ABARCASpanishFrom 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.
ABASCALSpanishMeans "priest's street" from Basque
abas "priest" and
kale "street".
ABASOLOBasqueMeans "priest's meadow" from Basque
abas "priest" and
solo "meadow".
ABELLÓCatalanFrom the Latin given name
Abellio, which may have been derived from the name of a Pyrenean god.
AGRAMUNTCatalanOriginally denoted a person from the town of Agramunt, Spain. It means "field hill" in Catalan.
AGUASpanishMeans "water" in Spanish, indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
AGUADOSpanishDerived from Spanish
agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
ALDANABasqueFrom the name of a Basque town, derived from
aldats meaning "slope".
ALFAROSpanishOriginally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".
ALVARADOSpanishFrom a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish
alba "white".
AQUINOItalian, SpanishFrom 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.
ARAYASpanishDenoted a person from Araia in the Basque Country, Spain. It is of uncertain meaning.
ARECHAVALETASpanishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Aretxabaleta in Spain. It means "oak trees" in Basque.
ARENASSpanishFrom various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish
arena meaning "sand".
ARITZASpanish, BasqueFrom Basque
aritz meaning "oak tree". This was a nickname of Iñigo, the first king of Pamplona, Spain (9th century).
ARRIOLASpanish, BasqueFrom Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque
arri "stone" and
-ola "place of, house".
ASÍSSpanishOriginally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called
Asís in Spanish).
ASTURIASSpanishFrom the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque
asta "rock" and
ur "water".
BARROSPortuguese, SpanishFrom 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.
BASURTOSpanishFrom the Basque place name
Basurtu, a village (now part of Bilbao) in Biscay. It means "middle of the forest".
BELLOSpanish, ItalianMeans "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.
BENGOETXEABasqueMeans "the house furthest down" from Basque
bengo "furthest down" and
etxe "house".
BLANCOSpanishMeans "white" in Spanish. The name most likely referred to a person who was pale or had blond hair.
BOLÍVARSpanishFrom
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).
BOTELLOGalicianOccupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician
bottela meaning "bottle".
BUSTOSpanish, ItalianFrom the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin
bustum meaning "ox pasture".
CABELLOSpanishMeans "hair" in Spanish, used as a nickname for a person with a large amount of hair.
CABRERASpanishFrom various place names derived from Late Latin
capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
CAMPANAItalian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
CARDONACatalanFrom the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.
CASALSpanishFrom the Spanish word
casal meaning "house", ultimately from Late Late
casalis and Latin
casa.
CASTILLASpanishOriginally 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".
CATALÁNSpanishOriginally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.
CHAVESPortuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name
FLAVIUS (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).
CHÁVEZSpanishVariant of
CHAVES. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).
CUÉLLARSpanishDerived from the name of the town of Cuéllar in the Segovia province of Spain. It may be derived from Latin
collis meaning "hill".
DALÍSpanishFrom a given name, itself a diminutive of names beginning with the Germanic element
adal meaning "noble". This was the surname of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
DELGADOSpanish, PortugueseMeans "thin" in Spanish and Portuguese, ultimately from Latin
delicatus meaning "delicate, tender, charming".
ECHEVERRÍASpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque
etxe "house" and
berri "new".
ELIZONDOSpanishOriginally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque
eleiza "church" and
ondo "near".
ESCAMILLASpanishDerived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.
ESCÁRCEGASpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque
hazkar "maple".
ESPARZASpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.
ESPINASpanishMeans "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.
ESPINOSASpanishFrom Spanish
espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin
spinosus, a derivative of
spina meaning "thorn, spine".
FONSECASpanish, PortugueseOriginally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin
fons "well, spring" and
siccus "dry".
FUENTESSpanishMeans "a spring, a well" in Spanish, derived from Latin
fons.
GALLEGOSpanishOriginally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.
GALLOItalian, SpanishMeans "rooster", ultimately from Latin
gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.
GARCÍASpanishFrom a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word
hartz meaning "bear".
GARRASTAZUBasqueFrom the Basque word
arratz "bush" combined with the suffix
sta denoting a place.
GEBARABasqueHabitational name for someone who lived in Gebara, a village in the province of Álava in Spain.
GUERREROSpanishMeans "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin
werra "war", of Germanic origin.
GUZMÁNSpanishFrom the name of the town of Guzmán in Burgos, Spain.
HOLGUÍNSpanishPossibly from Spanish
holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".
HUERTASpanishMeans "garden, orchard" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
hortus.
IGLESIASSpanishFrom Spanish
iglesia meaning "church", from Latin
ecclesia (of Greek origin).
ITURBURUABasqueMeans "by the fountain" in Basque, from
iturri "fountain, spring".
JASOBasqueDerived from Basque
jats "sorghum". Sorghum is a type of cereal grass.
