Mexican
names are used in the country of Mexico in southern North America.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ABREGO SpanishAs a Spanish surname, it was from Spanish
ábrego, which originally meant "African", from Latin
africus. The vocabulary word in modern Spanish has lost this general sense and now means "south wind" (literally, "African (wind)").
ABUNDIS Spanish (Mexican)The surname Abundis is patronymic from the Old Spanish personal name Abundio, ultimately from Latin abundus ‘abundant’, ‘plentiful’.
ACERO SpanishFrom
acero "steel, steelworker" (from Late Latin
aciarium), an occupational name for a metal worker or an armorer.
ACHIO Spanish (Latin American)Possibly derived from the town, Achio, near Guadalajara in Mexico. The name itself is probably from the Nahuatl
achio meaning "frequent".
ACUNA Spanish (Latin American)Related tho the Acuna Indians of Mexico, there is also a city by the name. Popular in border areas of Mexico and Texas.
ÁGUILA SpanishFrom
águila "eagle" (Latin
aquila). This is either a nickname for a haughty man or one with an aquiline nose, or a habitational name from a place in Salamanca province called Águila.
AGUILERA SpanishHabitational name from a location in Soria province, Spain, named Aguilera, derived from Spanish
aguilera meaning "eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer
Christina Aguilera (1980-).
ALAMEDA SpanishTopographic name from
alameda meaning ‘poplar grove’, a collective form of
álamo meaning ‘poplar’, or a habitational name from any of the many places named with this word.
ALANÍS SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
ALARCÓN SpanishAlarcón was a fort owned by the arabs in the Iberian Peninsula (Alarcón literally meaning 'the fort' in arabic), and the spaniards had the goal of owning it during the spanish reconquista. After 9 months of siege, Fernán Martínez de Ceballos climbed the walls of the fort using only two daggers and opened the gates from the inside allowing the castillan army to come in and conquer Alarcón... [
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ALCÁNTARA SpanishHabitational name denoting someone originally from the municipality of Alcántara in Extremadura, Spain. The name is ultimately derived from Arabic اَلْقَنْطَرَة
(al-qanṭara) meaning "the bridge".
ALCARAZ SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
ALCOBENDAS SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
ALDEA SpanishTopographic name meaning "village, hamlet" in Spanish, ultimately from Arabic الضيعة
(ad-day'a).
ALHAMBRA SpanishRefers to the Alhambra, a palace complex located in Granada, Spain. The name itself is derived from Arabic الْحَمْرَاء
(Al-Ḥamrā) meaning "the red one" or, ultimately, from Arabic أَحْمَر
(ʾaḥmar) "red".
ALLENDE Basque, SpanishBasque surname possibly linked to the Spanish word
allende of Latin origin meaning "beyond" or "besides".
ALMANZA SpanishOriginally indicated a person from Almanza, a city in northern Spain. The city's name itself is derived from Arabic المنزل
(al-manzil) meaning "the house".
ALMARZA SpanishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 localities: the Castilian municipality of Almarza, Comarca of El Valle or the Riojan municipality of Almarza de Cameros.
ALMAZÁN SpanishHabitational name demoting someone originally from the municipality of Almazán in Castile and León, Spain. The name itself is derived from Arabic المكان المحصن
(al-makān al-ḥiṣn) meaning "the fortified place" or "the stronghold".
ALMENARA SpanishAlmenara in Spanish is "beacon", but it is an old kind of beacon that consisted of a fire that was lit on top of the battlements to give a signal.
ALMODOVAR SpanishPedro Almodóvar Caballero (1949-) is a Spanish filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer, and former actor who was born in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain. His films are marked by his employment of certain actors and creative personnel, complex narratives, melodrama, pop culture, popular songs, irreverent humor, strong colors, and glossy décor... [
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ALMOGUERA SpanishIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
ALMONTE SpanishFrom a place between Huelva and Sevilla. Means "the mountain".
