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She has 3 last names? Really?

First Names
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Juana Diaz Laboy de Garcia
PictureLuisa Rivera Y Garcia, Titina Feliciano Y Rivera, Leon Garcia Y Feliciano, Ceiba, 1945
Yes really, your bisabuela probably had three last names. Puerto Rican last names can seem a bit confusing but it is actually a gift. Puerto Rican genealogy is made exponentially easier because of the use of multiple surnames. Puerto Rico used the Spanish practice of using the last names of both parents. A child born would be given a first and middle name and then the first last name of the father followed by the first last name of the mother. (e.g. Maria Luisa Rivera Garcia.) You may find it written with or without the word y meaning 'and' between the two last names. (e.g. Tomas Rivera y Castro.) Upon marriage, a Puerto Rican woman could choose to add her husband's last name by adding the word de meaning 'of' before her husband's first last name. (e.g. Maria Luisa Rivera Garcia de Feliciano or Maria Luisa Rivera y Garcia de Feliciano.)
To the average American, that seems like a mouthful but for a genealogist, it is a practice that is extremely useful for various reasons. First, because it is easy to track a person over periods of time in various documents. Second, it aids in finding siblings if you are looking to create a larger family tree. Third, upon discovering cousins or grandchildren living in the home, you can investigate to find out who the parents are by tracing the two last names. And of course, the most obvious, there is no issue with finding maiden names! It is amazingly easier to trace back further generations with the mother's name already known.

If you are looking through the Puerto Rican censuses, you will see that outside of the metropolitan areas (San Juan, Santurce, Ponce, Bayamon) the homes do not have addresses. (I explain this on another page.) Most of Puerto Rico was rural and groups of families populated the villages and towns. They often set up a home just next door and down the road from parents and siblings. So if you find an ancestor, if you look at the pages before and after, it is very likely that you will find siblings. How? By looking at the two last names! Of course, you need to cross-check it to the ages to be sure it makes logical sense. Because the villages and towns were relatively small, you will find that there are rarely more than one family with the same two last names...unless that is if a set of brothers marry a set of sisters. For example: if sisters Juana and Belen Diaz y Rodriguez were to marry brothers Luis and Jose Centeno y Laboy all of the children will have the last names: Diaz y Centeno. This happened in my own family but I had already found the sets of siblings in the 1910 census and then found them with their children in the 1930 census. Confusion avoided! The census in Puerto Rico is available online for 1910, 1920 (limited), 1930, and 1940. By using the names as clues, you should be able to amass quite a number of relatives! 

Another purpose of investigating Puerto Rican surnames is that it gives a peek into your deeper past. Puerto Rican surnames can reveal the location in Spain or Portugal or somewhere else in the world that various parts of your family originated. Unfortunately, our indigenous and African names will remain a mystery forever but DNA can help in determining that.
Surnames can also reveal a little bit more about the founding of the towns in Puerto Rico. Not all Puerto Rican surnames are Spanish and that revelation may be the key to creating your family tree. I explain this in more detail towards the bottom of this page, below the lists of surnames. There is a list of Puerto Rican surnames that are of non-Spanish origin. 

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So what do all these names mean?

PictureTita & Moncho, Ceiba, 1950
 So now you've figured out the naming practices and how easy it is to find your ancestors in documents, you may be curious as to where the names came from and what they mean or signify about your family. Much can be discovered in Puerto Rican genealogy using the history of surnames. The first thing to keep in mind is that surnames or last names did not become common practice until the middle ages. They started in France at about 1000 and spread with the Norman Invasion to England and Scotland.  

Spanish surnames started being used in medieval times when populations were growing and it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same given name. Prior to that, people had no use for surnames. They lived in communities that were small enough that it was unlikely people would have the same given name. As communities grew and people migrated, there became a need to differentiate between people sharing the same given name. This began the use of bynames. A byname eventually became what we know as a last name or surname. A byname is a non-hereditary surname that often began as a sobriquet (nickname) given to an individual in order to describe a person in some way. These bynames, originally given to a single person were the most common style of surnaming used in most of medieval Europe. However, these surnames would change from generation to generation, making it difficult to keep track of family relationships. Over the course of the Middle Ages, individual bynames gave way to inherited surnames, so that it was no longer a literal description except by coincidence. These surnames became permanent by the 1400s. 

