South American Submitted Surnames

Tenorio Spanish
Possibly a habitational name from a place called Tenorio in Pontevedra province, Spain.

Tenorio Spanish (Latin American)

Teput South American

Teran Spanish (Latin American)

Tercero Spanish
Means "third" in Spanish (see Tercero).

Terra Portuguese (Brazilian)

Terriquez Spanish
A Spanish patronymic name of unknown meaning.

Tesoro Spanish, Italian
from tesoro "treasure" (from Latin thesaurus "hoard") applied as a metonymic occupational name for a treasurer. In some cases this may be a habitational name from El Tesoro in southern Spain... [more]

Texeira Portuguese
Variant of Teixeira.

Texidor Spanish

Tiago Portuguese
From the given name Tiago.

Tiburcio Spanish
From the given name Tiburcio

Tico Spanish
From the given Tico.

Ticona Indigenous American, Aymara (Hispanicized)

Tifni Spanish (Latin American)

Timoteo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Timoteo.

Tiniacos Spanish (Latin American)

Tino Spanish

Tirado Spanish
Likely a nickname for a person with long limbs, from the Spanish tirado meaning "stretched".

Tiscareño Spanish

Tjon-A-Joe South American

Tobar Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.

Tobías Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Jewish
From the given name Tobías.

Tofiño Spanish
Surname of Vicente Tofiño (de San Miguel y Wanderiales), an 18th century Spanish navigator, cartographer, and cosmographer. The meaning of the name Tofiño is unknown.

Toledo Spanish
Habitational name from the city of Toledo in Spain, derived from Latin Toletum of uncertain meaning.

Tolentino Spanish, Filipino, Portuguese, Italian (Rare), Judeo-Italian
Ultimately derived from the name of a town in the province of Macerata, Italy (see Tolentino). This was adopted as a Spanish given name in honour of the 14th-century Italian saint and mystic Nicholas of Tolentino... [more]

Tomás Spanish, Portuguese, Irish
From the given name Tomás.

Tomazini Portuguese (Brazilian)

Tomé Portuguese
From the given name Tomé.

Tonial Brazilian

Toquinto Spanish (Rare)

Torcato Portuguese
From the given name Torcato.

Toribio Spanish
From the given name Toribio.

Tormenta Spanish

Toro Spanish, Italian
Either a habitational name from Toro in Zamora province. Compare De Toro . Or a nickname for a lusty person or for someone who owned a bull or a metonymic occupational name for a tender of bulls or possibly for a bull fighter from toro "bull" (from Latin taurus).

Torquato Italian, Portuguese
From the given name Torquato

Torrabadella Spanish

Torrado Spanish

Torralba Spanish, Catalan, Aragonese
Habitational name from any of several places called Torralba, named with torre meaning "tower" + alba meaning "white".

Torras Spanish (?)
Means 'towers' in Spanish. Similar to name Torres.

Torre Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian cognitive and, Spanish and Portuguese variant of Torres. From torre "tower" (from Latin turris).

Torrent Spanish
A topographical name for someone who lived by a flood stream, deriving from the Spanish torrente. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguish names in the small communities of the Middle Ages... [more]

Torrez Spanish
Variant of Torres.

Torriente Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Cuban name likely meaning "river".

Torrubiano Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the municipality of Torrubia de Soria.

Toscano Italian, Spanish
Originally indicated someone who came from the region of Tuscany in central Italy.

Tosta Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Rare)
Perhaps a variant or shortened form of Spanish Tostado. Also compare Italian Tosto.

Tostado Spanish
Means "toasted; tanned" or "brown, dark" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with dark skin, or who tanned easily.

Traspeña Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the locality of Traspeña de la Peña in the municipality of Castrejón de la Peña.

Trejo Spanish
Spanish habitational surname, for someone from Trexo, a place in Asturias in northwest Spain.

Tres Spanish

Treviño Spanish
Habitational name from either of the places so named in the provinces of Burgos and Santander, possibly derived from Latin trifinium "place where three boundaries meet".

Trevino Spanish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Treviño.

Triano Spanish
Possibly a habitational name from Triano, the Castilianized name of the Basque towns called Abanto and Urtuella, in Biscay province, Basque Country.

Trigueros Spanish
Habitational name from places in Huelva and Valladolid named Trigueros, from a derivative of trigo ‘wheat’, or possibly triguero ‘corn merchant’. Nickname from triguero ‘dark blond’, ‘corn colored’.

