South American Submitted Surnames

South American names include those from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
usage
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Cortizo Spanish
Nickname from Spanish cortito meaning "the little short one".
Corvino Italian, Spanish
From the given name Corvino
Corvo Italian, Portuguese
From the given name Corvo
Coto Spanish, Galician
Habitational name from any of the many places named "Coto" especially in Galicia and Asturias. From coto meaning "ground".
Cotto Spanish
Variant of Coto.
Coutinho Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Galician, Indian
Diminutive form of Couto. This surname is also found in western India, where it was taken by Portuguese colonists.
Couto Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Galician
Habitational name for a person from any of the various places in Portugal containing Portuguese or Galician word couto "enclosed area of land". In some cases, the name may be topographic.
Crescencio Spanish
From the given name Crescencio
Criado Portuguese, Spanish
Occupational name from criado ‘servant’.
Crispim Portuguese
Derived from the given name Crispim.
Cristales Central American, Filipino, Spanish (Mexican, Rare), South American (Rare)
Plural form of Spanish cristal meaning "crystal."... [more]
Cristóbal Spanish
From the given name Cristóbal.
Cristófanes Spanish
Means "son of Cristóbal" in Spanish.
Crus Spanish
Variant of Cruz.
Cruzado Spanish
Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Angel, Bartolome, Eloisa, Eloy, Emilio, Fernando, Genoveva, Geraldo, Isauro, Jaime.... [more]
Cuadrado Spanish
A nickname for a thick man.
Cuaresma Spanish
It means "Lent".
Cuarto Spanish
Means "fourth" in English. It is derived from the Latin word "quartus," which means "fourth." The surname may have originally been used to denote a fourth child in a family or to indicate that the family lived on the fourth floor of a building.
Cuba Portuguese, Asturian-Leonese, Galician, Spanish
habitational name from any of the places in Portugal (in the provinces of Alentejo and Beira Baixa) or Spain (in Aragon, Asturies, and Galicia) named Cuba, from cuba ‘barrel’ (from Latin cupa)... [more]
Cubero Spanish
occupational name for a cooper, from an agent derivative of cuba ‘barrel’, ‘tub
Cubillas Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Castile and León, Spain, which may derive from a diminutive of Old Spanish cuba meaning "barrel", ultimately from Latin cupa (see Cuba)... [more]
Cuello Spanish, South American
From Spanish meaning "neck". Could be a nickname for a person with a stiff neck.
Cuenca Spanish
Cuenca is an ancient Spanish last name which originated from Cuenca, a city in the Kingdom of Castilla.... [more]
Cuervo Spanish
Means "raven, crow" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin corvus. From a nickname for a man with strikingly glossy black hair or with a raucous voice. Alternatively, a habitational name from places containing this word (e.g. El Cuervo, Teruel).
Cueto Spanish
Habitational name from any of numerous places especially in Asturias named with the topographic term cueto meaning “hill, or fortified settlement.”
Curiel Spanish
Habitational name that comes from the town of Curiel in the Valladolid province of Spain.
Curroto Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish surname with unknown origin. Uruguayan / Spanish singer Lucas Curroto has this surname.
Custódio Portuguese
From the given name Custódio.
Custodio Spanish
From the given name Custodio.
D'Abreo Portuguese (Expatriate), Indian
Probably an altered form of Portuguese De Abreu.
Da Cruz Portuguese
A variant of Cruz, with the addition of the preposition 'da' (meaning 'of the' or 'from the').
D'Almeida Spanish, Portuguese, Indian (Christian)
Variant of Almeida more commonly used by Indian Christians.
Da Lua Portuguese
Means "of the moon" in Portuguese.
Da Luz Portuguese
From a religious epithet meaning ‘of the light’, specifically the Marian name "Nuestra Señora da Luz" (which means "Our Lady of the Light").
Damián Spanish, Czech, Slovak (Rare)
From the given name Damián.
Damian French, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Polish
From the medieval personal name Damian, Greek Damianos (from damazein "to subdue"). St. Damian was an early Christian saint martyred in Cilicia in ad 303 under the emperor Domitian, together with his brother Cosmas... [more]
Da Paz Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means "of Peace" in Portuguese.
Da Ponte Italian, Portuguese, Galician
A topographic name, which means "from the bridge".
Da Rocha Portuguese, Galician
A common topographic name which means ‘from the rock' (rocha).
Da Rosa Portuguese
Literally means "of the rose" in Portuguese. It is generally a component of personal names; among women, it is a Marian name; among men, it is of uncertain application.
Da Vila Portuguese, Galician
A topographic name for someone from a village (vila).
Davila Spanish
Habitational name for someone from Ávila.
Daza Spanish
Derived from the Basque word "dazio", meaning "tax". It is a surname that is typically associated with the region of Navarre in Spain.