ALPÍZAR SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous locality in the Andalusian province of Huelva.
AMBRÌZ Spanish" Probably a variant of Asturian-Leonese Ambres, a habitational name from a village in Asturies. Also a habitational name of Ámbriz a city in Angola, Africa, mainly of Portuguese descendants. "
ANDÚJAR SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
ANTOLIN Spanish1 Spanish (Antolín): from the personal name, a vernacular form of Antoninus, a name borne by thirteen saints.... [
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APOLLO Italian, SpanishFrom the Greek personal name
Apollo. There are several saints Apollo in the Christian Church, including an Egyptian hermit and monastic leader who died in 395 ad. The personal name derives from the name in classical mythology of the sun god,
Apollo, an ancient Indo-European name, found for example in Hittite as
Apulana "god of the gate" (from
pula "gate", cognate with Greek
pylē), therefore "protector, patron".
APONTE SpanishA misdivision of Daponte. It originates from Majorca, Spain.
ARÀBIA Italian, SpanishEthnic name for someone from Arabia or some other Arabic-speaking country or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries.
ARANDS English, SpanishAnglicized version of a name given to residents of Aranda de Duero, a small town in the north of Spain.
ARAQUISTAIN Basque, Spanish''Place of the ferns'' in Basque. It first appeared when a family arrived for the first time to a part of the Pyrenees where they where a lot of ferns. Then, that family, changed their last name to ''Araquistain'' which means ''place of the ferns'' in basque.
ARCHILA SpanishEither a variant of
Arcila or derived from Arabic الشَّلَّال
(aš-šallāl) meaning "the waterfall".
ARENCIBIA SpanishCastilianized combination of the basque words of
aranz meaning "thorn"; "hawthorn" +
ibi meaning "ford" + a (basque article suffix); meaning someone living by a thorny ford. A "ford" is a body of water shallow enough to walk through; In this context topographically referring to a some places in Spain
ARGUETA SpanishThis surname was most likely originally used to identify a person who lived in a characteristically bright or luminous area.
ARIZA SpanishSpanish: habitational name from a place so named in Zaragoza province in Aragón.
ARMAS SpanishOccupational name for an arms maker or soldier, from Spanish
armas meaning "arms, weapons".
ARMENIA Italian, Catalan, Spanish, PortugueseEthnic name or regional name for someone from Armenia or who had connections with Armenia. This surname is derived from the feminine form of
Armenio, which is ultimately from Greek Αρμένιος (
Armenios) meaning "Armenian"... [
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ARMENTEROS SpanishHabitational name from either of two places called Armenteros, in the provinces of Ávila and Salamanca, from the plural of
armenatero meaning ‘cowherd’, from Latin armenta ‘herd(s)’.
ARMIJO SpanishDerived from the Spanish adjetive "armigero", meaning "one who bears arms". First found in the Northern Region of Spain in Cantabria. Alternate spellings include: Armijos, Armigo, and Armija.
ARROYO SpanishHabitational name for someone from any of numerous places named Arroyo, from Spanish
arroyo meaning "stream, brook, watercourse".
ASCENCIO Spanish, ItalianFrom the personal name (Latin Ascensius), favored by the early Christians, by whom it was bestowed with reference to the ascension of Christ (Late Latin ascensio).
AUÑÓN SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
AVAMILANO Spanish, ItalianOf Spanish origin, but probably has its roots in Italy due to the word "milano" which means Milan in Italian.
AVEIRO Portuguese, SpanishDemonymic surname refering to Aveiro a city in middle north-eastern Portugal. A famous bearer of this surname is Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
AVELLANEDA SpanishIt literally means "hazelnut grove", denoting someone who either lived near one or worked in one.
AVENA Spanish, ItalianA traditionally Spanish and Italian occupational surname for a "grain grower or merchant", or the Italian habitation surname for Avena, Calabria. Means "oats". From the Latin
avēna meaning 'oats, wild oats, straw'.