Trillo Spanish
It literally means "threshing board".

Trindade Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means 'of the trinity' in Portuguese.

Trinidad Filipino, Spanish
Means "trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity.

Troppa German, Italian, Slovak, German (Silesian), Spanish (Latin American)
Likely meaning unknown.

Truan Spanish
Means "Knave" or "Joker"

Trueba Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the vicinity of the eponymous Castilian river.

Tuberquia South American, Indigenous American

Tundidor Spanish

Turrubiartes Basque, Spanish
History:... [more]

Ubaldo Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Ubaldo

Uceda Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.

Uclés Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.

Umpiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Umpierro" in Spanish. The medieval given name Umpierro is of uncertain meaning.

Uñalivia Spanish (Rare)
Has no specific meaning but it was a rare spanish name

Urbana Belarusian, Ukrainian, Russian (Rare), Italian, Spanish
Feminine form of Urban.

Urbaneja Spanish
Likely derived from Urban. This surname is most common in Venezuela.

Urbano Italian, Spanish
From the given name Urbano.

Uribe Spanish

Urriola Spanish
Variant of Arriola.

Ursúa Basque (Hispanicized), Spanish
Castilianized form of Urtsua.

Utitiaj Spanish

Uvalle Spanish (Latin American)

Uvalles Spanish

Vaamonde Spanish
Variant of the habitational surname Bahamonde, from one of the Galician places called Baamonde (earlier written Bahamonde) in the province of Lugo most probably Santiago de Baamonde (Begonte).

Vabec French (Rare), Italian, Spanish

Vaca Spanish
Variant of Cabeza De Vaca.

Val Spanish, French
It means valley. It comes from Britain and then moved to Aragón (Spain).

Valadez Asturian, Spanish, Mexican
Asturian-Leonese variant of Valdez.

Valbuena Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Valbuena for example in Valladolid Cáceres and Salamanca.

Valcazar Spanish

Valdemar Danish (Rare), Swedish (Rare), Spanish, Portuguese, French Creole
From the given name Valdemar.

Valderrábano Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.

Valderrama Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places named Valderrama, as for example in Burgos province.

Valderrama Spanish
This surname is made up of the prefix "bal-" from latin "vallis," the equivalent of prefix "-valle" meaning a vale or a valley plus the Spanish "derramare" - to scatter or to spread. Hence, implies valley which is spread out.

Valdés Asturian, Spanish, Central American
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.

Valdivia Spanish
Topographic or habitational name based on Spanish val, valle meaning "valley". A notable bearer was Pedro de Valdivia (died 1553), a Spanish conquistador who conquered Chile with a small expedition corps after he served under Francisco Pizarro in Peru... [more]

Valdivieso Spanish
This place-name is derived from the Asturian word val-di-vieso, which means old man's-valley.

Valdiviezo South American, Spanish (Latin American)
Variant of Valdivieso.

Valdovinos Spanish
Spanish: from a personal name of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements bald 'bold brave' + win 'friend'.

Valeiro Portuguese
Variant of Valério.

Valenciano Spanish
A Spanish surname. It is a regional name denoting someone from Valencia.

Valencio Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the name of the Spanish city of Valencia.

Valensuela Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Latin American)
Variant and Portuguese form of Valenzuela

Valente Italian, Galician, Portuguese
Italian, Galician, and Portuguese: nickname from valente ‘brave’, ‘valiant’.... [more]

Valentim Portuguese
From the given name Valentim.

Valentín Spanish, Slovak
From the given name Valentín.

Valentinis Friulian, Spanish (Latin American)
Derived from the given name Valentinus

Valentins English, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Valentin.

Valenzuela Spanish
Habitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "little Valencia".

Valera Spanish
Habitational name from either of two places in Spain named Valera.

Valeriano Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Italian (Rare)
From the given name Valeriano.

Valério Portuguese
From the given name Valério.

Valez Spanish
I think it is of Spanish Background possibly meaning 'Soldier' or 'Guard'. ... [more]

Valezze Spanish
Variant of Valez

Valgañón Spanish
This indicates familial within the eponymous Riojan municipality.

Vali Spanish, Italian (Swiss), Arabic
This Spanish and Italian surname of VALI was a locational name for someone OR A family who lived in a valley. In valle quiescit ( In the valley of our home, we find peace.)... [more]

Valladolid Spanish
Habitational name from the city of this name.