Deabreu m Portuguese (Portuguese-style, Archaic)
(de Abreu uma aldeia de são Pedro de mansões em Minho, ou Abruzzo da Itália, ou do visigótico corajoso ou valente ou capaz, ou Sefarad filho de Abraão ou céltico pinus)
Dealava Spanish
Uruguay name
De Anda Spanish
Habitational name formed with the preposition de ‘from’ for someone from a town called Anda
De Assis Portuguese
Referred to a person who was originally from the town of Assisi (called Assis in Portuguese) in Umbria, Italy. This surname is borne by several Brazilian soccer players, including Ronaldinho (1980-; birth name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira) and João Alves de Assis Silva (1987-), who is usually called simply Jô... [more]
Debain Spanish
Spanish surname.
Debarros Portuguese
Portuguese: habitational name for someone ‘from (de) Barros’, of which there are numerous examples, all named from the plural of barro ‘clay’.
Debelen Spanish
Likely from the Spanish word Belén, which refers to the nativity scene.
De Castro Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted someone who lived in a castle.
De Costa Portuguese (Brazilian), Sinhalese
Variant of Da Costa used in Brazil and Sri Lanka.
De Cunha Portuguese (Brazilian), Sinhalese
Variant of Cunha used in Brazil and Sri Lanka.
De Deus Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means "of God" in Portuguese.
De Guzmán Spanish
Means "of Guzmán" in Spanish.
De Jesús Spanish (Latin American)
Means "of Jesus" in Spanish.
De Jesus Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Philippines), American (Hispanic)
Means "of Jesus" in Portuguese. This is also an unaccented variant of De Jesús.
De Labra Spanish (Rare)
Spanish Surname With Origins From Asturias.
De La Calle Spanish
Means "of the street" in Spanish.
De La Calzada Spanish (Rare)
Means "of the causeway" in Spanish. This surname was likely given in honor of Dominic de la Calzada, a saint from Burgos.
De La Hoya Spanish
Means "of the hole" in Spanish.
De La Iglesia Spanish
Means “of the church” in Spanish.
De La Isla Spanish
Means "of the island" in Spanish.
De La Luna Spanish, Filipino
Means "of the moon" in Spanish.
De La Mora Spanish
"De la," in several Romance languages (including Spanish and Romanian), means "from." "Mora," in Spanish, translates to "mulberry."... [more]
De La Muerte Spanish (Rare)
Means "of death" in Spanish. Name given to a person who worked as a graveyard worker.
De La O Spanish
"O" is the archaic form of "Do" - apocope of "donde" - where, the personal name of a woman in the Hispanic world, and a French name of the twelfth century.
De La Parra Spanish
Means "of the vine" in Spanish.
De La Peña Spanish
Means "of the Rock" in Spanish.
De La Presa Spanish
Means "of the dam" in Spanish.
De La Reguera Spanish
Means "of the ditch" in Spanish, from Spanish reguera "ditch, irrigation ditch". Ana de la Reguera (1977-) is a Mexican actress known for her role as Sister Encarnación in the 2006 comedy film Nacho Libre.
De La Rosa Spanish (Latin American)
Means "of the Rose" in Spanish.
Delarosa Spanish
Means "of the rose" in Spanish.
De La Sierra Spanish
Means "of the mountain range" in Spanish.
De Las Nieves Spanish
Means "of the snows" in Spanish.
De La Torre Spanish
Topographic name "from (de) the tower (la torre)", i.e. someone who lived by a watchtower, "from (de) the tower (la torre)".
De La Vega Spanish
Means "of the meadow" in Spanish.
Del Campo Spanish
Means "of the camp" in Spanish.
Del Carmen Spanish
Means "of Carmen" in Spanish.
Del Castillo Spanish
Means "of the Castle" in Spanish, referring to someone who worked in one.
Del Cid Spanish, Medieval Spanish
Likely refers to a person from any of the places called El Cid, using Spanish del, combination of de "of, from" and el "the".... [more]
Del Espíritu Santo Spanish (Rare)
Means "of the Holy Spirit" in Spanish
Delfin Spanish
Meaning "dolphin" in Spanish.
Delfino Italian, Spanish
From the personal name Delfino, from Latin Delphinus, from delphis "dolphin", regarded in medieval times as a symbol of goodness and friendliness.
Delgadillo Spanish
Diminutive of Delgado.
De Lima Spanish
"de Lima" is the surname given to the people who lived near the Limia River (Lima in portuguese) on the Province of Ourense, an autonomous community of Galicia, located at the northwest of Spain. The root of the name is Don Juan Fernandez de Lima, maternal grandson to the King Alfonso VI de León (1040-1109).
Della Italian, Spanish
Likely derived from the Italian and Spanish word della, meaning "of the".