Surname Inheritance 
Surnames were originally given to a single person in order to distinguish two or more people with the same given name. These surnames would change from through the generations, making it difficult to keep track of family relationship. As time moved on people stopped changing surnames from generation to generation. The first people to do this were often the nobility and royalty of an area.  The Castilian double surname naming system of the 16th century didn’t become common throughout Spain until the 1800s, although you will find that it made its way to Puerto Rico quickly mainly because of the Real Cédula de Graces in 1815. This brought a large influx of immigrants to Puerto Rico during the 19th century.
Castillian denotes from Castile (in and around Madrid) which is the language internationally known as Spanish, different from other languages spoken in Spain such as Catalan, Basque, and Galician among others.* You will find that many names will reveal the medieval origins of your ancestors (e.g. Ochoa - Basque nickname meaning "wolf"; Alfaro - city in La Rioja, Spain; Picasso – Catalan word for magpie.) This is especially helpful if you do DNA testing for reasons I will explain on the DNA page.
*(On another page there is a gallery of maps of Spain. There you will find an brief translation of the language map.) 
​

Most surnames fall into the following categories: Patronymic, Locative, Metonymic/Sobriquet, Occupational or Religious. Patronymic surnames are taken from the father's first name. Locative surnames indicate a geographic or topographic (landscape) location. Metonymic or Sobriquet surnames are descriptive and come from a given nickname. Occupational surnames indicate one's work, rank, or position in a given community. Religious surnames reflect positions, places, and items related to the Catholic church. Instead of listing the surnames alphabetically as most surname dictionaries do, I listed them by the categories just described.
For surnames that derive from a language other than Castilian, the language is indicated in <chevrons> unless it is a Locative surname in which the language of country or region indicated should be inferred. In addition, to distinguish, after the predominately Castilian surnames categories, I included a list of surnames that are not Castilian but instead Basque, Catalan, or Galician/Portuguese. Because Puerto Rico was inhabited by peoples from countries other than Spain, I will be adding lists of Puerto Rican surnames that are French, Italian, German, and English in origin as well.
In the <chevrons> you may see the identifier Germanic. Long before the Romans arrived, the Visigoths, Suebi and other Germanic peoples lived in the Iberian peninsula. The language didn't survive the infusion of Latin except for given names. Many given names passed down through families as in many cultures eventually became patronymic surnames. In those surnames are hidden clues to the past Germanic tribes of Spain.   


​The following lists include only surnames found in Puerto Rico. I encourage you to send me a message if you have a surname that you would like to be included.  ​I have used a variety of resources that have the origins of surnames as well as my own research. All names found here are my own brief determinations from the various sources without elaboration nor alternate meanings.