ÁVILA SpanishFrom the name of a city in Castile and León, Spain, derived from Medieval Latin
avis meaning "bird".
AYLLÓN SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
AZUAJE-FIDALGO Portuguese (Rare), Spanish, ItalianFidalgo from Galician and Portuguese
filho de algo — equivalent to "nobleman", but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some (important family)"—is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a member of the titled or untitled nobility... [
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BADILLO SpanishTopographic name from a diminutive of vado ‘ford’ (Latin vadum) or a habitational name from either of two places named with this word: Valillo de la Guarena in Zamora province or Vadillo de al Sierra in Ávila.
BALLON SpanishTheoretically it could be a variant of vallón, from valle ‘valley’, but neither form is attested as a vocabulary word or as a place name element. Alternatively, it could be a Castilian spelling of Catalan Batlló, Balló, nicknames from diminutives of batlle ‘dancing’.English: variant spelling of Balon.
BARBERO SpanishSpanish occupational name for a barber-surgeon (see
BARBER), Spanish
barbero, from Late Latin
barbarius, a derivative of
barba ‘beard’ (Latin
barba).
BARCELONA Catalan, SpanishHabitational name from Barcelona, the principal city of Catalonia. The place name is of uncertain, certainly pre-Roman, origin. The settlement was established by the Carthaginians, and according to tradition it was named for the Carthaginian ruling house of Barca; the Latin form was Barcino or Barcilo.
BÁRCENAS SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Espinosa de los Monteros.
BARRERA Spanish, CatalanEither a topographic name for someone who lived near a gate or fence, from Spanish and Catalan
barrera meaning "barrier", or a topographic name for someone who lived by a clay pit, from Spanish
barrero, derived from the Spanish word
barro meaning "mud, clay".
BARRIOS SpanishHabitational name from any of the numerous places named with Spanish
barrio "outlying suburb (especially an impoverished one), slum", from Arabic
barr "suburb, dependent village". It may also be a topographic name for someone originating from a barrio.
BATRES SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
BEA SpanishHabitational name from a place of this name in Teruel.
BEAS Spanish (Mexican)Spanish (common in Mexico): habitational name from any of the places in Andalusia named Beas.
BELALCÁZAR SpanishIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality with the coordinates 38°34′31″N 5°10′02″W.
BENAVIDES SpanishPatronymic name from the Medieval personal name
Ben Avid, of Arabic origin, derived from
ibn Abd meaning "son of the servant of God".
BETETA SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
BEZOS SpanishFrom
bezo meaning "thick lips" in Spanish, referring to a person with blubber or thick lips.
BLASQUEZ SpanishFrom the medieval diminutive Velasco, from the Basque word 'bela' meaning "crow", and the diminutive suffix 'sko'.
BOLAR SpanishTopographic name for someone who lived on a patch of soil of a particular type known as tierra bolar.
BONBA Basque, SpanishFrom Basque
bonba meaning "bomb", (Latin
bombus), hence probably a nickname for someone with an explosive temperament, or a metonymic occupational name for an artilleryman.
BORGES Portuguese, SpanishPossibly from Old French
burgeis meaning "town-dweller" (see
BURGESS). Alternately, it may have denoted someone originally from the city of Bourges in France.
BRAVO Spanish, PortugueseFrom a Spanish and Portuguese nickname for a fierce or violent man (from Spanish and Portuguese
bravo "fierce, violent"). This surname was borne by Charles Bravo (1845-1876), a British lawyer and possible murder victim.
BRIONES SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
BRIZUELA SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Valdeporres.
BUENAVENTURA SpanishSpanish: from the personal name Buenaventura meaning ‘good fortune’, bestowed as an omen name or with specific reference to the Italian bishop and theologian St Bonaventura (canonized in the 14th century).
BUENDÍA SpanishProbably a habitational name from Buendía in Cuenca province, Spain.
