Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is South American; and the pattern is *a.
usage
pattern
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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 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.
Diola Spanish
Derived from the given masculine name Andrea
Duda Portuguese
Perhaps a transferred use of the given name, Duda
Emboaba Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Variant of Emboava. A famous bearer of this surname is Brazilian footballer Oscar.
Escañuela Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
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.
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.
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.
Estremera Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from a place in Madrid province called Estremera.
Estremera Spanish
Derived from the word "estrecho," which means "narrow" or "tight."
Eva Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Italian, Portuguese
From the given name Eva.
Faria Portuguese, Italian
Faria is a Portuguese surname. A habitational name from either of two places called Faria, in Braga and Aveiro. ... [more]
Farinha Portuguese
Means "wheat flour" in Portuguese.
Fariza Spanish
From the name of a municipality in Zamora, Spain, probably of Arabic origin.
Ferrera Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferreira.
Figueira Portuguese, Galician
Means "fig tree" in Portuguese and Galician, ultimately from Latin ficaria. It was used a topographic name for someone who lived or worked near fig trees or for someone from any of various places called Figueira (derived from the same word).
Fórmica Spanish
Spanish transcription of the Italian surname Formica (while the insect in Spanish is hormiga).
Fortuna Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Derived from the given name Fortunato.
Fraga Portuguese
Fraga, also derived from the Spanish variation of the word frescas meaning "strawberries", in the Portugal it translates to "from the cliffs or cliffside"
França Portuguese
Means "France" in Portuguese.
Francia Italian, Spanish
From Latin Francia "France" an ethnic name for a Frenchman.
Fronda Spanish (Philippines), Spanish
Means "frond, leafy branch" in Spanish.
Fuensalida Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Galarza Spanish
Castilianized form of Basque Galartza.
Galea Spanish, Italian, Maltese
From Spanish galea "galleon, warship" presumably a metonymic occupational name for a shipwright or a sailor. Italian habitational name from Galea in Calabria.
Galicia Spanish
Spanish: ethnic name for someone from the former kingdom of Galicia, now an autonomous region of northwestern Spain.
Gamboa Spanish, Filipino
Castilianized form of Basque Ganboa. It is also a name for the quince tree (Cydonia oblonga).
Garmendia Basque, Spanish
Garmendia is the surname of a family of the Basque Country region of Guipuzcoa, in Spain. The surname means "wheat mountain" in Basque from gar meaning "wheat" and mendi meaning "mountain"... [more]
Garnica Spanish
Castilianized form of Garnika, a variant of Gernika.
Gascueña Spanish
It indicates familial origin within either of 2 Manchego municipalities: Gascueña or Gascueña de Bornova.
Generosa Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "generous" in several languages, derived from Latin generosus "well-born, noble". It could also be from the given name Generoso, of the same origin.
Gerena Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Ginebra Spanish
From the Spanish word ginebra, meaning "gin," possibly ultimately from the Latin iuniperus, meaning "juniper."
Gonzaga Spanish, Portuguese, Italian (Archaic)
Habitational name for someone from a location called Gonzaga in Mantua, Italy. This was the name of an Italian family that ruled Mantua from 1328 to 1708.
Gracia Spanish
From gracia "grace", or an alteration of García.
Gralha Portuguese
From Portuguese meaning "jackdaw".
Granda Spanish
Spanish form of the surname Grand.
Grijalva Spanish, Central American
Spanish: habitational name from any of various places called Grijalba in particular the one in Burgos province. The placename is from iglesia 'church' + Old Spanish alva 'white'.
Guadalajara Spanish, Spanish (Mexican)
Habitational name from the province of Guadalajara in Castile, derived from Arabic وَادِي الْحِجَارَة (wādī l-ḥijāra) meaning "valley of stones" or "river of stones".
Guardia Italian, Spanish
Means "guard, watch, warden" in Spanish and Italian, derived from warda, making it a cognate to Ward 1... [more]
Guevera Spanish
means "protector"
Guiza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Arabic Giza.
Heredia Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places in Basque Country called Heredia, probably derived from Latin heredium meaning "hereditary estate".
Higuera Spanish
Higuera is a local surname; that is, the name was derived from the village or estate where the original bearer of the name once lived or held land. The Higuera family originally lived in the area of Figueroa.
