Central American names include those from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
MadrigalSpanish "Madrigal" comes from from the Venetian madregal "simple, ingenuous," from Late Latin matricalis "invented, original," literally "of or from the womb," from matrix (gen. matricis) "womb."
MaestrePortuguese, Spanish Occupational name from old Spanish and Portuguese maestre meaning 'master', 'master craftsman', 'teacher'.
MagallanesSpanish Spanish: Castilianized Form Of A Habitational Name From The Village Of Magaláns (Castilian Magalanes) In Pontevedra Province Galicia (Spain).
MagañaSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
ManceboSpanish Spanish: Occupational Or Status Name For A Serf Or Servant Also ‘Youth Single Man’ Old Spanish Mancebo (From Late Latin Mancipus From Classical Latin Mancipium ‘Slave’).
MandujanoSpanish Spanish: Possibly An Altered Form Of A Basque Habitational Name From Mandoiana A Town In Araba/Álava Province Basque Country. This Surname Is Most Common In Mexico.
ManjarrésSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
ManjarrezSpanish Habitational Name From Manjarrés A Village In La Rioja Province.
MansillaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from Mansilla a place in La Rioja province.
MantillaSpanish Spanish: from mantilla ‘mantilla’, ‘scarf worn over the head and shoulders’, presumably an occupational name for a maker of mantillas or a descriptive name for someone who habitually wore such a garment.
ManuelCatalan, Spanish Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.
ManzanaresSpanish Habitational Name From The City Of Manzanares In Ciudad Real Province
MaquedaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the Manchego municipality or the neighborhood of the Andalusian municipality of Málaga.
MarchantFrench, English, Spanish Variant of Marchand, from French marchand meaning "merchant, mercantile". Though it is of French origin, it was transferred into the Spanish-speaking world, especially Chile, by French invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
MarchenaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 4 Andalusian localities or 1 Murcian locality.
MártirSpanish from mártir "martyr" probably a nickname for someone devoted to the religious cult of a Christian martyr or perhaps one who had played the part of a Christian martyr in a religious play.
MarulandaSpanish topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with maru 'Moor' + landa '(large) field prairie'.
MasvidalSpanish surname formed by the union of the word, mas, meaning a house from rural zones that is appart from the village and is surrounded by farming land and forests; and another word relating to the owner of the mas.
MatamorosSpanish Given to the Apostle James, who according to tradition helped Christians to fight against the Moors.
MatarranzSpanish Originated in northern Spain, probably from mat- which means to kill and the surname Arranz. It is currently a very rare surname and is found mainly in the province of Segovia.
MauleonSpanish (Archaic) All I know is that there is a place in spain "Basque Country" that their town, apartments, holtes are named Mauleon. The language spoken is Basque a form of "Spanish and French"
MayoralSpanish Occupational name for the foreman of a gang of agricultural workers or the leader of a group of herdsmen mayoral (from Late Latin maioralis originally an adjective derivative of maior 'greater').
MayorgaSpanish habitational name, taken on from the place name Mayorga in Valladolid province of Castile.
MayorquinSpanish variant of Mallorquín a habitational name for someone from Majorca the largest island in the Balearic Islands from an adjectival form of its Spanish name Mallorca.
MazariegoSpanish Altered form of Mazariegos in singular for matching with the bearer.
MedellinSpanish Habitational name from a place so named in Badajoz province Latin (Caecilia) Metellina derived from the name of a 1st-century Roman proconsul in Spain Cecilio Metello Pio.
MedranoSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
MejiaSpanish Spanish (Mejía): probably from a religious byname (possibly under Jewish influence), from a vernacular form of Latin, Greek Messias ‘Messiah’, from Hebrew māšīaḥ ‘anointed’.
MeleroSpanish Occupational name for a collector or seller of honey, melero (Late Latin mellarius, an agent derivative of mel, genitive mellis, ‘honey’).
MelgarSpanish Topographical name for someone who lived by a field of lucerne, Spanish melgar (a collective derivative of mielga 'lucerne', Late Latin melica, for classical Latin Medica (herba) 'plant' from Media).
MelgosaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Castilian municipalities, Melgosa de Burgos or Melgosa de Villadiego. It could also indicate familial origin within the Manchego municipality La Melgosa.
MelilloSpanish, Italian describing someone who worked on an apple orchard,harvesting and selling apples from the italian mela
MenesesSpanish, Portuguese Meaning uncertain. It was likely a habitational name from either the municipality of Meneses de Campos in Palencia or the municipality of Valle de Mena in Burgos.
MengíbarSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
MercadoSpanish Topographic name for someone living by a market or metonymic occupational name for a market trader, from Spanish mercado meaning "market".
MesaSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in Spain called Mesa meaning "table" or "mesa" in Spanish (referring to a flat area of land).
MilanésSpanish habitational name for someone from Milan in Italy (see Milano) from milanés an adjectival form of the place name. Variant of Milan.
MinayaSpanish Minaya comes from Arabic, meaning 'open and visible path'. There is also some speculation that the name has Basque origins, meaning 'ore', or 'ore vein' as well as 'asphodel pastures'.
MoclinSpanish A town positioned outside of Granada and Toledo Spain, its current occupants number in the thousands. But, 700’s this town was positioned in a mist of sprawling Moorish control. And, for the next 800 years, it was the epic center of Europe’s culture and medicine... [more]
MonarrezSpanish Hispanic (Mexico; Monárrez): Altered Form Of Basque Munárriz Itself A Castilianized Form Of A Habitational Name From Munarritz (Also Amunarritz In Castilian Munárriz) A Town In Navarre.
MoncadaSpanish A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
MondejarSpanish Habitational name from a place called Mondéjar in Guadalajara province.