LOYOLASpanish, BasqueFrom Basque
loya meaning "mud". This was the surname of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of Jesuits.
MACHADOPortuguese, SpanishDerived from Spanish and Portuguese
machado "hatchet" and denoted a person who made or used hatchets.
MARADONASpanishLocative name coming from the name of a place near Lugo in northern Spain. A notable bearer is former Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona (1960-).
MEDINASpanishFrom the name of a Spanish city, whose name is derived from the Arabic word for "city".
MERLOItalian, SpanishMeans "blackbird", ultimately from Latin
merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.
MUÑOZSpanishPatronymic derived from the medieval Spanish given name
Muño, from Latin
Munnius, of unknown meaning.
NIEVESSpanishMeans "snows" in Spanish, from the title of the Virgin Mary
Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows".
NOGUEIRAPortuguese, GalicianFrom Portuguese and Galician
nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin
nucarius, ultimately from Latin
nux meaning "nut".
OBANDOSpanishHabitational name for someone who lived in Obando in Extremadura, Spain.
OJEDASpanishOriginally a name for a dweller on the banks of the Ojeda river.
OLMOSpanishMeans "elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.
OQUENDOSpanishOriginally indicated a person from Okendo, Basque Country.
ORELLANASpanishDerived from the place name
Orellana which, in turn, is derived from Latin
Aureliana "of Aurelius".
ORIOLCatalanMeans "golden" in Catalan, originally a nickname for a person with blond hair.
ORTEGASpanishFrom a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) meaning "nettle".
ORTIZSpanishMeans "son of Orti". The given name
Orti seems to be disputed in meaning, deriving from either Latin
fortis meaning "brave, strong" or Latin
fortunius meaning "fortunate".
PAVIASpanishSpanish surname coming from the Italian city of Pavia south of Milano. Known especially for its old University.
PEÑASpanishMeans "dweller by a large jutting rock" from Spanish
peña.
PEREIRAPortuguese, GalicianFrom Portuguese and Galician
pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin
pirum meaning "pear".
PETITCatalan, English, FrenchMeans "small, little" derived from Old French
petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
PICASSOCatalanMeans "magpie" from Spanish
picazo. This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. Painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.
PRIETOSpanishFrom a nickname meaning "dark", referring to a person with dark hair or skin.
QUINONESSpanishFrom various Spanish place names derived from
quinon meaning "five". It indicated that the land was divided amongst five people.
QUINTANASpanish, CatalanMeans "dweller on a piece of land whose rent is one-fifth its produce" from Spanish and Catalan
quintana.
QUIRÓSSpanishDenoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain. Quirós, the place name, may derive from the Galician
queiroa meaning "heather".
RAMOSSpanishOriginally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin
ramus meaning "branch".
RENDÓNSpanishPossibly derived from a variant of Spanish
de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".
REY (1)English, Spanish, French, CatalanMeans "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin
rex (genitive
regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.
RIVERASpanishFrom Spanish
ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin
riparius.
ROBLEDOSpanishMeans "oak wood" from Spanish
roble "oak", ultimately from Latin
robur.
ROBLESSpanishOriginally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish
roble "oak", from Latin
robur.
ROIGCatalanMeans "red" in Catalan, from Latin
rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.
ROJOSpanishMeans "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.
RUBIOSpanishNickname for a person with red hair, from Latin
rubeus "red".
SALAMANCASpanishOriginally indicated a person from Salamanca, a city in western Spain which is of unknown meaning.
SALAZARBasqueFrom 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.
SALCEDOSpanishDerived from Latin
salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.
SALINASSpanishOccupational 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".
SANDOVALSpanishDerived from the name of a town in Spain, ultimately from Latin
saltus "forest, glade" and
novalis "unploughed land".
SANTOSPortuguese, SpanishMeans "saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin
sanctus. This was a nickanme for a pious person.
SEPÚLVEDASpanishDerived 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".
SIERRASpanishOriginally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish
sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin
serra "saw".
SOLEROccitan, CatalanDenoted a person from any of the numerous places in the area whose names derive from Occitan or Catalan
soler meaning "ground, floor".
SOTOSpanishMeans "grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
saltus.
TERRAZASSpanishOriginally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".
TOLEDANOSpanishDerived 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".
TRUJILLOSpanishOriginally denoted a person from Trujillo, Spain, originally called
Turgalium in Latin.
URBINABasqueDerived from Basque
ur "water" and
bi "two", indicating a place where two waterways met.
UREÑASpanishProbably derived from the name of Urueña, a town in the province of Valladolid, Spain, which is of unknown meaning.
VARELASpanishDerived 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.
VEGASpanishFrom Spanish
vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.
VELASpanishDerived from Spanish
vela meaning "sail" or the homonym
vela meaning "watchful".