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.
LobatoSpanish, Portuguese nickname from lobato "wolf cub" (from Latin lupus "wolf") or from a medieval personal name based on this word.
LoberaSpanish Either a topographic name from lobera "wolf pack" or "wolves' lair" or a habitational name from any of several places called La Lobera. variant of Lovera.
LosadaSpanish, Portuguese topographic name for someone who lived by an area paved with flagstones Spanish losada (from losar "to pave" a derivative of losa a word of pre-Roman origin meaning a "flat stone slab").
LourinhoPortuguese Possibly from Lourinhã, a portuguese city to the northwest of Lisbon who possibly originated in the Roman period, when a villa named "Laurinana" existed in the area. Lourinho is a diminutive form of "louro", deriving from Latin laurus, "laurel".
LousadaPortuguese Name given from the village of Lousada, in Northern Portugal.
LovatoSpanish (Latin American), Italian Northern Italian from the Late Latin personal name Lupatus, derivative of Latin lupus "wolf". This is one of several medieval personal names which became popular under the influence of Germanic compound personal names formed with wolf-.
LoveraItalian, Spanish Either a topographic name from lovera "wolf pack" or "wolves’ lair" or a habitational name from a place called Lovera. Spanish variant of Lobera.
LuceroEnglish, Spanish The surname "Lucero" was derived from English conquerers who came from England, most likely someone who worked for a king or queen. The term Lucero refers to a "star" or "light carrier" when the English traveled to Spain, the Spanish people gave them the name "Lucero" but earlier was spelled with an "s or Lusero"... [more]
LucíaSpanish, Italian From the feminine personal name Lucia, feminine derivative of Latin lux meaning "light".
LugardoSpanish Spanish (Mainly Huelva): From The Personal Name Lugardo A Variant Of Lutgardo Of Ancient Germanic Origin (See Luckhardt ). This Surname Is Most Common In Mexico.
LugoSpanish Galician and Spanish habitational name from Lugo, a city in Galicia. This was a Roman settlement under the name of Lucus Augusti ‘grove or wood of Augustus’, but that may have been no more than an adaptation of an earlier name derived from that of the Celtic god Lugos.
LumbrerasSpanish Habitational Name From A Place Called Lumbreras In La Rioja From The Plural Of Lumbrera ‘Lamp’ Possibly Referring To An Old Signal Tower.
LunavelascoSpanish (Latin American, Rare) Un-hyphenated combination of the last names, Luna, and Velasco forming its’ own name. Luna meaning “the moon” in Latin as well as multiple languages. Velasco meaning “crow” or “raven”.
MacedoPortuguese, Spanish (Latin American) Referred to a person who worked or lived at an apple orchard. It is derived from Vulgar Latin mattianēta meaning "place with apple trees."
MadeirasPortuguese Came from the Portuguese Madeira word "wood" or "timber". perhaps the portuguese version of the surname Woods or someone who's from the Portuguese island Madeira
MaderaSpanish describing someone who lived or worked in a forest. the word Madera means "wood" in Spanish. Spanish meaning of surname Wood
MadridSpanish habitational name from what is now Spain's principal city Madrid. Throughout the Middle Ages it was of only modest size and importance and did not become the capital of Spain until 156 Its name is of uncertain origin most probably a derivative of Late Latin matrix genitive matricis "riverbed" much changed by Arabic mediation (see Madrigal ). There are other smaller places of the same name in the provinces of Burgos and Cantabria and these may also be sources of the surname.
MadrigalSpanish "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."
MagaldiItalian, South American Patronymic or plural form of the Old German personal name Magoald (from the elements megin, magan "strength, might, power" and wald "power"), or else a nickname from magaldo meaning "evil, wicked", which was derived from the personal name... [more]
MagallanesSpanish Spanish: Castilianized Form Of A Habitational Name From The Village Of Magaláns (Castilian Magalanes) In Pontevedra Province Galicia (Spain).
MagañaSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
MaltaItalian, Spanish, Portuguese habitational or ethnic name for someone from the Mediterranean island of Malta (from Latin Melita Greek Melitē).
MaltezPortuguese Likely has origins in the Portuguese word "maltez," now written as "maltês," which translates to "Maltese" in English. This surname might have been adopted by families with connections to the Mediterranean island of Malta or by individuals who had some association with Maltese culture or trade.
ManceboSpanish 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’).
MandujanoSpanish 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.
ManjarrésSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
ManjarrezSpanish Habitational Name From Manjarrés A Village In La Rioja Province.
MansillaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from Mansilla a place in La Rioja province.
MantillaSpanish 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.
ManuelCatalan, Spanish Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.
ManzanaresSpanish Habitational Name From The City Of Manzanares In Ciudad Real Province
MaquedaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the Manchego municipality or the neighborhood of the Andalusian municipality of Málaga.
MarchantFrench, 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.
MarchenaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 4 Andalusian localities or 1 Murcian locality.
MártirSpanish 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.
MarulandaSpanish topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with maru 'Moor' + landa '(large) field prairie'.
MasvidalSpanish 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.
MatamorosSpanish Given to the Apostle James, who according to tradition helped Christians to fight against the Moors.
MatarranzSpanish 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.
MauleonSpanish (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"
MayoralSpanish 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').
MayorgaSpanish habitational name, taken on from the place name Mayorga in Valladolid province of Castile.
MayorquinSpanish 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.
MazariegoSpanish Altered form of Mazariegos in singular for matching with the bearer.
MedellinSpanish 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.
MedranoSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
MeirelesPortuguese Habitational name for someone from a place called Meireles in Portugal, meaning unclear.
MejiaSpanish Spanish (Mejía): probably from a religious byname (possibly under Jewish influence), from a vernacular form of Latin, Greek Messias ‘Messiah’, from Hebrew māšīaḥ ‘anointed’.
MeleroSpanish Occupational name for a collector or seller of honey, melero (Late Latin mellarius, an agent derivative of mel, genitive mellis, ‘honey’).
MelgarSpanish 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).
MelgosaSpanish 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.
MelilloSpanish, Italian describing someone who worked on an apple orchard,harvesting and selling apples from the italian mela
MenesesSpanish, 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.
MercadoSpanish Topographic name for someone living by a market or metonymic occupational name for a market trader, from Spanish mercado meaning "market".
MesaSpanish 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).
MinayaSpanish 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'.
MoclinSpanish 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]
MonarrezSpanish 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.
MoncadaSpanish A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
MondejarSpanish Habitational name from a place called Mondéjar in Guadalajara province.
MondragónSpanish From the name of a town in Basque County, Spain, which is derived from Latin mons draconis meaning "dragon mountain".
MonsivaisSpanish 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’.
MontalbanSpanish Spanish (Montalbán): habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum 'white mountain'.
MontaltoItalian, Portuguese Habitational name from any of various places called Montalto or Montaldo especially Montalto Uffugo in Cosenza province in Italy or from a place in Portugal called Montalto from monte "hill" and alto "high" (from Latin altus).
MonteagudoSpanish 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.
MonteblancoFrench, Spanish Originally from France "Mont Blanc" but translated when arrived in Spain.
MontejanoSpanish Habitational name for someone from a place called Montejo
MontemayorSpanish 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.
MontenegroSpanish, 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".
MontielSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
MontillaSpanish Habitational name from Montilla a place in Córdoba province.
MontoroSpanish, 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.
MonzonSpanish Habitational name from Monzón, a place in Uesca province, which is probably named from Latin montione ‘big mountain’.
MosquedaSpanish Mosqueda comes from the Spanish word 'Mosca' meaning house fly.
MosqueraSpanish, 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]
MotaSpanish, Portuguese Topographic name for someone who lived by a fortified stronghold.
MouraPortuguese Derived from the Portuguese word "Mouro", which refers to an individual from the Moor people. This is the feminine form of the word, often used in legends of enchanted moor women, which very common in Portugal... [more]