MondragónSpanish From the name of a town in Basque County, Spain, which is derived from Latin mons draconis meaning "dragon mountain".
MonsivaisSpanish Hispanic (Mexico; Monsiváis): Perhaps A Topographic Name Derived From Latin Mons Silvaticus ‘Wooded Mountain’ Or A Habitational Name From Monsivalls A Hill In Ribagorza In Huesca Province (Spain) Named From Latin Monte Ipsa Vallis ‘Mount Of The Valley’.
MontalbanSpanish Spanish (Montalbán): habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum 'white mountain'.
MonteagudoSpanish Habitational name from any of numerous places called Monteagudo (‘pointed mountain’) from monte ‘mountain’ + agudo ‘sharp pointed’ (from Latin acutus from acus ‘needle’) for example in the provinces of Murcia Teruel A Coruña and Navarre.
MonteblancoFrench, Spanish Originally from France "Mont Blanc" but translated when arrived in Spain.
MontejanoSpanish Habitational name for someone from a place called Montejo
MontemayorSpanish Habitational name from any of several places called Montemayor, from monte meaning "mountain" + mayor meaning "main", "larger", "greater", in particular in the provinces of Cordova, Salamanca, and Valladolid.
MontenegroSpanish, Portuguese Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in Spain and Portugal named Montenegro, from Spanish and Portuguese monte meaning "mountain, hill" and negro meaning "black".
MontielSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
MontillaSpanish Habitational name from Montilla a place in Córdoba province.
MontoroSpanish, Italian A Spanish habitational name from any of the places called Montoro in particular those in Córdoba or Teruel provinces. Italian habitational name from any of the places called Montoro in particular Montoro Inferiore and Montoro Superiore in Avellino province.
MonzonSpanish Habitational name from Monzón, a place in Uesca province, which is probably named from Latin montione ‘big mountain’.
MosquedaSpanish Mosqueda comes from the Spanish word 'Mosca' meaning house fly.
MosqueraSpanish, Catalan Spanish topographic name for someone who lived in a place that was infested with flies or mosquitos from a derivative of mosca "fly" (from Latin musca)... [more]
MotaSpanish, Portuguese Topographic name for someone who lived by a fortified stronghold.
NajarSpanish Spanish: Most Probably A Habitational Name From Najar Alicante. Alternatively It May Be An Occupational Name For A Carpenter Of Arabic Origin
NájeraSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
ÑáñezSpanish Patronymic from an unidentified personal name, perhaps it's a cognate of Ibáñez.
NaranjoSpanish Topographic name for someone who lived by an orange grove, from Spanish naranjo ‘orange tree’ (from naranja ‘orange’, Arabic nāránjya), or a habitational name from a place named Naranjo in A Coruña and Códoba provinces... [more]
NatalPortuguese, Spanish From the personal name Natal (from Latin Natalis), bestowed on someone born at Christmas or with reference to the Marian epithet María del Natal.
NatividadSpanish From the personal name Natividad "nativity, Christmas", from Latin nativitas "birth", genitive nativitatis, usually bestowed with reference to the Marian epithet María de la Natividad... [more]
NavarreteSpanish From the town of Navarrete in La Rioja, Spain, meaning "the pass of the Navarrans" or "dun mountain pass". It became particularly popular in the province of Jaen through the Castillian conquest of Baeza.
NavidadSpanish Derived from the personal name Noel. It means "Christmas" in Spanish.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (continuation of Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair, dark eyes, a dark complexion, someone who wore dark clothes, someone who worked a job in the night, or was otherwise associated with the night.
NegronSpanish, Italian This surname is a most likely variant of the word and name Negro.
NegueruelaSpanish It indicates familial origin within the eponymous La Riojan ghost town.
ObregónSpanish Spanish habitational name from Obregón in Santander province.
OcampoSpanish, Galician From the Galician toponym O Campo meaning "the field", also used as a habitational name from a town of the same name in Lugo, Galicia.
OcónSpanish This indicates familial origin within either the eponymous Riojan municipality or the Ocón de Villafranca neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Villafranca Montes de Oca.
OlivaItalian, Spanish Of uncertain origin: derived either from a nickname to those who picked, worked with or sold olives, or from the given name Oliva.
OlivaresSpanish Habitational name from any of several places named Olivares, from the plural of Spanish olivar meaning "olive grove". Compare Portuguese and Galician Oliveira.
OliveraSpanish Comes from the Latin etymology related to olive trees, olive grees and olives.
OlivoItalian, Spanish Topographic name from olivo "olive tree" or occupational name for someone who sold olives. Or from the given name Olivo given to someone born on Palm Sunday.
OronaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from a town of this name in Burgos province.
OroscoSpanish, Basque Variant of Orozco. Means "place of the holly trees" from oros meaning "holly tree" and the suffix -ko signifying a place. Also believed to have been derived from Latin orosius meaning "the son of bringer of wisdom".
OrozcoSpanish, Basque Comes from the Bilbao province in the Basque region of Spain.
OrtolanoItalian, Spanish occupational name for a cultivator or seller of fruit and vegetables ortolano "gardener" from a derivative of orto "vegetable garden" (from Latin hortus "garden"). The term was also used in the medieval period to denote both a cleric with a fervant devotion to pastoral work and a rough or uncouth person and in some instances may have been applied as a nickname in either sense... [more]
OstosSpanish Habitational name from a place called Ostos which no longer exists; the surname was in the 15th century recorded near Écija in Seville.
OsunaSpanish Habitational name from a place in the province of Seville, named from Arabic Oxuna, perhaps named from Late Latin Ursina (villa) "estate of Ursus" a byname meaning "bear".
PagánSpanish Castilianized spelling of Catalan Pagà, from the Late Latin personal name Paganus, which originally meant "dweller in an outlying village" (see Paine).