South American Submitted Surnames

South American names include those from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Llanes Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Philippines)
Likely denoted someone who came from the municipality of Llanes in Spain.
Lobato Spanish, Portuguese
nickname from lobato "wolf cub" (from Latin lupus "wolf") or from a medieval personal name based on this word.
Lobera Spanish
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.
Lobosvilla Spanish
Rare variant of Villalobos.
Longino Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Longino.
Lopo Portuguese
From the given name Lopo.
Lorén Spanish
A variant of the Spanish personal name Llorente.
Lorez Spanish
Means "son of Lorenzo" in Spanish.
Losada Spanish, 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").
Lourenço Portuguese
From the given name Lourenço.
Lourinho Portuguese
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".
Lousada Portuguese
Name given from the village of Lousada, in Northern Portugal.
Lovato Spanish (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-.
Lovera Italian, 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.
Loya Basque, Spanish
From Basque loya meaning "mud."
Lozada Spanish
Variant of Lozano.
Lucero English, 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]
Lucía Spanish, Italian
From the feminine personal name Lucia, feminine derivative of Latin lux meaning "light".
Lugardo Spanish
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.
Lugo Spanish
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.
Luís Portuguese
From the given name Luís.
Luiz Portuguese
From the given name Luis.
Luján Spanish
This is the second last name of Spanish footballer/soccer player Andrés Iniesta.
Lujano Spanish
Spanish: variant of Luján ( see Lujan ).
Lumbreras Spanish
Habitational Name From A Place Called Lumbreras In La Rioja From The Plural Of Lumbrera ‘Lamp’ Possibly Referring To An Old Signal Tower.
Lunavelasco Spanish (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”.
Luz Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Luz.
Macario Italian, Spanish
From the given name Macario
Macarro Spanish
From the verb Macar meaning 'to bruise'
Macedo Portuguese, 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."
Maciel Portuguese, Spanish
Possibly derived from Portuguese maça "apple".
Madeiras Portuguese
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
Madera Spanish
describing someone who lived or worked in a forest. the word Madera means "wood" in Spanish. Spanish meaning of surname Wood
Madrid Spanish
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.
Madrigal Spanish
"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."
Madriz Spanish, Catalan
patronymic surname meaning "son of Madrileño"; given to a person that came from Madrid, Spain.
Madroñero Spanish
It literally means "strawberry farmer".
Maestre Portuguese, Spanish
Occupational name from old Spanish and Portuguese maestre meaning 'master', 'master craftsman', 'teacher'.
Magaldi Italian, 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]
Magallanes Spanish
Spanish: Castilianized Form Of A Habitational Name From The Village Of Magaláns (Castilian Magalanes) In Pontevedra Province Galicia (Spain).
Magaña Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
Magdaleno Spanish
Masculine form of the Biblical name Magdalena.
Maia Portuguese
Habitational name from any of several places named Maia, especially one in Porto.
Mairena Spanish
From place name Mairena.
Málaga Spanish
Habitational name for someone from Málaga, capital of the province of the same name in Andalusia.
Malta Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
habitational or ethnic name for someone from the Mediterranean island of Malta (from Latin Melita Greek Melitē).
Maltez Portuguese
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.
Mamani Indigenous American, Aymara
Means "falcon, hawk" in Aymara.
Mancebo Spanish
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’).
Mandujano Spanish
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.
Manjarrés Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Manjarrez Spanish
Habitational Name From Manjarrés A Village In La Rioja Province.
Manrique Spanish
From the given name Manrique.
Mansilla Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from Mansilla a place in La Rioja province.
Mantilla Spanish
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.
Manuel Spanish, Portuguese, French, German
Derived from the given name Manuel.
Manuel Catalan, Spanish
Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.
Manzanares Spanish
Habitational Name From The City Of Manzanares In Ciudad Real Province
Maqueda Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the Manchego municipality or the neighborhood of the Andalusian municipality of Málaga.
Marcelo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Marcelo.
Marchant French, 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.
Marchena Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 4 Andalusian localities or 1 Murcian locality.
Marcial Spanish, Filipino
From the given name Marcial.
Marciano Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Marciano
Mares Spanish
A quarternary sand used in construction.
Marfil Spanish
Means "ivory" in Spanish (ultimately of Arabic origin).