Valle Spanish, Filipino, Italian
Habitational name from any of the many places named with valle "valley", or topographic name for someone who lived in a valley (Latin vallis).

Vallejo Spanish, Caribbean
Denoted someone who lived in a small valley.

Valmores Spanish

Valtierrez Spanish

Valverde Spanish
Refers to a place name which suggests a landscape, agreeable with herbs, flowers and water.

Vanderlei Brazilian
It derives from the Dutch surname Van der Leij/Ley. The surname arrived in Brazil by Kaspar Nieuwhoff Van Der Leij by 1630, a cavalry captain from the Dutch army.

Vanegas Spanish
Variant of Venegas.

Vaquero Spanish
occupational name from vaquero "cowboy".

Vargis Portuguese

Vario Italian, Spanish
From the given name Vario. Also means "various" in Italian.

Varona Spanish, Caribbean

Vasco Spanish

Vasco Spanish
Originally denoted a Basque person or someone from the Basque Country in Spain, from Latin Vascones of uncertain etymology.

Vasconcelos Spanish

Vascones Spanish (Latin American)

Vaylez Spanish
Variant of Valez or Valezze

Vaz Portuguese

Vazquez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Vázquez primarily used in America and the Philippines.

Vea Spanish, Galician
Habitational name, principally from Vea in Soria province, but in some cases from any of four places with the same name in Pontevedra province, Galicia.

Vecincio Spanish (?), Italian (?)

Vecino Spanish
Spanish form of Voisin.

Vegas Spanish

Veiga Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Vega.

Vejas Spanish
An altered form of the surname Behar

Velarde Spanish

Velas Spanish

Vélaz Spanish
Variant of Vélez 1.

Vélaz Spanish
Variant of Vélez 2.

Velaz Spanish, Spanish (Anglicized, ?)
Variant of Vélaz.

Vélez Spanish
Patronymic from the personal name Vela.

Vélez Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places in Andalusia called Vélez.

Velêz Portuguese
Possibly a habitational name from Vellés in Salamanca.

Velez Portuguese, Caribbean
Variant of Velêz.

Veloso Spanish
From the Brazilian Spanish word for fast.

Venâncio Portuguese, Central African, Brazilian
Derived from the given name Venâncio.

Venegas Spanish
From the hybridization of Ben, meaning "son" in Arabic or Jewish, and Ega(s), a medieval given name of Visigothic origin.

Veracruz Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Veracruz, Mexico, from Latin vera crux meaning "true cross".

Verano Spanish
Means 'summer' in Spanish. (See Summer)

Verde Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From Spanish verde "green" (Latin viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.

Verdecia Spanish

Verdejo Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places so called.

Verdugo Spanish
Occupational name meaning "executioner".

Verdun French, English (British, Rare), Spanish, Catalan
From the various locations in France called Verdun with the Gaulish elements ver vern "alder" and dun "hill fortress" and Verdú in Catalonia, English variant of Verdon

Verduzco Spanish

Vergino Esperanto, Brazilian
Taken from the Esperanto word vergino meaning "virgin".

Veríssimo Portuguese
From the given name Veríssimo.

Verneda Spanish, Catalan
As a Spanish and Catalan surname refers to someone who lived where alder trees grew.

Verón Spanish (Latin American)

Veyera Portuguese (Modern)
Originated in East Providence, RI about 1900 variation of the common Vieira portuguese surname.

Viana Portuguese (Brazilian)

Viciedo Spanish (Rare)

Victori Spanish

Victoria Portuguese
Transferred use of the given name Victoria

Victoriano Spanish
From the given name Victoriano

Victorino Spanish
From the given name Victorino

Videgain Spanish
Videgain is a surname. It is of Basque origin language with the form Bidegain. Videgain is considered a Spanish surname because the letter V does not exist in the Basque alphabet. It extended through the Iberian peninsula following the Reconquista, where different forms of the name developed and houses were founded with the differentiation of Videgáin, Bidegain, Videgaín... [more]

Viegas Portuguese (Rare)
Portuguese variant of Venegas.

Viejo Spanish
From Spanish meaning "old".

Viela Spanish, Portuguese

Vigil Spanish
Comes from the word "vigil", which is Latin for "vigilia" and "wakefulness".