Higuita Spanish
Derives from spanish higuera meaning "fig tree".
Holanda Portuguese, Spanish
Spanish and Portuguese form of Holland 2.
Horta Catalan, Portuguese
Means "garden" (Latin hortus), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosed garden or an occupational name for one who was a gardener.
Hoya Spanish
is a habitational (local) name, taken on from any of several place names, such as from Hoyos in Cáceres province, or Hoyos in Ávila province. These place names come from the Spanish words "hoyo," meaning "pit," or "hole."
Huesca Spanish
Habitational name that refers to the city of Huesca, Spain.
Inga Italian, Spanish
Possibly from Sicilian inga "ink", an occupational name for a scribe. Alternatively, it could derive from the Germanic given name Inge.
Iniesta Spanish
Possibly from iniesta meaning "leafhopper".
Iniesta Spanish
Habitational name from places called Iniesta in the province of Cuenca, in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The Spanish former soccer player Andrés Iniesta (1984-) is a well-known bearer of this surname.
Isabella f Italian, Spanish, Hebrew
originating from the Hebrew name Elisheba, meaning “Devoted to God” and "God is my oath”... [more]
Isla Spanish
Means "island" in Spanish.
Jara Spanish
Habitational name any of the various places in southern Spain named Jara or La Jara, from jara meaning "rockrose", "cistus".
Jonda Spanish (Latin American, Japanized), American (Hispanic)
Jondá means Slingshot and hole in Spanish and is a surname in some Latin American countries and Americans with Hispanic heritage. It is a Japanized form of the surname Honda... [more]
Jordà Spanish
Derived from the personal name Jordàn
Jorquera Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
Lacerda Portuguese, Spanish
Nickname for someone with remarkably thick or long hair, or with an unusually hairy back or chest. From Spanish and Portuguese la cerda ‘the lock (of hair)’.
Lacosta Spanish
Variant of Costa with fused definite article la.
La Cotera Spanish
Spanish variant for Hill and/or someone living in a slope, A "cota" in Spanish.
Laguna Spanish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in Spain named Laguna meaning "lake, pond" in Spanish.
Lana Italian, Spanish
Means "wool" in Spanish and Italian. Occupational name for a wool merchant.
Lanza Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Lance.
Lapetina South American, Italian (?)
Possibly from Italian La Petina, the meaning of which is uncertain.
Laranjeira Portuguese
It means "orange tree" in Portuguese
Largaespada Spanish (Latin American), Central American
Combination of Spanish larga, the feminine form of the adjective largo meaning "long," and espada meaning "sword." It is mostly used in Nicaragua.
Larrañaga Basque, Spanish
From the name of a farmhouse in Azpeitia, Spain, derived from Basque larrain "threshing yard" and -aga "place of, group of".
Lasaga Spanish, French, Basque
From Basque Latsaga, a widespread place name in Basque Country meaning "at the creek".
Lassaga Spanish (Latin American), French, Basque
French and Argentine Spanish form of Lasaga.
Laura Spanish
Of uncertain origin; in some cases, it is possibly a habitational name from a place named Laura.
Ledesma Spanish, Spanish (Philippines), Spanish (Latin American), Galician
Habitational name from any of the numerous places in Spain called Ledesma, particularly in Salamanca or Boqueixón, possibly derived from a superlative form of the Proto-Celtic root *ɸletos "breadth, side" or *ɸleitos "grey".
Licona Spanish
Habitational name from a place called Likoa in Basque Country.
Lima Portuguese
Topographic name for someone living on the banks of the river of this name (of pre-Roman origin, probably akin to a Celtic element lemos, limos 'elm').
Lima Portuguese
Topographic name for someone who lived on the banks of the Lima River in Portugal, most likely derived from Indo-European *léymō meaning "lake".
Lisboa Portuguese
Habitiational name from Lisbon.
Lisboa Portuguese
Habitational name for someone from the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon (called Lisboa in Portuguese).
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.
Lorenzana Spanish
Habitational name from Lourenza near Lugo in Spain.
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").
Lousada Portuguese
Name given from the village of Lousada, in Northern Portugal.