Mariano Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the personal name Mariano
Marinez Spanish
Means "son of Marino" in Spanish.
Marinho Portuguese
From the given name Marinho
Maripan Spanish (Latin American)
Meaning unknown, mostly used in Chile.
Marmolejo Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Marquez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Márquez.
Marquina Spanish
Spanish form of any of several Basque towns called "Markina".
Marrero Italian, Spanish
Maker of spades or hoes. Marra spade
Marron Spanish
Derived from the French word marron meaning "chestnut", which now means "brown" in Spanish.
Marroquín Spanish (Latin American)
Ethnic Name For Someone From Morocco. This Surname Is Most Common In Central America.
Marroquin Spanish
Spanish or Portuguese
Marrufo Spanish
nickname from marrufo a Portuguese word meaning literally 'lay brother' and figuratively 'cunning sly'
Marte Spanish, Italian
From the given name Marte 2.
Martelle English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
English and German: from a medieval personal name, a pet form of Martin or Marta.... [more]
Martes Spanish
Pet form of Marte.
Martillo Spanish
From the Spanish word "martillo" which means hammer. Occupational name for a user or maker of hammers.
Martines Portuguese
Means "Son of Martin." Portuguese form of Martínez.
Martinho Portuguese
From the given name Martinho
Martinien Spanish (Latin American)
A rare Latin American form of Martinez or Martin, meaning "Warring" or "At war"
Mártir Spanish
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.
Marulanda Spanish
topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with maru 'Moor' + landa '(large) field prairie'.
Marzon Spanish
Is a portmanteau of the words mar, meaning sea, and corazon, meaning heart.
Mascarenhas Portuguese
Possibly from the place Mascarenhas in the city Mirandela. Originated by Estêvão Rodrigues, Lord of Mascarenhas.
Masvidal Spanish
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.
Matamoros Spanish
Given to the Apostle James, who according to tradition helped Christians to fight against the Moors.
Matarranz Spanish
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.
Matarrita Spanish (Latin American)
Mostly used in Costa Rica.
Mateos Spanish
Variant of Mateo.
Mathias French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese
French, Dutch: from the personal name Mathias (see Matthew).... [more]
Matias Filipino, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Czech (Americanized)
Spanish (Matías), Portuguese, and Dutch: from the personal name (see Matthew).... [more]
Mauleon Spanish (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"
Maurício Portuguese
From the given name Maurício.
Mauricio Spanish
From the given name Mauricio
Maximiano Portuguese
Derived from the given name Maximiano.
Maya Basque (Hispanicized), Catalan, Spanish
As a Spanish surname, this is a Castilianized form of Portuguese Maia. As a Catalan surname this is a variant of Maià... [more]
Mayoral Spanish
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').
Mayordomo Spanish
Means "butler" in Spanish.
Mayorga Spanish
habitational name, taken on from the place name Mayorga in Valladolid province of Castile.
Mayorquin Spanish
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.
Mazariego Spanish
Altered form of Mazariegos in singular for matching with the bearer.
Medellin Spanish
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.
Medrano Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Meireles Portuguese
Habitational name for someone from a place called Meireles in Portugal, meaning unclear.
Mejia Spanish
Spanish (Mejía): probably from a religious byname (possibly under Jewish influence), from a vernacular form of Latin, Greek Messias ‘Messiah’, from Hebrew māšīaḥ ‘anointed’.
Melchor Spanish
Derived from the given name Melchor.
Melendez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Meléndez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Melero Spanish
Occupational name for a collector or seller of honey, melero (Late Latin mellarius, an agent derivative of mel, genitive mellis, ‘honey’).
Melgar Spanish
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).
Melgosa Spanish
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.
Melillo Spanish, Italian
describing someone who worked on an apple orchard,harvesting and selling apples from the italian mela
Melquíades Spanish
From the given name Melquíades.
Mencia Spanish
Derived from the female personal name Mencía Mencia a cognate of the male name Matías.
Mendez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Méndez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Mendonça Portuguese
Portuguese form of Mendoza.
Mendosa Spanish
Variant spelling of Mendoza.
Menendez Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Menéndez primarily used in America and the Philippines.
Meneses Spanish, 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.
Menezes Portuguese
Portuguese form of Meneses.
Mengíbar Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Mercado Spanish
Topographic name for someone living by a market or metonymic occupational name for a market trader, from Spanish mercado meaning "market".
