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.
Madrigal Spanish
"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."
Madriz Spanish, Catalan
patronymic surname meaning "son of Madrileño"; given to a person that came from Madrid, Spain.
Madroñero Spanish
It literally means "strawberry farmer".
Maestre Portuguese, Spanish
Occupational name from old Spanish and Portuguese maestre meaning 'master', 'master craftsman', 'teacher'.
Magallanes Spanish
Spanish: Castilianized Form Of A Habitational Name From The Village Of Magaláns (Castilian Magalanes) In Pontevedra Province Galicia (Spain).
Magaña Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
Magdaleno Spanish
Masculine form of the Biblical name Magdalena.
Mairena Spanish
From place name Mairena.
Málaga Spanish
Habitational name for someone from Málaga, capital of the province of the same name in Andalusia.
Malta Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
habitational or ethnic name for someone from the Mediterranean island of Malta (from Latin Melita Greek Melitē).
Mancebo Spanish
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’).
Mandujano Spanish
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.
Manjarrés Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Manjarrez Spanish
Habitational Name From Manjarrés A Village In La Rioja Province.
Manrique Spanish
From the given name Manrique.
Mansilla Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from Mansilla a place in La Rioja province.
Mantilla Spanish
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.
Manuel Catalan, Spanish
Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.
Manuel Spanish, Portuguese, French, German
Derived from the given name Manuel.
Manzanares Spanish
Habitational Name From The City Of Manzanares In Ciudad Real Province
Maqueda Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the Manchego municipality or the neighborhood of the Andalusian municipality of Málaga.
Marcelo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Marcelo.
Marchant French, 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.
Marchena Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 4 Andalusian localities or 1 Murcian locality.
Marcial Spanish, Filipino
From the given name Marcial.
Marciano Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Marciano
Mares Spanish
A quarternary sand used in construction.
Marfil Spanish
Means "ivory" in Spanish (ultimately of Arabic origin).
Mariano Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the personal name Mariano
Marinez Spanish
Means "son of Marino" in Spanish.
Maripan Spanish (Latin American)
Meaning unknown, mostly used in Chile.
Marmolejo Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Marquez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Márquez.
Marquina Spanish
Spanish form of any of several Basque towns called "Markina".
Marrero Italian, Spanish
Maker of spades or hoes. Marra spade
Marron Spanish
Derived from the French word marron meaning "chestnut", which now means "brown" in Spanish.
Marroquín Spanish (Latin American)
Ethnic Name For Someone From Morocco. This Surname Is Most Common In Central America.
Marroquin Spanish
Spanish or Portuguese
Marrufo Spanish
nickname from marrufo a Portuguese word meaning literally 'lay brother' and figuratively 'cunning sly'
Marte Spanish, Italian
From the given name Marte 2.
Martelle English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
English and German: from a medieval personal name, a pet form of Martin or Marta.... [more]
Martes Spanish
Pet form of Marte.
Martillo Spanish
From the Spanish word "martillo" which means hammer. Occupational name for a user or maker of hammers.
Martinien Spanish (Latin American)
A rare Latin American form of Martinez or Martin, meaning "Warring" or "At war"
Mártir Spanish
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.
Marulanda Spanish
topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with maru 'Moor' + landa '(large) field prairie'.
Marzon Spanish
Is a portmanteau of the words mar, meaning sea, and corazon, meaning heart.
Masvidal Spanish
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.
Matamoros Spanish
Given to the Apostle James, who according to tradition helped Christians to fight against the Moors.
Matarranz Spanish
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.
Matarrita Spanish (Latin American)
Mostly used in Costa Rica.
Mateos Spanish
Variant of Mateo.
Mathias French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese
French, Dutch: from the personal name Mathias (see Matthew).... [more]
Matias Filipino, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Czech (Americanized)
Spanish (Matías), Portuguese, and Dutch: from the personal name (see Matthew).... [more]
Mauleon Spanish (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"
Mauricio Spanish
From the given name Mauricio
Maya Basque (Hispanicized), Catalan, Spanish
As a Spanish surname, this is a Castilianized form of Portuguese Maia. As a Catalan surname this is a variant of Maià... [more]
Mayoral Spanish
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').
Mayordomo Spanish
Means "butler" in Spanish.
Mayorga Spanish
habitational name, taken on from the place name Mayorga in Valladolid province of Castile.
Mayorquin Spanish
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.
Mazariego Spanish
Altered form of Mazariegos in singular for matching with the bearer.
Medellin Spanish
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.
