South American names include those from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AbregoSpanish As 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)").
AceboSpanish panish: Habitational Name From A Place Named Acebo, For Example In Cáceres Province; The Place Name Is From Acebo ‘Holly’ (Latin Aquifolium, Literally ‘Sharp-Leafed’).
AceroSpanish From acero "steel, steelworker" (from Late Latin aciarium), an occupational name for a metal worker or an armorer.
AchioSpanish (Latin American) Possibly derived from the town, Achio, near Guadalajara in Mexico. The name itself is probably from the Nahuatl achio meaning "frequent".
AfonsoPortuguese Old (6th century derived) Iberian surname, associated with the first dynasty and King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. The surname was used by all the subsequent illegitimate children of that dynastic line.
AgramonteSpanish habitational name from Agramonte in A Coruña and Lugo (Galicia).
AgrazSpanish Refers to an ancient type of grape. In Spanish, agraz means "sour grape, unripe grape, verjuice" Possibly an occupational name for someone who worked on a vineyard or in the wine-making industry... [more]
ÁguilaSpanish From 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.
AhumadaSpanish topographic or habitational name from a place named with ahumar "to smoke", possibly denoting a place where ham and other meats were smoked or alternatively a place that had been cleared for settlement by burning... [more]
AitanaSpanish From the name of a mountain in Valencia, Spain.
AjaSpanish Means "adze" in Spanish, denoting a person who uses the tool.
AlabanzaSpanish Means "praise" in Spanish, possibly denoted for a worshipper. from Spanish alabar "to praise" and a suffix. Travis Alabanza (1995-) is a British performance artist, writer, and theatremaker.
AlamedaSpanish Topographic 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.
AlamilloSpanish Spanish: topographic name from alamillo a diminutive of álamo 'poplar' or a habitational name from any of the many places called with this word in particular one in Ciudad Real.
ÁlamoSpanish, Portuguese Either a topographic name from álamo "poplar" or a habitational name from any of several places in Spain and Portugal named with this word.
AlanísSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
AlarcónSpanish Alarcón 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... [more]
AlcaláSpanish Derived from numerous towns with this name (fortified villages during the Moorish occupation of Spain), derived from Arabic القلعة (al-qalʿah) meaning "fortress, fortification, citadel".
AlcaldeSpanish Spanish: from alcalde 'mayor' from Arabic al-qāḍī 'the judge' a title dating from the days of Moorish rule in Spain.
AlcántaraSpanish Habitational 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".
AlcarazSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
AlcázarSpanish Habitational name from any of various places for example in the provinces of Ciudad Real Cuenca and Granada named with the word alcázar "citadel" or "palace" (from Arabic al "the" and qaṣr "fortress" a borrowing of Latin castrum; see Castro).
AlcobendasSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
AldaiaBasque, Spanish From the name of a municipality in Valencia, Spain, probably derived from Arabic الضيعة (ad-day'a) meaning "the village" (compare Aldea).
AldeaSpanish Topographic name meaning "village, hamlet" in Spanish, ultimately from Arabic الضيعة (ad-day'a).
AldereteSpanish Habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal called Alderete probably from a Gothic personal name or derived from the Old English personal, or first name “Aldrich,” which means old ruler
AlemánSpanish from alemán an ethnic name for a German also used as a nickname for a Spanish person having some connection with Germany. Cognate to Allman and Allemand.
AlhambraSpanish Refers 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".
AlipantePortuguese (Portuguese-style, Rare) The meaning of the given name Alipante represents compassion, creativity, reliability, generosity, loyalty and a love for domestic life.... [more]
AllalaBasque, Spanish Variant spelling of Ayala, in at least one case altered to avoid confusion with an unrelated person of the same name, and apparently to distance the bearer from prejudice against hispanics.
AllendeBasque, Spanish Means "beyond, yonder; on the other side" in Spanish, though it possibly derives from Basque aihen "vine, shoot" or ale "grain" combined with the collective suffix -di, meaning "pasture, cereal field".
AlmadaPortuguese This indicates familial origin within the eponymous city.
AlmanzaSpanish Originally 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".
AlmarzaSpanish This 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.
AlmazánSpanish Habitational 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".
AlmenaraSpanish Almenara 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.
