Central American Submitted Surnames

Central American names include those from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Chapa Spanish
An occupational name for a metalworker meaning "metal sheet", amongst other things. It may also come from the name of a place in Galicia, Spain, or the Basque word and oak bush, "chaparro".
Chapin French, Spanish
From a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman's) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker.
Charlo Spanish
From the personal name Carlos
Chica Spanish
Apparently from chica, feminine form of chico ‘small’, ‘young’ (see Chico), but a variant of the habitational name Checa, from a place so named in Jaén province is also a possibility.
Chiclana Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous Andalusian municipalities: Chiclana de la Frontera or Chiclana de Segura.
Chido Spanish
Likely given to someone who lived in a cold environment
Chieco Spanish
Derives from the given name Franciscus.
Chim Mayan
From Yucatec Maya chiim meaning "bag, sack".
Chinchilla Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Spanish town of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón in the province of Albacete. The place name is possibly of Arabic origin.
Chinchón Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous Madrileño municipality.
Cifuentes Spanish
Habitational Name Probably From Cifuentes In Guadalajara Named From Spanish Cien ‘Hundred’ (From Latin Centum) + Fuentes ‘Springs’ (From Latin Fontes; See Font ) Because Of The Abundance Of Natural Springs In The Area.
Cintron Spanish
Spanish form for the french "Citroen". Original from Puerto Rico.
Ciria Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
Ciriaco Italian, Spanish
From the given name Ciriaco.
Cirino Italian, Spanish
From the given name Cirino.
Ciro Italian, Spanish
From the given name Ciro.
Ciruela Filipino, Spanish (Rare)
From Spanish ciruela meaning "plum".
Cirujano Spanish, Filipino
Means "surgeon" in Spanish, used for someone who was a surgeon by profession.
Cisneros Spanish
Habitational name from Cisneros, a place in the province of Palencia, named with a derivative of Spanish cisne 'swan' (via Old French and Latin from Greek kyknos).
Claudio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Claudio
Clavel Spanish
Metonymic occupational name for a spice trader or a nail maker, derived from Spanish clavel or Catalan clavell meaning "nail", later also "clove", itself a derivative of Latin clavellus "nail".
Cleto Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Cleto.
Clores Spanish, Portuguese
Portuguese form of Flores
Codorniz Spanish
Spanish word for quail. From Latin cōturnīx, cōturnīcis.
Colegio Spanish
Literally means "college" in Spanish.
Colmenares Spanish
It literally means "apiaries", denoting someone who either worked at some or lived near some.
Colon Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Colón primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Concepción Spanish
Means "conception'' in Spanish, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary.
Concepcion Spanish (Filipinized)
Unaccented form of Concepción primarily used in the Philippines and America.
Conde Spanish
1 Spanish and Portuguese: “nickname from the title of rank conde ‘count’, a derivative of Latin comes, comitis ‘companion’.”... [more]
Conejo Spanish
from conejo "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus), presumably applied as a nickname with various possible connotations (big ears, timidity, etc.) or otherwise as a metonymic occupational name for a rabbit catcher or dealer... [more]
Conrado Spanish
From the given name Conrado
Contardo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Contardo.
Corcovado Spanish
Means "hunchback" in Spanish. It would denote a person with a curved spine.
Cordero Spanish
Means "lamb" in Spanish, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a religious name referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
Córdoba Spanish
Indicates someone who was originally from the city of Córdoba (Cordova) in Andalusia, Spain. The name itself is derived from Phonecian Qʾrtuba meaning "Juba’s city", itself from Phonecian qʾrt meaning "city" and juba referring to King Juba I of Numidia.
Coreano Filipino, Spanish, Portuguese
Means "Korean" in Spanish and Portuguese, possibly an ethnic name or regional name for someone from Korea or who had connections with Korea.
Cornelio Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Cornelio. Cognitive of Cornell and Cornelius.
Coronado Spanish
from coronado "crowned" past participle of coronare "to crown" (from Latin corona "crown") applied as a nickname for someone who behaved in an imperious manner or derived from the village Coronado in Galacia.
Coronado Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic), Spanish (Philippines)
Means "crowned." This was possibly a nickname for one resembling a clergyman who has received the tonsure.
Coronel Spanish, Portuguese
Means "colonel" in Spanish and Portuguese, used as an occupational name for someone in command of a regiment.
Corrales Spanish
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations named Corrales in Spain, from Spanish corral meaning "coral, enclosure".
Corso Italian, English (American), Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Either derived from the given name Bonaccorso or taken from Italian and Spanish corso, denoting someone who lived in Corsica.