Vijarro Spanish

Vilaamil Spanish
Habitational name from Villamil a place in Asturias.

Vilanova Portuguese, Catalan, Galician
Portuguese, Catalan and Galician cognate of Villanueva.

Villacorta Spanish

Villafañe Spanish
Derived from the village of Villafañe in Leon, Spain. His hierarch, perhaps, is the Burgos hidalgo Alvar Fañez.

Villafranca Spanish

Villafuerte Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Philippines)
Denoted someone who came from the name of the municipality of Villafuerte de Esgueva in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain.

Villagra Spanish
Rare castilian surname, distributed throughout Spain with greater presence in Madrid, Barcelona, Valladolid and Palencia.

Villagran Spanish
From a lost village called Villa Grande, meaning 'large farmstead or settlement'.

Villagrande Spanish
Variant of Villagran.

Villalbazo Spanish

Villalpando Spanish
It first came from a Spanish village town.

Villalva Spanish (Rare)
Villa meaning "Town", Alva meaning "White"

Villalvazo Spanish
Hispanic (Mainly Mexico): Derivative Of Spanish Villalba Or Villalva .

Villamar Spanish
Spanish: Habitational Name From Any Of The Three Places Called Villamar In Lugo (Galicia) Oviedo (Asturias) Or Burgos (Castilia).

Villamayor Spanish
Habitational name for any of the numerous places in Spain with this name.

Villamizar Spanish
Habitational name from Villamizar in León.

Villanova Italian, Spanish
Habitational name from any of numerous places so called from Latin villa nova "new settlement" (see Villa) from the elements villa "town" and nova "new"... [more]

Villaquirán Spanish
It indicates familial origin within either of 2 municipalities: Villaquirán de los Infantes or Villaquirán de la Puebla.

Villard Galician, Portuguese
A Galician and Portuguese surname in the north of Iberian Peninsula. It's a last name belonging to ancient Celtic tribes.

Villareal Spanish (Philippines), Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic)
Variant of Villarreal primarily used in the Philippines and Columbia.

Villarino Spanish
Form of Villarin.

Villarojo Spanish

Villarreal Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places called Villarreal (or Villareal), derived from Spanish villa meaning "farm, town, settlement" and real meaning "royal".

Villarroel Spanish
Derivative and rarer version of Villa, unexplained. Compare Villarruel.

Villarrubia Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from Villarrubia (Córdoba) Villarrubia de los Ojos (Ciudad Real) or Villarrubia de Santiago (Toledo) so named from villa '(outlying) farmstead (dependent) settlement' (see Villa ) + rubia 'light red'.

Villarruel Spanish
Cognate of Villa with the second element of unexplained etymology. Compare Villarroel.

Villasante Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Montija.

Villatoro Spanish
Presumably a name given to someone from Villatoro, Spain

Villava Spanish

Villavicencio Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Philippines)
Denoted someone who came from the name of the municipality of Villavicencio de los Caballeros in Castile and León, Spain.

Villeda Spanish
Probably from french.

Villega Spanish

Villegas Spanish
Habitational name from the municipality of Villegas in Burgos province, Spain.

Villoslada Spanish
From the village of Villoslada in Spain.

Villota Spanish

Vinagre Spanish, Portuguese
An occupational surname for someone who sells vinegar.

Viñals Spanish, Catalan

Vinardos Spanish

Viniegra Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Riojan municipalities in the Comarca of Anguiano: Viniegra de Arriba or Viniegra de Abajo.

Vinuesa Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.

Vinyet Spanish

Violy Spanish (Latin American)

Viramontes Spanish
Viramontes is composed of the elements "mira" and "montes," two Spanish words with the combined meaning of "place with a view of the mountains."

Virgem Portuguese
Portuguese form of Virgo.

Virgen Spanish
Spanish form of Virgo.

Virgil Spanish
From the given name Virgil.

Virtuoso English (American), Spanish, Italian
This Italian surname could possibly be connected to those whose ancestors were involved in playing a musical instrument or somehow connected to the musical instrument industry.

Vitorino Portuguese
From the given name Vitorino

Vivanco Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the Castilian locality of Vivanco de Mena.

Vivar Spanish, History
From the village of Vivar, later renamed Vivar del Cid, nowadays part of Quintanilla Vivar located near Burgos, Castile and León, Spain.... [more]

Vivó Spanish, Catalan

Vizinho Portuguese
Portuguese form of Voisin.