Medrano Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Mejia Spanish
Spanish (Mejía): probably from a religious byname (possibly under Jewish influence), from a vernacular form of Latin, Greek Messias ‘Messiah’, from Hebrew māšīaḥ ‘anointed’.
Melchor Spanish
Derived from the given name Melchor.
Melendez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Meléndez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Melero Spanish
Occupational name for a collector or seller of honey, melero (Late Latin mellarius, an agent derivative of mel, genitive mellis, ‘honey’).
Melgar Spanish
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).
Melgosa Spanish
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.
Melillo Spanish, Italian
describing someone who worked on an apple orchard,harvesting and selling apples from the italian mela
Melquíades Spanish
From the given name Melquíades.
Mencia Spanish
Derived from the female personal name Mencía Mencia a cognate of the male name Matías.
Mendez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Méndez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Mendosa Spanish
Variant spelling of Mendoza.
Menendez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Menéndez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Meneses Spanish, 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.
Mengíbar Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Menonita Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
From Spanish meaning "mennonite".
Mercado Spanish
Topographic name for someone living by a market or metonymic occupational name for a market trader, from Spanish mercado meaning "market".
Mérida Spanish
habitational name from the city of Mérida in Badajoz province... [more]
Mesa Spanish
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).
Mesías Spanish, Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish, meaning Messiah.
Mestanza Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Mezquita Spanish
Spanish cognate of Mesquita.
Mieles Italian, Spanish, French
Meaning "honey".
Mier Spanish, English (American)
As a Spanish name relates to late summer and means "harvest" or "ripened".... [more]
Miguelañez Spanish
Derived from the given name Miguel.
Mijangos Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Cuesta Urria.
Milán Spanish
Spanish form of Milan.
Milanés Spanish
habitational name for someone from Milan in Italy (see Milano) from milanés an adjectival form of the place name. Variant of Milan.
Minaya Spanish
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'.
Miqueletos Spanish
From the Spanish given name Miguel.
Miramontes Spanish
Looker of mountains.
Moclin Spanish
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]
Modernell Spanish (Latin American, Hispanicized, Modern)
Most common in Uruguay, probably of Lebanese origin, unknown meaning or etymology.
Molinero Spanish
An occupational surname from molinero (“miller”).
Monarrez Spanish
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.
Moncada Spanish
A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
Mondejar Spanish
Habitational name from a place called Mondéjar in Guadalajara province.
Mondragón Spanish
From the name of a town in Basque County, Spain, which is derived from Latin mons draconis meaning "dragon mountain".
Mondragon Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Mondragón chiefly used in America and the Philippines.
Monreal Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Monreal for example in Cuenca Teruel and Zaragoza provinces.
Monsivais Spanish
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’.
Montalban Spanish
Spanish (Montalbán): habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum 'white mountain'.
Monteagudo Spanish
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.
Monteblanco French, Spanish
Originally from France "Mont Blanc" but translated when arrived in Spain.
Montejano Spanish
Habitational name for someone from a place called Montejo
Montemayor Spanish
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.
Montenegro Spanish, 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".
Monterosa Spanish (Latin American)
From Spanish monte meaning "mountain", and rosa meaning "pink, rose".
Monterrubio Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Monterrubio ‘red mountain’.
Montes De Oca Spanish
Spanish surname meaning "mounts of goose".
Montesinos Spanish
Topographic name for someone who lived on a mountain from a derivative of monte 'mountain' (from Latin mons gentive montis).
Montezuma Spanish (Latin American)
Derived from the word monte meaning "hill". Most frequently used in Panama.
Montiel Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Montilla Spanish
Habitational name from Montilla a place in Córdoba province.
Montoro Spanish, 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.
Monzon Spanish
Habitational name from Monzón, a place in Uesca province, which is probably named from Latin montione ‘big mountain’.
Moratalla Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Murcian municipality.
Moríñigo Spanish
Habitational surname from Moríñigo, Moríñigo is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León.
Moro Italian, Spanish
Nickname from moro "moor" from Latin maurus "moor, north african" and Italian variant of Mauro.
Moros Spanish
Habitational name from Moros in Zaragoza province, so named from the plural of moro ‘Moor’, i.e. ‘the place where the Moors live’.
Morquecho Spanish
Castilianized Form Of Morketxo. Unexplained.
Mosqueda Spanish
Mosqueda comes from the Spanish word 'Mosca' meaning house fly.
Mosquera Spanish, 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]
Mota Spanish, Portuguese
Topographic name for someone who lived by a fortified stronghold.
Moyano Spanish
Habitational name for someone from Moya, from an adjectival form of the place name.