Corte Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese
From corte "court", applied as an occupational name for someone who worked at a manorial court or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by one.
Corvino Italian, Spanish
From the given name Corvino
Coto Spanish, Galician
Habitational name from any of the many places named "Coto" especially in Galicia and Asturias. From coto meaning "ground".
Cotto Spanish
Variant of Coto.
Crescencio Spanish
From the given name Crescencio
Criado Portuguese, Spanish
Occupational name from criado ‘servant’.
Cristales Central American, Filipino, Spanish (Mexican, Rare), South American (Rare)
Plural form of Spanish cristal meaning "crystal."... [more]
Cristóbal Spanish
From the given name Cristóbal.
Cristófanes Spanish
Means "son of Cristóbal" in Spanish.
Crus Spanish
Variant of Cruz.
Cuadrado Spanish
A nickname for a thick man.
Cuaresma Spanish
It means "Lent".
Cuarto Spanish
Means "fourth" in English. It is derived from the Latin word "quartus," which means "fourth." The surname may have originally been used to denote a fourth child in a family or to indicate that the family lived on the fourth floor of a building.
Cuba Portuguese, Asturian-Leonese, Galician, Spanish
habitational name from any of the places in Portugal (in the provinces of Alentejo and Beira Baixa) or Spain (in Aragon, Asturies, and Galicia) named Cuba, from cuba ‘barrel’ (from Latin cupa)... [more]
Cubero Spanish
occupational name for a cooper, from an agent derivative of cuba ‘barrel’, ‘tub
Cuello Spanish, South American
From Spanish meaning "neck". Could be a nickname for a person with a stiff neck.
Cuenca Spanish
Cuenca is an ancient Spanish last name which originated from Cuenca, a city in the Kingdom of Castilla.... [more]
Cuervo Spanish
Means "raven, crow" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin corvus. From a nickname for a man with strikingly glossy black hair or with a raucous voice. Alternatively, a habitational name from places containing this word (e.g. El Cuervo, Teruel).
Curroto Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish surname with unknown origin. Uruguayan / Spanish singer Lucas Curroto has this surname.
Custodio Spanish
From the given name Custodio.
D'Almeida Spanish, Portuguese, Indian (Christian)
Variant of Almeida more commonly used by Indian Christians.
Damián Spanish, Czech, Slovak (Rare)
From the given name Damián.
Damian French, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Polish
From the medieval personal name Damian, Greek Damianos (from damazein "to subdue"). St. Damian was an early Christian saint martyred in Cilicia in ad 303 under the emperor Domitian, together with his brother Cosmas... [more]
Davila Spanish
Habitational name for someone from Ávila.
Daza Spanish
Derived from the Basque word "dazio", meaning "tax". It is a surname that is typically associated with the region of Navarre in Spain.
Dealava Spanish
Uruguay name
De Anda Spanish
Habitational name formed with the preposition de ‘from’ for someone from a town called Anda
Debain Spanish
Spanish surname.
Debelen Spanish
Likely from the Spanish word Belén, which refers to the nativity scene.
De Castro Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted someone who lived in a castle.
De Guzmán Spanish
Means "of Guzmán" in Spanish.
De Jesús Spanish (Latin American)
Means "of Jesus" in Spanish.
De Labra Spanish (Rare)
Spanish Surname With Origins From Asturias.
De La Calle Spanish
Means "of the street" in Spanish.
De La Calzada Spanish (Rare)
Means "of the causeway" in Spanish. This surname was likely given in honor of Dominic de la Calzada, a saint from Burgos.
De La Hoya Spanish
Means "of the hole" in Spanish.
De La Iglesia Spanish
Means “of the church” in Spanish.
De La Isla Spanish
Means "of the island" in Spanish.
De La Luna Spanish, Filipino
Means "of the moon" in Spanish.
De La Mora Spanish
"De la," in several Romance languages (including Spanish and Romanian), means "from." "Mora," in Spanish, translates to "mulberry."... [more]
De La Muerte Spanish (Rare)
Means "of death" in Spanish. Name given to a person who worked as a graveyard worker.
De La O Spanish
"O" is the archaic form of "Do" - apocope of "donde" - where, the personal name of a woman in the Hispanic world, and a French name of the twelfth century.
De La Parra Spanish
Means "of the vine" in Spanish.
De La Peña Spanish
Means "of the Rock" in Spanish.
De La Presa Spanish
Means "of the dam" in Spanish.
De La Reguera Spanish
Means "of the ditch" in Spanish, from Spanish reguera "ditch, irrigation ditch". Ana de la Reguera (1977-) is a Mexican actress known for her role as Sister Encarnación in the 2006 comedy film Nacho Libre.