Del Mar Spanish
Means "of the sea" in Spanish.
De Los Reyes Spanish
Means “of the kings” in Spanish.
De Los Ríos Spanish
Means "of the rivers" in Spanish.
De Los Santos Spanish
Means "of the saints" in Spanish.
Del Pueblo Spanish
Means "of the village" in Spanish.
Del Rosario Spanish, Filipino
Means "of the rosary" in Spanish.
Del Rosario Spanish
Del Rosario, in Spanish and Italian languages, and do Rosário in Portuguese language (English: of the rosary) is a surname that has as its etymology, the Latin preposition, "de" meaning "of the" and the Latin noun "rosarium", meaning "rosegarden" or "garland of roses" but in this case, takes the meaning of "rosary", the Roman Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary... [more]
Del Sol Spanish
Means "of the sun" in Spanish.
Del Toro Spanish
Means "of the bull" in Spanish, denoting a person who owns bulls or a tender of bulls.
De Luna Spanish
Means "of the moon" in Spanish.
Del Villar Spanish
Means "of Villar" in Spanish.
Dema Spanish
1 Spanish: unexplained; it is associated with Uesca province, in Aragon.... [more]
De Macedo Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means "of the apple orchard" (see Macedo).
De Maria Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian
Means "of Mary" in Portuguese and Italian.
De Mesa Spanish
Variant of Mesa.
Demetrio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Demetrio.
Denís Spanish, Galician
From the given name Denís.
Deodato Portuguese
From the given name Deodato.
De Paula Spanish
a Metronymic from the female personal name Paula and from a shortened form of Francisco de Paula a personal name bestowed in honor of Saint Francis of Paola
De Paz Spanish (Latin American)
Means "of Peace" in Spanish.
De Sá Portuguese
Variant of Sá.
De San Buenaventura Spanish (Archaic)
Means "of Saint Bonaventure" in Spanish.
De Santana Portuguese (Brazilian)
Means "of St. Anne 1" in Portuguese.
De Santo Italian, Spanish
Mean “Son of Santo”.
Descalzo Spanish
It means "barefoot"
Desiderio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Desiderio.
De Souza Portuguese
Means "of Sousa" in Portuguese, referring to the River Sousa flowing through northern Portugal. The word Sousa itself is derived from the Latin saxa, saxum meaning "stone, rock". The surname is more commonly used in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African countries today.
Desunia Portuguese, Filipino
From the Portuguese word desunir meaning "disunite, separate". This surname is particularly common in the Philippines.
De Valera Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Valera in the provinces of Cuenca and Badajoz in Spain. This name was borne by American-born Irish president and prime minister Éamon de Valera (1882-1975; birth name George de Valero, also known as Edward de Valera), who was born to an Irish mother and a Cuban-Spanish father.
Diestro Spanish, Filipino
Means "right-handed" in Spanish.
Dimas Spanish, Portuguese, Greek
Derived from the given name Dimas.
Diogo Portuguese
From the given name Diogo.
Diola Spanish
Derived from the given masculine name Andrea
Dionicio Spanish
From the given name Dionicio.
Diosdado Spanish
From the given name Diosdado.
Domingos Portuguese
From the given name Domingos
Domingues Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Domínguez.
Dominguez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Domínguez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Donaire Spanish, Filipino
From Spanish el donaire meaning "grace,charm". It could be a nickname for a graceful or charming person.
Do Nascimento Portuguese (Brazilian)
Variant of Nascimento. This surname was borne by several Brazilian soccer players, including Pelé (1940-2022), Ramires (1987-) and Thiago Alcântara (1991-).
Dorado Spanish
From dorado "golden" (from Late Latin deaurare "to gild", from aurum "gold"), probably applied as a nickname to someone with golden hair.
Dos Passos Portuguese
Means "of the steps" in Portuguese.
Dos Santos Portuguese, Galician
Means "of the saints" in Portuguese and Galician, originally given to a person born or baptized on All Saints' Day.
Dragão Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Drago.
Dramis Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Not just a surname in Italy; it can also be found in Argentina and Brazil.... [more]
Duda Portuguese
Perhaps a transferred use of the given name, Duda
Dueñas Spanish
From the name of a municipality in Palencia province, Spain, derived from Spanish dueña meaning "madame, mistress".
Duque Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Duke. from duque "duke" (from Latin dux genitive ducis "leader") an occupational name for someone who worked in the household of a duke or as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces.
Durantez Spanish
From the given Italian name Durante.
Eanes Portuguese
Variant of Anes.
Eduardo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Eduardo.
Eiriz Portuguese
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Paços de Ferreira.
Eleuterio Spanish, Italian
From the given name Eleuterio.
Elías Spanish, Jewish, Caribbean
From the given name Elías.