Vlasco Spanish
Variant of Velasco

Wero Spanish (Latin American), Maori
Maori: Means "to cast a spear"... [more]

Wollermann South American

Xavier Portuguese, French, English
Derived from the given name Xavier.

Xen Spanish (Latin American)

Ximenes Portuguese
Portuguese form of Jiménez.

Ximénez Spanish (Archaic)
Archaic form of Jiménez

Xisto Portuguese
Means "schist" or "shale" in Portuguese. Can also be found in Brazil.

Yagüe Spanish
It is possibly derived from a name for someone born on St James' Day, from Old Spanish Santi Yague, a common medieval form of Santiago.

Yáñez Spanish
Patronymic of Juan 1.

Yansen Indonesian, Spanish (Latin American)
Variant of Jansen. Most commonly found in Indonesia and Argentina.

Yepes Spanish
Habitational name from Yepes in the province of Toledo (named as Hippo or Hipona in or before Roman times).

Yépez South American

Yerba Spanish (Latin American)

Yerbabuena Spanish (Latin American)
From Spanish yerba buena meaning "good herb"

Yesca Spanish (Latin American)

Yglesias Spanish
Variant of Iglesias.

Yisselin Spanish (Latin American)

Yñiguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

Yupanqui Quechua (Hispanicized)
Hispanicized form of Quechua yupanki meaning "accountant".

Yzquierdo Spanish
Variant of Izquierdo.

Zacarias Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Zacarias.

Zalas Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Galician, Portuguese, Aragonese, Asturian, Romanian, Hungarian, Greek, Bulgarian
Variant of Salas.

Zaldívar Basque (Hispanicized), Spanish
Castilianized form of Basque Zaldibar "horse valley".

Zalla Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Galician, Portuguese, Aragonese, Asturian, Romanian, Hungarian, Greek, Bulgarian
Variant of Sala.

Zallas Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Galician, Portuguese, Aragonese, Asturian, Romanian, Hungarian, Greek, Bulgarian
Variant of Salas.

Zambrana Spanish
Likely comes from a town of the same name in Spain.

Zamora Spanish
Habitational name from Zamora, a city in northwestern Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Berber azemur "wild olive tree".

Zanel Spanish (Latin American)

Zanick Brazilian

Zapata Spanish
Occupational surname for a shoemaker, from Spanish zapato meaning "shoe". It can also be considered a habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in Spain called Zapata.

Zapato Spanish
Means "shoe" in Spanish.

Zaragoza Spanish, Aragonese
Name given to someone who was from the city Zaragoza in the Aragon region in Spain.

Zarandona Spanish

Zárate Spanish
Habitational surname meaning "entrance to the grove coppice".

Zarta South American
Chiefly used in Colombia.

Zavalia Spanish (Latin American, Americanized)

Zavattari Italian, French, Spanish, Romanian
A derivation of the Old French word 'savate'... [more]

Zayas Spanish, Caribbean
Derives from the Basque word 'zai', meaning watchman or guard.

Zazueta Spanish
Probably a topographic name of Basque origin, from an unexplained first element + the collective suffix -eta 'place or group of'.

Zeferino Portuguese
From the given name Zeferino

Zegarra Spanish (Latin American)
Possibly a Castilianized form of the Catalan Segarra.

Zenteno Spanish
Variant of Centeno

Zepeda Spanish
Variant of Cepeda

Zerdán Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
This surname is mainly found in Argentina.

Zozaya Basque (Hispanicized), Spanish
Castilianized form of Zozaia.

Zubiria Medieval Basque (Latinized, Archaic), Spanish (Latin American)
It means nearby bridge.

Zuima Spanish

Zuleta Spanish, Basque
Variant of Zulueta, which comes from the Basque topographic name 'zulo' meaning ‘hole hollow’ + the collective suffix '-eta' meaning "place or group of."

Zuluaga South American

Zulueta Spanish

Zúñiga Spanish
Spanish form of Zuñiga.

Zurara Portuguese

Zurdo Spanish
Means "left-handed" in Spanish.

Zurita Spanish, Aragonese
An Aragonese surname derived from the Stock Bird, a species of bird.

Zurita Spanish
Habitational surname from either of two places called Zurita in Huesca and Cantabria named with a derivative of Basque zuri 'white'