AlmiraSpanish, Spanish (Philippines) Occupational surname meaning "admiral", referring to the highest rank in the navy, derived from the Spanish almirante meaning "admiral"
AmaralPortuguese Unknown origin. It may come from the name of a country estate near Viseu, Portugal (quinta do Amaral) or from an old word meaning "place full of clary sages". This is also the name of a variety of red wine grape in northern Portugal whose name comes directly from the surname.
AmayaSpanish, Basque (Hispanicized) From the name of a mountain and an ancient city in the province of Burgos, Spain, possibly derived from Basque amai "end, ending" and the article suffix -a. Compare the given name Amaia.
AmbrìzSpanish " 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. "
AmorSpanish, Portuguese Means "love" in Spanish and Portuguese, likely denoting an illegitimate child and also a philanderer. It could also be from the given name Amor... [more]
AndaluzSpanish Means "from Andalusia" or "from Spain", derived from the region of Spain called Andalucía, once called Al-Ándalus (a classical Arab name for the Iberian Peninsula)... [more]
AngelSpanish, Catalan, Occitan, English, Slovene From the Latin personal name Angelus meaning "Angel", derived from the Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger" (see the given name Angel).
AparicioSpanish Derived from the Latin word “aparitio” meaning “appearance” or “arrival”. It may also be a habitational name, indicating a person who lived near or at a place with the same name.
ApolloItalian, Spanish From 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".
AponteSpanish A misdivision of Daponte. It originates from Majorca, Spain.
AràbiaItalian, Spanish Ethnic 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.
AragónSpanish Habitational name from Aragon Spain which was an independent kingdom from 1035 to 1479. It took its name from the river Aragón which arises in its northwestern corner... [more]
ArandaSpanish Habitational name from any of various places for example Aranda de Duero in Burgos province which bears a name of pre-Roman probably Celtic origin.
ArandsEnglish, Spanish Anglicized version of a name given to residents of Aranda de Duero, a small town in the north of Spain.
ArboledaSpanish From arboleda meaning "grove of trees". This is the name of a prominent Colombian family, in which case it is derived from their region of origin in Arboleya, Spain.
ArceoSpanish From the name of the town of Arceo in La Coruña, Galicia.
ArchilaSpanish Either a variant of Arcila or derived from Arabic الشَّلَّال (aš-šallāl) meaning "the waterfall".
ArellanoBasque, Spanish From the name of a town in Nevarre, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from either of the Latin personal names Valerius or Aurelius, indicating land owned by someone of the name, or from Basque aritz "oak (tree)" (see haritz).
ArenzanaSpanish It indicates familial origin within either of 2 La Riojan municipalities: Arenzana de Abajo or Arenzana de Arriba.
ArévaloSpanish Habitational name from any of the places called Arévalo in the provinces of Ávila and Soria of pre-Roman origin.
ArguelloSpanish It had its cradle in the so-called Brotherhood of Argüello, formed by the councils of Val de Lugueros, Mediana de Argüello and La Tercia del Camino (León), from where its branches spread throughout Spain.
ArguetaSpanish This surname was most likely originally used to identify a person who lived in a characteristically bright or luminous area.
ArguijoSpanish Spanish: Habitational Name From A Place Called Arguijo In Zamora Province.
ArizaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from a place so named in Zaragoza province in Aragón.
ArmasSpanish Occupational name for an arms maker or soldier, from Spanish armas meaning "arms, weapons".
ArmendarizSpanish, Basque Variant of Basque Armendaritze, a habitational name from a village in Low Navarre named Armendaritze, or directly from a patronymic form of the Basque personal name Armendari or Armentari, from Latin Armentarius "herdsman".
ArmeniaItalian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese Ethnic 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"... [more]
ArmenterosSpanish Habitational 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)’.
ArmijoSpanish Derived 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.
ArredondoSpanish habitational name from a place in Cantabria named Arredondo possibly from redondo 'round' because of the roundish shape of the hill on which it stands.
AscencioSpanish, Italian From 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).
AsunciónSpanish Means "assumption" in Spanish, referring to the bodily taking up of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. The unaccented form, Asuncion, is much more common.
AtaídesPortuguese For people descending from inhabitants of Freguesia do Ataíde, in Portugal; currently part of Vila Meã, or related to the noble family who owned those lands. The place was probably named after Athanagild, 6th-century king of Visigothic Hispania and probable founder of the village.