Elias Greek, Catalan, Portuguese, English, Welsh, German, Dutch, Jewish
Derived from the medieval given name Elias. Compare Ellis.
Eligio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Eligio
Eliseo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Eliseo.
Elizalde Basque, Spanish
From Basque eleiza meaning "church" combined with the suffix -alde "by". This could be either a habitational name for a person who was from the town of Elizalde in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, or a topographic name for someone living near a church.
Eloy Spanish
From the given name Eloy
Emboaba Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Variant of Emboava. A famous bearer of this surname is Brazilian footballer Oscar.
Emigdio Spanish
From the given name Emigdio.
Emiliano Italian, Spanish
From the given name Emiliano.
Enamorado Spanish
Nickname for a person relating to love.
Encarnación Spanish
Means "incarnation" in Spanish. This is given in reference to the Incarnation of Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary (see Encarnación).
Enciñias Spanish
Derives from Spanish heritage and culture. Other spellings of the name of ENCIÑIAS may be Encinas, Encinias, Encinitas etc.
Enrique Spanish
From the given name Enrique.
Enriquez Spanish
Unaccented form of Enríquez.
Epifanio Spanish, Italian
From the given name Epifanio.
Eras Spanish
From the medieval personal name Egas, probably of Visigothic origin. This surname is very rare in Spain; it is found mainly in Ecuador... [more]
Escalante Spanish (Latin American)
From the Spanish verb escalar meaning "to climb".
Escandón Spanish, Spanish (Mexican)
Derived from a field named "Escanda" denoting a type of wheat. Perhaps farmers who lived close to the area.
Escañuela Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Escatel Spanish
Derived from the Latin word “scatellum,” which means “small coin”. It is likely that the surname originally referred to someone who was involved in the production or circulation of small coins, or who had a reputation for being particularly frugal or economical... [more]
Escolar Spanish
From Spanish escuela meaning "school".
Escoto Spanish
ethnic name from escoto originally denoting a Gaelic speaker from Ireland or Scotland; later a Scot someone from Scotland. Spanish cognitive of Scott.
Escribano Spanish
An occupational name from escribano "scribe" (from Late Latin scriba "scribe" genitive scribanis from Latin scriba genitive scribae)... [more]
Esguerra Spanish, Filipino
Castilianized form of Basque Ezkerra from ezker meaning "left, left-handed".
Esgueva Spanish
It indicates familial origin near the eponymous river.
Espada Portuguese, Spanish
metonymic occupational name for an armorer or a swordsman from espada "sword" (from Latin spata from Greek spathe originally denoting a broad two-edged sword without a point)... [more]
España Spanish
From the Spanish word for Spain.
Esperón Spanish
From Spanish espera meaning to wait. Perhaps an occupational name for a waiter.
Espinal Spanish
Spanish: from any of numerous fields named Espinal or Espinar, from a collective of espina ‘thorn’.
Espíndola Portuguese (Latinized, ?)
Portuguese of uncertain origin, but possibly a topographic name or a variation of Spinola. It was taken to Portugal by an immigrant family from Genoa, Italy.
Espinosa De Los Monteros Spanish
Originating in northern Spain in the Espinosa de los Monteros municipality, it has various meanings. One meaning is that it was the surname of hidalgos who lived in Espinosa and helped the nobles get on their horses... [more]
Espiridión Spanish
From the given name Espiridión.
Espírito Santo Portuguese
Means “Holy Spirit” in Portuguese.... [more]
Espíritu Spanish
From a short form of Spanish del Espíritu Santo meaning "of the Holy Spirit, of the Holy Ghost" (Latin Spiritus Sanctus), which was the second part of religious compound names formed from the bearer's given name and del Espíritu Santo... [more]
Espiritu Spanish (Filipinized)
Unaccented form of Espíritu primarily used in the Philippines.
Esquivel Spanish
A name for someone who lives behind lime trees.
Estanislao Spanish
From the given name Estanislao.
Estanislau Portuguese
Stanislav Derived from the Slavic elements stani meaning "stand, become" combined with slava meaning "glory".... [more]
Esteruelas Spanish
Possibly from the place name Camarma de Esteruelas, a village in Madrid.
Estes Welsh, Spanish, English
a popular surname derived from the House of Este. It is also said to derive from Old English and have the meaning "of the East." As a surname, it has been traced to southern England in the region of Kent, as early as the mid-16th century.
Esteve Spanish, Catalan
From the Catalan given name Esteve. Cognate to Estévez and Esteves.
Estrela Portuguese
The surname Estrela, of Portuguese origin, means "star," symbolizing guidance, hope, and celestial beauty, and is commonly found in Portugal.
Estrella Spanish
Derived from the word 'strella' meaning a star in Spanish.
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