BUENO Spanishgenerally an approving (or ironic) nickname, from Spanish bueno ‘good’.
BUITRAGO SpanishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous municipalities: the Castilian one in El Campo de Gómara or the Manchego municipality of Buitrago del Lozoya in Sierra Norte, Comunidad de Madrid.
BULGARIA Italian, SpanishOriginally an ethnic name or regional name for someone from Bulgaria or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with Bulgaria, which is named after the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, itself possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed".
BUMBA Portuguese, Spanish, Galician, Italian, Catalan, Occitan, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Swedish, Latvian, LithuanianVariant of
BOMBA.
BUSTAMANTE SpanishHabitational name for someone originally from the town of Bustamante in Cantabria, Spain, derived from Latin
bustum Amantii meaning "pasture of
AMANTIUS".
CABABA SpanishSpanish (Cabaña) and Portuguese: habitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña ‘hut’, ‘cabin’ (Late Latin capanna , a word of Celtic or Germanic origin).
CABALLERO SpanishOccupational name from
caballero "knight, soldier, horseman" (from Late Latin
caballarius "mounted soldier").
CABALLO Spanish, Spanish (Latin American)Derived from the Spanish word
cabello, ultimately derived from the Latin word
caballus, meaning "horse". This denoted someone who worked in a farm that took care of horses, or someone who had personality traits attributed to a horse, such as energetic behaviour.
CABAÑA Spanish, PortugueseHabitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña ‘hut’, ‘cabin’ (Late Latin capanna, a word of Celtic or Germanic origin).
CABAÑAS Spanish, PortugueseHabitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña or Portuguese cabanha ‘hut’, ‘cabin’.
CAJIGAS Spanish, FilipinoTopographic name from the plural of Spanish
cajigo, derived from
quejigo meaning "gall oak".
CALDERA SpanishDerived from Spanish
caldera meaning "basin, crater, hollow", ultimately from Latin
caldarium or
caldaria both meaning "hot bath, cooking pot". The word also denotes a depression in volcanoes, and it is commonly used as an element for surnames denoting streams or mountains.
CALDERÓN SpanishOccupational name for a tinker or a seller or maker of kettles from Vulgar Latin
*caldaria meaning "cauldron". Alternately, it may be a habitational name for someone from any of various locations named Calderón or a topographic name from Spanish
caldera meaning "crater, basin".
CALERO SpanishMetonymic occupational name for a burner or seller of lime, from
calero ‘lime’.
CAMACHO Spanish, PortugueseFrom the ancient European
camb, meaning twisted or disfigured, denoting to someone with visible physical abnormalities, but could possibly also refer to residents of a particularly gnarly tract of land.
CAMARGO SpanishHabitational name for someone from a place in Andalusia called Camargo.
CAMINO SpanishDerived from the Spanish word for "path", or "walkway". This could have been used to denote a person who lived near a path, or one who built paths for a living.
CAMPUS SpanishDerived from the Latin word
campus, meaning "field". It denoted someone who either lived in a field or worked in one.
CAN Mayanfrom the word
kaan meaning "snake"
CANCIO SpanishA name for a person who first held the position of Chancellor.
CANIZALES Spanish (Latin American)This surname came from around the beginnings of 1800 in south regions of Colombia where sugar cane was cultivated. It's a variation of
Cañizales, that literally means "sugar cane fields".
CANOMANUEL SpanishThe first part of this surname is possibly derived from Spanish
cano "hoary, white-haired, grey-haired". The second part is derived from the given name
MANUEL... [
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CARBAJAL Spanish, Judeo-SpanishProbably a habitational name demoting someone originally from any of the multiple locations called
Carbajal in León, Asturias, or Zamora in Spain. Alternatively, it may be of pre-Roman origin from the word
carbalio meaning "oak", denoting someone who either lived near an oak tree or who was like an oak tree in some way.... [
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CARBONERO SpanishFamous bearers are Carlos Carbonero, a Colombian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sampdoria on loan from Fénix and Sara Carbonero, a Spanish sports journalist.