Mérida Spanish
habitational name from the city of Mérida in Badajoz province... [more]
Mesa Spanish
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).
Mesías Spanish, Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish, meaning Messiah.
Mesquita Portuguese
Means "mosque" in Portuguese, used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a mosque.
Messias Portuguese (Brazilian)
Derived from the given name Messias
Mestanza Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Mezquita Spanish
Spanish cognate of Mesquita.
Mieles Italian, Spanish, French
Meaning "honey".
Mier Spanish, English (American)
As a Spanish name relates to late summer and means "harvest" or "ripened".... [more]
Miguelañez Spanish
Derived from the given name Miguel.
Mijangos Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Cuesta Urria.
Milán Spanish
Spanish form of Milan.
Milanés Spanish
habitational name for someone from Milan in Italy (see Milano) from milanés an adjectival form of the place name. Variant of Milan.
Militão Portuguese (Brazilian)
Locational surname denoting someone who lives near a military base.
Minaya Spanish
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'.
Miqueletos Spanish
From the Spanish given name Miguel.
Miramontes Spanish
Looker of mountains.
Moclin Spanish
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]
Modernell Spanish (Latin American, Hispanicized, Modern)
Most common in Uruguay, probably of Lebanese origin, unknown meaning or etymology.
Molinero Spanish
An occupational surname from molinero (“miller”).
Monarrez Spanish
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.
Moncada Spanish
A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
Mondejar Spanish
Habitational name from a place called Mondéjar in Guadalajara province.
Mondragón Spanish
From the name of a town in Basque County, Spain, which is derived from Latin mons draconis meaning "dragon mountain".
Mondragon Spanish (Americanized), Filipino
Unaccented form of Mondragón chiefly used in America and the Philippines.
Moniz Portuguese
From the medieval Portuguese first name Muhno.... [more]
Moniz Portuguese
Means "son of Munho".
Monreal Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Monreal for example in Cuenca Teruel and Zaragoza provinces.
Monsivais Spanish
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’.
Montalban Spanish
Spanish (Montalbán): habitational name from Montalbán de Córdoba from Latin montem albanum 'white mountain'.
Montalto Italian, 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).
Monteagudo Spanish
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.
Monteblanco French, Spanish
Originally from France "Mont Blanc" but translated when arrived in Spain.
Montejano Spanish
Habitational name for someone from a place called Montejo
Montemayor Spanish
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.
Montenegro Spanish, 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".
Monterosa Spanish (Latin American)
From Spanish monte meaning "mountain", and rosa meaning "pink, rose".
Monterrubio Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Monterrubio ‘red mountain’.
Montes De Oca Spanish
Spanish surname meaning "mounts of goose".
Montesinos Spanish
Topographic name for someone who lived on a mountain from a derivative of monte 'mountain' (from Latin mons gentive montis).
Montezuma Spanish (Latin American)
Derived from the word monte meaning "hill". Most frequently used in Panama.
Montiel Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Montilla Spanish
Habitational name from Montilla a place in Córdoba province.
Montoro Spanish, 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.
Monzon Spanish
Habitational name from Monzón, a place in Uesca province, which is probably named from Latin montione ‘big mountain’.
Moraes Portuguese
From the Portuguese form of Spanish Morales.
Moratalla Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Murcian municipality.
Mordomo Portuguese
Means "butler" in Portuguese.
Morgado Portuguese
Means "eldest brother" in Portuguese
Moríñigo Spanish
Habitational surname from Moríñigo, Moríñigo is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León.
Moro Italian, Spanish
Nickname from moro "moor" from Latin maurus "moor, north african" and Italian variant of Mauro.
Moros Spanish
Habitational name from Moros in Zaragoza province, so named from the plural of moro ‘Moor’, i.e. ‘the place where the Moors live’.
Morquecho Spanish
Castilianized Form Of Morketxo. Unexplained.
Mosqueda Spanish
Mosqueda comes from the Spanish word 'Mosca' meaning house fly.
Mosquera Spanish, 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]
Mota Spanish, Portuguese
Topographic name for someone who lived by a fortified stronghold.
Moura Portuguese
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]
Moyano Spanish
Habitational name for someone from Moya, from an adjectival form of the place name.
Muñecas Spanish
It literally means "dolls" or "wrists".