South American Surnames

Morán Spanish
Spanish form of Morandi.

Moreira Portuguese
Derived from Portuguese amoreira meaning "mulberry tree".

Moreno Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Moya Spanish
From any of various towns named Moya in Spain, of uncertain meaning.

Muñoz Spanish
Patronymic derived from the medieval Spanish given name Muño, from Latin Munnius, possibly of Germanic origin.

Narváez Spanish
From the name of a town in central Spain.

Navarro Spanish
Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".

Nieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "grandson" in Spanish.

Nieves Spanish
From the given name Nieves.

Nogueira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin nucarius, ultimately from Latin nux meaning "nut".

Noguera Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

Nunes Portuguese
Means "son of Nuno".

Núñez Spanish
Means "son of Nuño".

Obando Spanish
Habitational name for someone who came from Obando in Extremadura, Spain.

Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.

Ojeda Spanish
From the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin folia "leaves".

Oleastro Spanish
Means "wild olive" in Spanish, originally indicating one who lived near such a tree.

Olguín Spanish
Variant of Holguín.

Oliveira Portuguese
Means "olive tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin oliva. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with olive trees.

Olmo Spanish
Means "elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.

Olmos Spanish
Variant of Olmo.

Oquendo Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Okondo in Álava, northern Spain, possibly derived from Basque ukondo "elbow".

Orellana Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Orellana in Badajoz, Spain. Their names are probably derived from Latin Aureliana meaning "of Aurelius".

Orozco Spanish
From the name of a valley in the Basque region of Spain.

Ortega Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

Ortiz Spanish
Means "son of Orti", a byname deriving either from Latin fortis meaning "brave, strong" or fortunius meaning "fortunate".

Otero Spanish
Means "hill, knoll, height" in Spanish.

Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.

Padilla Spanish
From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Palacio Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Palacios Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Palencia Spanish
Habitational name from the city or region of Palencia in northern Spain.

Palmeiro Portuguese
Portuguese form of Palmer.

Palomo Spanish
Means "pigeon, dove", from Latin palumbes.

Pantoja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Pantoja, in Toledo, Spain.

Pardo Spanish
Means "brown" in Spanish, originally a nickname for someone with brown hair.

Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.

Parra Spanish
Means "vine, trellis" in Spanish.

Pascual Spanish
From the given name Pascual.

Pastor Spanish
Means "shepherd" in Spanish.

Pavía Spanish
Spanish form of Pavia.

Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Peláez Spanish
Means "son of Pelayo".

Peña Spanish
Originally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish peña meaning "rock, cliff".

Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".

Pereyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pérez Spanish
Means "son of Pedro".

Perez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Pérez.

Pineda Spanish, Catalan
Means "pine forest" in Spanish and Catalan.

Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.

Pinho Portuguese
Habitational name meaning "pine" in Portuguese.

Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".

Pires Portuguese
Means "son of Pedro".

Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.

Porras Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".

Prieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.

Puerta Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.

Quesada Spanish
Habitational name from Quesada, a place in Jaén in southern Spain. The place name is of uncertain derivation; it could be connected to Old Spanish requexada meaning "corner, tight spot".

Quijada Spanish
Means "jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.

Quijano Spanish
From the name of a village in northern Spain.

Quiñones Spanish
From various Spanish place names derived from quiñón meaning "shared piece of land", derived from Latin quinque "five".

Quintana Spanish, Catalan
Originally indicated someone who lived on a piece of land where the rent was a fifth of its produce, from Spanish and Catalan quintana "fifth", from Latin quintus.

Quirós Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician queiroa meaning "heather".

Quixada Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijada.

Quixano Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijano.

Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.

Ramírez Spanish
Means "son of Ramiro" in Spanish.

Ramos Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".

Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.

Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Rendón Spanish
Possibly derived from a variant of Spanish de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Reyes Spanish
Spanish variant of Rey 1.

Ribeiro Portuguese
Means "little river, stream" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Ríos Spanish
Spanish cognate of Rios.

Rios Portuguese
Originally denoted a person who lived near a river, from Portuguese rios "river", ultimately from Latin rivus.

Rivas Spanish
Spanish form of Riva.

Rivera Spanish
From Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin riparius.

Rivero Spanish
Variant of Rivera.

Robledo Spanish
Means "oak wood" from Spanish roble "oak", ultimately from Latin robur.

Robles Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish roble "oak", from Latin robur.

Roca Spanish, Catalan, Occitan
Spanish, Catalan and Occitan cognate of Roach.

Rocha Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Roach.

Rodrigo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Rodrigo.

Rodrigues Portuguese
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Portuguese.

Rodríguez Spanish
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Rodriguez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Rodríguez.

Rodriquez Spanish
Variant of Rodríguez.

Rojas Spanish
Variant of Rojo.

Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Román Spanish
From the given name Román.

Romão Portuguese
Portuguese form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.

Romero Spanish
Derived from Spanish romero meaning "pilgrim to Rome".

Rosales Spanish
Means "rose bushes" in Spanish.

Rosário Portuguese
Means "rosary" in Portuguese. This name was often given to people born on the day of the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.

Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".

Rueda Spanish
Spanish cognate of Royer.

Ruiz Spanish
Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.

Sáez Spanish
Variant of Sánchez.

Sala Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian
Occupational name for a worker at a manor house, from the Romance word sala meaning "hall, large room", of Germanic origin.