CARCELÉN SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
CÁRDENAS SpanishHabitational name from places in the provinces of Almería and Logroño named Cárdenas, from the feminine plural of
cárdeno "blue, bluish purple" (Late Latin
cardinus, from
carduus "thistle")... [
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CARDENETE SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
CARMONA SpanishHabitational name from any of various locations named Carmona, derived from Phonecian
qʾrt-ḥmn meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian deity).
CARRERA Spanish, ItalianSpanish: topographic name for someone living by a main road,
carrera ‘thoroughfare’, originally a road passable by vehicles as well as pedestrians (Late Latin
carraria (via), a derivative of
carrum ‘cart’), or a habitational name from any of various places named with this word.... [
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CARRIÓN SpanishIt comes from the knight Alonso Carreño, who distinguished himself in the conquest of the town of Carrión de los Condes (Palencia), where he founded his solar house.
CARTAGENA SpanishFrom the name of the city of Cartagena in southeastern Spain, derived from Latin
Carthāgō Nova meaning "New Carthage" (ultimately derived from Phonecian
qrt-ḥdšt meaning "new city").
CASABUENA Spanish (Modern, Rare)Means "Happy House" or "House of Happiness" in Spanish, with the Spanish word "Casa", which means "House" and Buena, meaning "Happy" or "Happiness".
CASILLAS SpanishFrom any of various places called Casillas or Las Casillas, from the plural of casilla, a diminutive of Casa. ... [
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CASTELLANOS SpanishCastellanos is a Spanish habitational surname with the meaning "(from a place founded or inhabited by) Castilians". Greek (Kastellanos): topographic name from an adjectival derivative of
kastello "castle" (from Late Latin
castellum, a diminutive of
castrum "fort", "Roman walled city").
CAVA Italian, Catalan, Spanish, PortugueseFrom
cava ‘cave’, ‘cellar’ (from Latin
cavea), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in the wine cellars of a great house, a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a cave, or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word.
CEJA SpanishFrom a common field name or a habitational name from any of various minor places called Ceja Yecla in Aragon.
CENDEJAS SpanishCendejas is a city in Guadalahara. It is short for Cendejas de la Torre.
CEPEDA SpanishA nickname for someone from the region where they grow vineyards.
CESPEDES SpanishFrom the plural of
cesped "peat", "turf" (Latin
caespes, genitive
caespitis), applied as a habitational name from a place named Céspedes (for example in Burgos province) or named with this word, or a topographic name for someone who lived by an area of peat, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for someone who cut and sold turf.
CHAPIN French, SpanishFrom 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.
CHICA SpanishApparently 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 SpanishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous Andalusian municipalities: Chiclana de la Frontera or Chiclana de Segura.
CHINCHILLA SpanishOriginally 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.
CINTRON SpanishSpanish form for the french "Citroen". Original from Puerto Rico.
CIRIA SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
CLAVEL SpanishMetonymic 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".
COLMENARES SpanishIt literally means "apiaries", denoting someone who either worked at some or lived near some.
CONCEPCIÓN SpanishMeans "conception'' in Spanish, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary.
CONEJO SpanishSpanish for rabbit from Latin "cuniculus". Given to someone who hunted rabbits.
CORCOVADO SpanishMeans "hunchback" in Spanish. It would denote a person with a curved spine.
CÓRDOBA SpanishIndicates 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, PortugueseMeans "Korean" in Spanish and Portuguese, possibly an ethnic name or regional name for someone from Korea or who had connections with Korea.
CORRALES SpanishHabitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations named Corrales in Spain, from Spanish
corral meaning "coral, enclosure".
CORTE Spanish, Catalan, Italian, PortugueseFrom
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.