge Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Jorge.

Juan Spanish
From the given name Juan 1.

Juárez Spanish
Variant of Suárez.

Jurado Spanish
Occupational name for a judge or another official who had to take an oath, derived from Latin iurare "to take an oath".

Lara Spanish
From the name of a village in Burgos, Spain. It might be derived from Latin lar "household god, house, home".

Lázaro Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Lázaro.

León 1 Spanish
Referred to a person from the city of León in northern Spain, derived from Latin legio (genitive legionis) meaning "legion", so named because the Roman 7th Legion Gemina was stationed there.

León 2 Spanish
From the given name León.

Lobo Spanish, Portuguese
Originally a nickname meaning "wolf" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Lopes Portuguese
Means "son of Lopo" in Portuguese.

López Spanish
Means "son of Lope" in Spanish.

Lopez Spanish
Unaccented variant of López.

Lorenzo Spanish
From the given name Lorenzo.

Losa Spanish
From Spanish losa meaning "tile, slab".

Loyola Spanish, Basque
From the name of a place name near the town of Azpeitia in the Basque Country of Spain, derived from Basque loi meaning "mud". This was the birthplace of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of Jesuits.

Lozano Spanish
Means "healthy, exuberant, lively" in Spanish, originally used as a nickname for an elegant or haughty person.

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

Luna Spanish
From various places in Spain meaning "moon".

Machado Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who made or used hatchets, derived from Spanish and Portuguese machado "hatchet", both from Latin marculus "little hammer".

Macías Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.

Madeira Portuguese
Occupational name for a carpenter, from Portuguese madeira "wood".

Magalhães Portuguese
Denoted a person hailing from one of the numerous minor places of this name in Portugal, possibly of Celtic origin. A notable bearer was the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (1480-1521), normally called Ferdinand Magellan in English.

Magro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin macer.

Maldonado Spanish
From a nickname meaning "badly given, ill-favoured" in Spanish.

Maradona Spanish
From the name of a place near Lugo in northern Spain. A notable bearer is the former Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona (1960-2020).

Marco Spanish, Italian
From the given name Marco.

Marcos Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Marcos. A famous bearer was Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989).

María Spanish
From the given the name María.

Maria Italian, Portuguese
From the given the name Maria.

Marín Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.

Marino Italian, Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.

Marques Portuguese
Means "son of Marcos".

Márquez Spanish
Means "son of Marcos".

Martín Spanish
Derived from the given name Martín.

Martínez Spanish
Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.

Martinez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Martínez.

Martins English, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Martin.

Mata Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
From Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan mata meaning "trees, shrubs", possibly from Late Latin matta meaning "reed mat".

Mateo Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.

Mateos Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.

Mateus Portuguese
From the given name Mateus.

Matos Portuguese, Spanish
Variant of Mata.

Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".

Medina Spanish
Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madīna).

Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyaḥ) meaning "anointed".

Meléndez Spanish
Variant of Menéndez.

Melo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Merlo.

Mendes Portuguese
Portuguese form of Menéndez.

Méndez Spanish
Variant of Menéndez.

Mendoza Spanish, Basque
From a Basque place name derived from mendi "mountain" and hotz "cold".

Menéndez Spanish
Means "son of Menendo" in Spanish, the given name Menendo being a medieval Spanish form of Hermenegildo.

Mercado Spanish
Means "market" in Spanish, originally given to a person who lived near a market or worked in one.

Merino Spanish
From the title for a judge in medieval Spain, derived from Latin maior.

Merlo Italian, Spanish
Means "blackbird", ultimately from Latin merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.

Miguel Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Miguel.

Mingo Spanish
From the given name Domingo.

Miranda Spanish, Portuguese
Habitational name from any of the numerous places in Spain and Portugal bearing this name, possibly derived from Latin mirandus "admirable, wonderful". A notable bearer was the Portuguese-born Brazilian singer and actress Carmen Miranda (1909-1955).

Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.

Montaña Spanish
Spanish cognate of Montagna.

Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.

Monteiro Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Montero.

Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Montes Spanish
From Spanish monte "mountain, hill", derived from Latin mons.

Montoya Spanish
From the name of a village in the province of Álava in Spain. It is possibly of Basque origin, or possibly from Latin mons "mountain, hill".

Mora Spanish
Derived from Spanish mora meaning "mulberry", of Latin origin.

Morales Spanish
Derived from Spanish moral meaning "mulberry tree", of Latin origin.

Moralez Spanish
Variant of Morales.