De La Rosa Spanish (Latin American)
Means "of the Rose" in Spanish.
Delarosa Spanish
Means "of the rose" in Spanish.
De La Sierra Spanish
Means "of the mountain range" in Spanish.
De Las Nieves Spanish
Means "of the snows" in Spanish.
De La Torre Spanish
Topographic name "from (de) the tower (la torre)", i.e. someone who lived by a watchtower, "from (de) the tower (la torre)".
De La Vega Spanish
Means "of the meadow" in Spanish.
Del Campo Spanish
Means "of the camp" in Spanish.
Del Carmen Spanish
Means "of Carmen" in Spanish.
Del Castillo Spanish
Means "of the Castle" in Spanish, referring to someone who worked in one.
Del Cid Spanish, Medieval Spanish
Likely refers to a person from any of the places called El Cid, using Spanish del, combination of de "of, from" and el "the".... [more]
Delfin Spanish
Meaning "dolphin" in Spanish.
Delfino Italian, Spanish
From the personal name Delfino, from Latin Delphinus, from delphis "dolphin", regarded in medieval times as a symbol of goodness and friendliness.
Delgadillo Spanish
Diminutive of Delgado.
De Lima Spanish
"de Lima" is the surname given to the people who lived near the Limia River (Lima in portuguese) on the Province of Ourense, an autonomous community of Galicia, located at the northwest of Spain. The root of the name is Don Juan Fernandez de Lima, maternal grandson to the King Alfonso VI de León (1040-1109).
Della Italian, Spanish
Likely derived from the Italian and Spanish word della, meaning "of the".
Del Mar Spanish
Means "of the sea" in Spanish.
De Los Reyes Spanish
Means “of the kings” in Spanish.
De Los Santos Spanish
Means "of the saints" in Spanish.
Del Pueblo Spanish
Means "of the village" in Spanish.
Del Rosario Spanish, Filipino
Means "of the rosary" in Spanish.
Del Rosario Spanish
Del Rosario, in Spanish and Italian languages, and do Rosário in Portuguese language (English: of the rosary) is a surname that has as its etymology, the Latin preposition, "de" meaning "of the" and the Latin noun "rosarium", meaning "rosegarden" or "garland of roses" but in this case, takes the meaning of "rosary", the Roman Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary... [more]
Del Sol Spanish
Means "of the sun" in Spanish.
Del Toro Spanish
Means "of the bull" in Spanish, denoting a person who owns bulls or a tender of bulls.
De Luna Spanish
Means "of the moon" in Spanish.
Del Villar Spanish
Means "of Villar" in Spanish.
Dema Spanish
1 Spanish: unexplained; it is associated with Uesca province, in Aragon.... [more]
De Mesa Spanish
Variant of Mesa.
Demetrio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Demetrio.
Denís Spanish, Galician
From the given name Denís.
De Paula Spanish
a Metronymic from the female personal name Paula and from a shortened form of Francisco de Paula a personal name bestowed in honor of Saint Francis of Paola
De Paz Spanish (Latin American)
Means "of Peace" in Spanish.
De San Buenaventura Spanish (Archaic)
Means "of Saint Bonaventure" in Spanish.
De Santo Italian, Spanish
Mean “Son of Santo”.
Descalzo Spanish
It means "barefoot"
Desiderio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Desiderio.
De Valera Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Valera in the provinces of Cuenca and Badajoz in Spain. This name was borne by American-born Irish president and prime minister Éamon de Valera (1882-1975; birth name George de Valero, also known as Edward de Valera), who was born to an Irish mother and a Cuban-Spanish father.
Diestro Spanish, Filipino
Means "right-handed" in Spanish.
Dimas Spanish, Portuguese, Greek
Derived from the biblical name "Dimas".
Diola Spanish
Derived from the given masculine name Andrea
Dionicio Spanish
From the given name Dionicio.
Diosdado Spanish
From the given name Diosdado.
Dominguez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Domínguez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Donaire Spanish, Filipino
From Spanish el donaire meaning "grace,charm". It could be a nickname for a graceful or charming person.
Dorado Spanish
From dorado "golden" (from Late Latin deaurare "to gild", from aurum "gold"), probably applied as a nickname to someone with golden hair.
Dramis Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Not just a surname in Italy; it can also be found in Argentina and Brazil.... [more]
Dueñas Spanish
From the name of a municipality in Palencia province, Spain, derived from Spanish dueña meaning "madame, mistress".
Duque Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Duke. from duque "duke" (from Latin dux genitive ducis "leader") an occupational name for someone who worked in the household of a duke or as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces.