Muñecas Spanish
It literally means "dolls" or "wrists".
Muñiz Spanish
Variant of Muñoz.
Murcia Spanish
Habitational name from the city Murcia.
Murillo Spanish
Habitational name for someone from any of various locations called Murillo, so named from a diminutive of Spanish muro meaning "wall".
Najar Spanish
Spanish: Most Probably A Habitational Name From Najar Alicante. Alternatively It May Be An Occupational Name For A Carpenter Of Arabic Origin
Nájera Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Ñáñez Spanish
Patronymic from an unidentified personal name, perhaps it's a cognate of Ibáñez.
Nápoles Spanish, Portuguese, Spanish (Caribbean)
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Napoli; habitational name from the Italian city of Naples, which is called Nápoles in Spanish and Portuguese.
Naranjo Spanish
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]
Narciso Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Narciso.
Natal Portuguese, 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.
Natalio Spanish
From the given name Natalio.
Natividad Spanish
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]
Navarra Italian, Spanish
Means Navarre in Italian and Spanish; which was also the female equivalent to Navarro.
Navarrete Spanish
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.
Navas Spanish
Pural form of Spanish and Asturian-Leonese Nava (see also Naves).... [more]
Navidad Spanish
Derived from the personal name Noel. It means "Christmas" in Spanish.
Negro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish
Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
Negro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish
From a medieval continuation of the Latin personal name Niger.
Negro Italian, 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.
Negron Spanish, Italian
This surname is a most likely variant of the word and name Negro.
Negueruela Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous La Riojan ghost town.
Nessim Spanish, Jewish, Hebrew
Hebrew for 'miracles'. Name was originally Bar-Nisim; 'Children of the Miricle'
Nic Mayan
From Mayan ‘nik’ meaning “flower”.
Nicasio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Nicasio.
Nicolás Spanish
From the given name Nicolás.
Niño Spanish
Nickname from Spanish niño meaning "child", "boy". This was often given to a first-born son as a familiar name.
Niz Spanish (Latin American, Hispanicized, Modern)
Derived from the city of Nice in France, usually a surname given to someone without paternal recognition in that city.... [more]
Noceda Spanish
Spanish surname derived from the word "nocedal" meaning "field of walnut trees" it denoted a person who lived or came from such place.
Nogales Spanish
Habitational name from either of two locations in Spain named Nogales, from the plural form of Spanish nogal meaning "walnut tree".
Obispo Spanish
Means "bishop" in Spanish, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).
Obregón Spanish
Spanish habitational name from Obregón in Santander province.
Ocampo Spanish, 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.
Ocaña Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Ocón Spanish
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.
Octavio Spanish
From the given name Octavio.
Olegario Spanish
From the given name Olegario.
Oliva Italian, Spanish
Of uncertain origin: derived either from a nickname to those who picked, worked with or sold olives, or from the given name Oliva.
Olivares Spanish
Habitational name from any of several places named Olivares, from the plural of Spanish olivar meaning "olive grove". Compare Portuguese and Galician Oliveira.
Olivera Spanish
Comes from the Latin etymology related to olive trees, olive grees and olives.
Olivo Italian, 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.
Oña Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Onofre Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Onofre.
Ordóñez Spanish
Means "son of Ordoño".
Orona Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from a town of this name in Burgos province.
Orosco Spanish, 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".
Orozco Spanish, Basque
Comes from the Bilbao province in the Basque region of Spain.
Ortolano Italian, 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]
Ortonio Italian, Spanish
Variant of Ortone. Italian and Spanish form of Hortonius.
Orzabal Spanish
Used by Roland Orzabal.
Osegueda Spanish (Latin American)
Variant of Oseguera chiefly used in Central America.
Oseguera Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Valle de Mena.
Osorio Spanish
From the given name Osorio.
Ostos Spanish
Habitational name from a place called Ostos which no longer exists; the surname was in the 15th century recorded near Écija in Seville.
Osuna Spanish
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".
Osvaldo Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
From the given name Osvaldo.
Oviedo Spanish, Asturian
Derived from spanish "oveja" meaning sheep.
Pablo Spanish
From the given name Pablo.
Pabón Spanish
Variant of Pavón from Spanish pavón "peacock" from Latin pavo.
Pacana Spanish
From pacana meaning "pecan", "pecan tree", a word of Algonquin origin. This surname is also found in the Philippines.
Pagán Spanish
Castilianized spelling of Catalan Pagà, from the Late Latin personal name Paganus, which originally meant "dweller in an outlying village" (see Paine).