Salamanca Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Salamanca, a city in western Spain that is of unknown meaning.

Salas Spanish
Variant of Sala.

Salazar Basque, Spanish
From Spanish sala meaning "hall" and Basque zahar meaning "old". It can also refer to the town of Salazar in Burgos, Spain, which is of the same origin.

Salcedo Spanish
Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.

Salinas Spanish
Occupational name for a salt worker or someone who lived bear a salt works, from Spanish salina "salt works, salt mine", ultimately from Latin sal "salt".

Salvador Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Salvador.

Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".

Sanchez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Sánchez.

Sancho Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Sancho.

Sandoval Spanish
Derived from the name of a town in Spain, ultimately from Latin saltus "forest, glade" and novalis "unploughed land".

San Nicolás Spanish
Indicated the original bearer was from a place named after Saint Nicholas.

Santana Spanish, Portuguese
From any of the numerous places named after Saint Anna. A famous bearer is the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-).

Santiago Spanish, Portuguese
From various Spanish and Portuguese places called Santiago.

Santos Portuguese, Spanish
Means "saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.

Sanz Spanish
From the given name Sancho.

Sastre Spanish
Spanish cognate of Sarto.

Segura Spanish, Catalan
From places with names derived from Spanish or Catalan segura meaning "safe, secure".

Sepúlveda Spanish
Derived from the name of the Sepúlveda Valley in the mountains of Segovia, and was originally used to denote people from that region. It is possibly derived from Spanish sepultar "to bury".

Serafim Portuguese
Derived from the given name Serafim.

Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.

Serrano Spanish
Variant of Sierra.

Sierra Spanish
Originally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin serra "saw".

Silva Portuguese, Spanish
From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.

Silveira Portuguese
Means "forests" in Portuguese.

Simões Portuguese
Means "son of Simão" in Portuguese.

Simón Spanish
From the given name Simón.

Soares Portuguese
Means "son of Suero".

Solís Spanish
From the name of a village in Asturias, Spain, derived from Spanish sol "sun".

Sosa Spanish
Spanish form of Sousa.

Soto Spanish
Means "grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin saltus.

Sousa Portuguese
Originally indicated someone who lived near the River Sousa in Portugal, possibly derived from Latin salsus "salty" or saxa "rocks".

Souza Portuguese
Variant of Sousa.

Suárez Spanish
Means "son of Suero".

Suero Spanish
Derived from the given name Suero.

Tapia Spanish
Means "mud wall" in Spanish.

Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.

Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".

Toledano Spanish
Derived from the name of the city of Toledo in Spain, which was from Latin Toletum, which may have been derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

Torres Spanish, Portuguese
Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

Tos Spanish
Spanish form of Tosi.

Travieso Spanish
Spanish form of Travers.

Trujillo Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Trujillo, Spain, originally called Turgalium in Latin.

Ureña Spanish
Probably derived from the name of Urueña, a town in the province of Valladolid, Spain, which is of unknown meaning.

Valdez Spanish
Means "son of Baldo".

Vale Portuguese
Means "valley" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin vallis.

Valencia Spanish
From the name of the Spanish city of Valencia.

Valero Spanish
From the given name Valero.

Valiente Spanish
From a nickname derived from Spanish valiente meaning "brave".

Varela Spanish
Derived from Spanish vara "stick". It may have originally been given to one who used a stick in his line of work, for example an animal herder.

Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.

Vásquez Spanish
Means "son of Vasco".

Vázquez Spanish
Variant of Vásquez.

Vega Spanish
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.

Vela Spanish
Occupational name for a guard, from Spanish vela meaning "watch, vigil".

Velasco Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco.

Velásquez Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco.

Velázquez Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco. A famous bearer was the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).

Ventura Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
From the given name Bonaventura.

Vera Spanish
Means "shore, bank" in Spanish. This was a name for a person who lived near such a feature, or who came from any of the various locations in Spain named Vera or La Vera.

Vicario Spanish, Italian
Means "vicar" in Spanish and Italian, an ecclesiastic title used to denote a representative of a bishop. It is derived from Latin vicarius meaning "substitute, deputy".

Vicente Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Vicente.

Vico Italian, Spanish
Means "town, village", derived from Latin vicus.

Vidal Spanish, Catalan, French
From the given name Vidal.

Vieira Portuguese
Denoted a person who came from a Portuguese town by this name, derived from vieria meaning "scallop". The scallop was a symbol of Saint James, and was traditionally worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

Vigo Italian, Spanish
Variant of Vico.

Vilar Portuguese, Galician, Catalan
Means "hamlet, farm" in Portuguese, Galician and Catalan, from Late Latin villare, a derivative of Latin villa.

Villa Italian, Spanish
Means "town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

Villalobos Spanish
Habitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish villa "town" and lobo "wolf".

Villanueva Spanish
Originally denoted someone who came from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and nueva "new".

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Villaverde Spanish
Originally denoted a person from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and verde "green".

Viteri Spanish, Basque
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Basque place name.

Ybarra Spanish, Basque
Variant of Ibarra.

Zambrano Spanish
Possibly a habitational name for someone from Zambrana, a town in the province of Álava in Spain.

Zamorano Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Zamora, the name of both a province in Spain and its capital city.

Zapatero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Savatier.

Zavala Spanish
Variant of Zabala.