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 a location in Navarre, Spain, probably means "the mud", derived from Basque lohi "mud, mire".
Lozada Spanish
Variant of Lozano.
Lucía Spanish, Italian
From the feminine personal name Lucia, feminine derivative of Latin lux meaning "light".
Madera Spanish
describing someone who lived or worked in a forest. the word Madera means "wood" in Spanish. Spanish meaning of surname Wood
Magaña Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
Maia Portuguese
Habitational name from any of several places named Maia, especially one in Porto.
Maidana Spanish, South American
Likely derived from from Arabic ميدانا (maydanan) meaning "field".
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).
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.
Maqueda Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the Manchego municipality or the neighborhood of the Andalusian municipality of Málaga.
Marchena Spanish
This indicates familial origin within either of 4 Andalusian localities or 1 Murcian locality.
Marulanda Spanish
topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with maru 'Moor' + landa '(large) field prairie'.
Matarrita Spanish (Latin American)
Mostly used in Costa Rica.
Maya Basque (Hispanicized), Portuguese (Hispanicized), Spanish
Castilianized form of Portuguese Maia or of Basque Maia.
Mayorga Spanish
habitational name, taken on from the place name Mayorga in Valladolid province of Castile.
Maza Spanish
Occupational name for someone who carried a mace, either as a symbol of office or as a weapon.
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’.
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.
Mencia Spanish
Derived from the female personal name Mencía Mencia a cognate of the male name Matías.
Mendonça Portuguese
Portuguese form of Mendoza.
Mendosa Spanish
Variant spelling of Mendoza.
Menonita Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
From Spanish meaning "mennonite".
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).
Mesquita Portuguese
Means "mosque" in Portuguese, used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a mosque.
Mestanza Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Meza Spanish
Older variant of Mesa.
Mezquita Spanish
Spanish cognate of Mesquita.
Minaya Spanish
From Minaya, the name of a town in Albacete province, Spain. According to the scholar Miguel Asín Palacios, the place name comes means "open and visible path" from Arabic. It has also been speculated that the place name has Basque origins, meaning "ore", "ore vein" or "asphodel pastures".
Moncada Spanish
A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
Monterosa Spanish (Latin American)
From Spanish monte meaning "mountain", and rosa meaning "pink, rose".
Montes De Oca Spanish
Spanish surname meaning "mounts of goose".
Montezuma Spanish (Latin American)
Derived from the word monte meaning "hill". Most frequently used in Panama.
Montilla Spanish
Habitational name from Montilla a place in Córdoba province.
Moratalla Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Murcian municipality.
Morena Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From Italian moro or Spanish & Portuguese moreno meaning "dark-skinned".
Morera Spanish, Catalan
Means "mulberry" in Spanish and Catalan, denoting a person who lived near a mulberry tree.
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 South American, 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]
Murcia Spanish
Habitational name from the city Murcia.
Nájera Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Navarra Italian, Spanish
Means Navarre in Italian and Spanish; which was also the female equivalent to Navarro.
Negueruela Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous La Riojan ghost town.
Noceda Spanish
Spanish surname derived from the word "nocedal" meaning "field of walnut trees" it denoted a person who lived or came from such place.
Noriega Asturian, Spanish, South American
This indicates familial origin within an eponymous village.
Noronha Portuguese
Derived from Noreña, the name of a village in Asturias, northern Spain.
Nova Spanish
From the Spanish word 'nueva' meaning "new".
Ocaña Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Oliva Italian, Spanish
Of uncertain origin: derived either from a nickname to those who picked, worked with or sold olives, or from the given name Oliva.
Olivera Spanish, Catalan, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Philippines), Portuguese (Hispanicized)
From Catalan olivera meaning "olive tree", essentially a Spanish form of Oliveira. In some cases a Castilianized form of Oliveira.
Oña Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Orona Spanish
Spanish: habitational name from a town of this name in Burgos province.
Osa f Spanish
It means she-wolf in spanish, and/or wolf in basque
Osegueda Spanish (Latin American)
Variant of Oseguera chiefly used in Central America.
Oseguera Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Valle de Mena.
Osuna Spanish
Habitational name from a place in the province of Seville, named from Arabic Oxuna, perhaps named from Late Latin Ursina (villa) "estate of Ursus" a byname meaning "bear".