Durantez Spanish
From the given Italian name Durante.
Dzul Mayan
Mayan name from a term meaning ‘stranger’ also ‘gentleman’.
Eduardo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Eduardo.
Eleuterio Spanish, Italian
From the given name Eleuterio.
Elías Spanish, Jewish
From the given name Elías.
Eligio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Eligio
Eliseo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Eliseo.
Elizalde Basque, Spanish
From Basque eleiza meaning "church" combined with the suffix -alde "by". This could be either a habitational name for a person who was from the town of Elizalde in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, or a topographic name for someone living near a church.
Eloy Spanish
From the given name Eloy
Emigdio Spanish
From the given name Emigdio.
Emiliano Italian, Spanish
From the given name Emiliano.
Enamorado Spanish
Nickname for a person relating to love.
Encarnación Spanish
Means "incarnation" in Spanish. This is given in reference to the Incarnation of Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary (see Encarnación).
Enciñias Spanish
Derives from Spanish heritage and culture. Other spellings of the name of ENCIÑIAS may be Encinas, Encinias, Encinitas etc.
Enrique Spanish
From the given name Enrique.
Enriquez Spanish
Unaccented form of Enríquez.
Epifanio Spanish, Italian
From the given name Epifanio.
Escalante Spanish (Latin American)
From the Spanish verb escalar meaning "to climb".
Escandón Spanish, Spanish (Mexican)
Derived from a field named "Escanda" denoting a type of wheat. Perhaps farmers who lived close to the area.
Escañuela Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Escatel Spanish
Derived from the Latin word “scatellum,” which means “small coin”. It is likely that the surname originally referred to someone who was involved in the production or circulation of small coins, or who had a reputation for being particularly frugal or economical... [more]
Escolar Spanish
From Spanish escuela meaning "school".
Escoto Spanish
ethnic name from escoto originally denoting a Gaelic speaker from Ireland or Scotland; later a Scot someone from Scotland. Spanish cognitive of Scott.
Escribano Spanish
An occupational name from escribano "scribe" (from Late Latin scriba "scribe" genitive scribanis from Latin scriba genitive scribae)... [more]
Esguerra Spanish, Filipino
Castilianized form of Basque Ezkerra from ezker meaning "left, left-handed".
Esgueva Spanish
It indicates familial origin near the eponymous river.
Espada Portuguese, Spanish
metonymic occupational name for an armorer or a swordsman from espada "sword" (from Latin spata from Greek spathe originally denoting a broad two-edged sword without a point)... [more]
España Spanish
From the Spanish word for Spain.
Esperón Spanish
From Spanish espera meaning to wait. Perhaps an occupational name for a waiter.
Espinal Spanish
Spanish: from any of numerous fields named Espinal or Espinar, from a collective of espina ‘thorn’.
Espinosa De Los Monteros Spanish
Originating in northern Spain in the Espinosa de los Monteros municipality, it has various meanings. One meaning is that it was the surname of hidalgos who lived in Espinosa and helped the nobles get on their horses... [more]
Espiridión Spanish
From the given name Espiridión.
Espíritu Spanish
From a short form of Spanish del Espíritu Santo meaning "of the Holy Spirit, of the Holy Ghost" (Latin Spiritus Sanctus), which was the second part of religious compound names formed from the bearer's given name and del Espíritu Santo... [more]
Espiritu Spanish (Filipinized)
Unaccented form of Espíritu primarily used in the Philippines.
Esquivel Spanish
A name for someone who lives behind lime trees.
Estanislao Spanish
From the given name Estanislao.
Esteruelas Spanish
Possibly from the place name Camarma de Esteruelas, a village in Madrid.
Estes Welsh, Spanish, English
a popular surname derived from the House of Este. It is also said to derive from Old English and have the meaning "of the East." As a surname, it has been traced to southern England in the region of Kent, as early as the mid-16th century.
Esteve Spanish, Catalan
From the Catalan given name Esteve. Cognate to Estévez and Esteves.
Estrella Spanish
Derived from the word 'strella' meaning a star in Spanish.
Estremera Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from a place in Madrid province called Estremera.
Estremera Spanish
Derived from the word "estrecho," which means "narrow" or "tight."
Eufracio Spanish
From the given name Eufracio.
Eugenio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Eugenio.
Eulogio Spanish
From the given name Eulogio.
Eva Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Italian, Portuguese
From the given name Eva.
Fabio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Fabio.
Facundo Spanish
From the given name Facundo
Falcón Spanish, South American
Originally a nickname from falcón, an archaic variant of Spanish halcón "falcon" (from Latin falco). It is a cognate of Falco.