Oyuela Spanish, Western African
The surname Oyuela is likely of Spanish or African (specifically, West African) origin, with roots in both linguistic and cultural traditions.... [more]
Pacana Spanish
From pacana meaning "pecan", "pecan tree", a word of Algonquin origin. This surname is also found in the Philippines.
Paiva Portuguese
From the Portuguese word "paiva," which refers to a type of river or stream
Palenzuela Spanish
It indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Palma Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, and southern Italian: habitational name from any of various places named or named with Palma, from Latin palma ‘palm’. ... [more]
Paniágua Spanish, Portuguese
Status name for a servant who worked for his board (pan "bread" and agua "water") and lodging.
Papa Tagalog, Italian, Albanian, Romanian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese
Means "pope, priest" in various languages.
Pardo De Tavera Spanish (Rare, Archaic)
In the case of Filipino physician Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (1857-1925), he came from a Portuguese aristocratic family of Pardo from Tavira (a town in Portugal). The family added the name de Tavera, meaning "of Tavira" to affix their place of origin, similar to Spanish noble customs... [more]
Pareja Spanish
habitational name from Pareja in Guadalajara province.
Parreira Portuguese
Means "grapevine" in Portuguese. It was used as a toponymic name for someone from any of various places called Parreira, a topographic name for someone who lived near many grapevines, or an occupational name for someone who worked on a grapevine plantation.
Pascua Spanish
From the personal name Pascual. It also means "Easter" in Spanish.
Pastrana Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Pedra Spanish
Feminine form of Pedro.
Pedraza Spanish
Refers to the blow received from a stone thrown intentionally to wound someone.
Pedreira Portuguese, Galician
Means "quarry, rocky place" in Portuguese and Galician, originally a habitational name from any of various places called Pedreira or A Pedreira.
Pedrosa Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Galician
Habitational name from any of numerous places named Pedrosa, from pedroso, pedrosa meaning "stoney", an adjectival derivative of pedra meaning "stone".
Peñaranda Spanish
Habitational name from places in Burgos and Salamanca named Peñaranda.
Peralta Catalan, Spanish, Aragonese
Habitational name from any of the places in Aragon, Catalonia, and Navarre called Peralta, from Latin petra alta "high rock". This name is also established in Italy.
Persia Italian, Spanish
Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Persia (modern-day Iran) or some other country with Persian-speaking peoples or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries (see the given name Persis)... [more]
Pessoa Portuguese
From Portuguese pessoa meaning "person."
Pestana Portuguese
Nickname for a person with prominent eyelashes, from Portuguese pestana "eyelash".
Piedrahita Spanish
Habitational name from any of the places called Piedrahita in particular those in Ávila and Teruel.
Pimenta Portuguese
Means "pepper" in Portuguese, used as an occupational name for someone who grew or sold peppers.
Pita Spanish
Spanish and Portuguese: from Spanish, Portuguese pita ‘chicken’ or in some cases possibly from the plant pita ‘pita’, ‘American aloe’, presumably a topographic name.
Plasencia Spanish
habitational name from Plasencia in Cáceres province and possibly also a Castilianized form of a habitational name from Plasenzia the name of towns in Zaragoza and Huesca (Aragon).
Plata Spanish
Means "silver" in Spanish. Plata could be a habitational name from places in Toledo and Cáceres provinces named Plata, or various places named La Plata.
Pluma Spanish
From Spanish meaning "plume, feather". Occupational name for a scribe.
Portanova Italian, Portuguese, Galician
Habitational name from a place or locality called Portanova "new gate" from the elements neos "new" and porta "door".
Portola Spanish, Portuguese, Romani (Caló)
Portola is Spanish and Portuguese for Port and is a Romani calo surname. People include Gaspar de Portolá, a Spanish explorer who was the first governor of Baja and Alta California and had many names after him in California cities and streets.
Póveda Spanish, South American
habitational name from any of the places called Poveda in the provinces of Cuenca Ávila Salamanca and Soria or from Póveda de la Sierra in Guadalajara.
Pradera Spanish
Pradera is a Spanish surname meaning "meadow".
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