Search surnames


Patronyms
This system of Spanish surnames uses the name of a person’s father as that person’s surname. Sometimes the parent’s name was unchanged (as in Mateo, Alonso, and Garcia), but frequently it was used with an added suffix that meant “son of.” These include -ez, -az, -is, -oz at the end of a name. So, if a village had two people named Martin in it, then one might be Martin son of Rodrigo (Martin Rodriguez) and the other might be Martin son of Lope (Martin Lopez). The one major disadvantage of this system is that with each generation surnames would change. For example, if you had Lope who was the father of Martin who was the father of Jesus, then the full names of Lope’s son and grandson would be Martin Lopez and Jesus Martinez. On occasion, sons took the surname of their father, while daughters took that of their mother (matronymic) as in Julia de Alma. 
Many patronymic surnames in Puerto Rico are of non-Spanish origin. Many Italian/ Corsican surnames end in i, due to the medieval custom of identifying individuals by the name of their clan in the plural (which have an -i suffix in Italian). For instance, Gennaro from the Pellegrino family would be called Gennaro degli Pellegrini (Gennaro of the Pelligrinos). Eventually, most possessive portions ("of the") were dropped. However, a vast many Italian surnames remained permanently pluralized and end with "i". In some cases, the surname may end in -etti instead of -i which indicates the diminutive meaning 'little.' For instance, Pieretto, is the diminutive of Piero similar to how Manuelito is diminutive of Manuel in Spanish.
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In (parenthesis), I included an English equivalent if applicable. In the <chevrons> I included the language of origin if not Castilian. After the semicolon, I included the etymology of the word if known.
For further information of names that come to Spanish via German, see the page
Language & Culture of Spain.
  • Adames - son of Adam <Hebrew>
  • Adorno - given name <Italian>; adorned
  • Adriani - family of Adriano, someone from Adria <Italian>
  • Agostini - family of Agostino (August); sacred, venerable <Italian via Latin> 
  • Agosto - variation of the personal name Augusto; sacred, venerable <via Latin>  
  • Agustin - variant of Augusto; sacred, venerable <via Latin>
  • Alejandro - given name (Alexander)
  • Alfonsi - family of Alfonso (Alphonse) <Corsican via Germanic>
  • Alfonso - given name (Adelfuns) <via Germanic>
  • Alonso / Alonzo - variants of Alfonso (Adelfonsus) <Germanic> 
  • Alvarez - son of Alvaro; from Alfher <Germanic>
  • Alverio - variant of Álvaro
  • Amado - given name; beloved
  • Amatez - son of Amatu; beloved <Basque>
  • Amengual/ Armengual - son of Mendo a shortened variation of Hermenegildo; <via Gothic> the one that is worth his cattle
  • Anaya - son of Anaia; brother <Basque>
  • Andres - given name; masculine <via Greek> (Andrew)
  • Antonini – family of Antonino (Anthony) <Italian>
  • Antúnez - son of Antonio (Anthony)
  • Arnau - given name; powerful eagle <Catalan via German>
  • Arnaz - son of Arnau (Arnold) <Catalan>
  • Artau - son of Arthaud; (Arthur) <Catalan via French>
  • Baez - son of Joan (John) <Basque>
  • Baldrich - Baldarich from Baldericus <Catalan via Germanic>
  • Bartolomei - given name (Bartholomew)
  • Bas - personal Roman name; thick, fat, stumpy
  • Batista - variant of the personal name Baptiste <French> or Baptista; baptist
  • Bauza - variant of Bausa; simple <Catalan>
  • Beltran - given name (Bertram) <German>
  • Benet - from given name Benedictus <Catalan via Latin>
  • Benitez - son of Benito (Benedict) from Benedictus; blessed <Latin> 
  • Bermudez - son of Bermudo from Veremund; vigilant protection <via Germanic>
  • Bernal - variant of given name Bernaldo <Catalan> (Bernard)
  • Bernardini - family of Bernardino <Italian>
  • Biaggi -  family of Biagio, a variant of Blaise <Corsican, Italian>
  • Blas -  family of Blas from Blasius (Blaise, Blaze); lisping, stammering, crooked tongue <via Latin>
  • Blasini - family of Blas <Corsican via Latin>; lisping, stammering, crooked tongue
  • Blazquez - son of Blasco see Velazquez
  • Bonta - derived from given name Bonifacio from Bonifatius (Boniface) <Roman>
  • Casiano - from the given name from Roman Cassianus
  • Cesari - family of Cesare <Corsican, Italian>
  • Claudio - given name (Claudius) <Latin>
  • Clemente - given name (Clement); gentle, merciful <via Latin>
  • Colon - variant of the given name Columba <Roman/Latin>
  • Cosme - from the given name Cosmé; order, universe <Italian via Greek>
  • Diaz - son of Diadako; learned <Basque via Greek>
  • Damiani - family of Damiano; tamer< Italian via Greek>
  • Domenech - variant of the personal name Domènec (Dominick) <Catalan>
  • Dominguez - son of Domingo (Dominick); of the Lord
  • Dominicci – family of Domenico (Dominick); of the Lord <Italian>
  • Duarte - from Eduardo (Edward); fortune/wealth guard <Old English>​
  • Elias - given name (Elijah) <via Hebrew>; lord God 
  • Emmanuelli - family of Emanuele (Emanuel); God is with us <Italian via Hebrew>
  • Enriquez - son of Enrique (Henry) from Heimrich; ruler of the house <Germanic>
  • Estevez - son of Esteban (Stephen) from Stephanos; crown wreath <via Greek>
  • Febus - from Phoebus <via Greek>; bright, pure
  • Feliciano - derivative of Felix <Galician> or Felicianus <Latin>
  • Fernandez - son of Fernando (Ferdinand) <Germanic>; brave journey
  • Ferrari - family of Ferraro; blacksmith ironworker <Italian>
  • Franquiz/ Franqui - from the given name Franco
  • Gali - from given name Galindo; spear friend <via Germanic>
  • Galiano - given name Gallianus <Latin>; man of the Gauls
  • Galindo - given name <Aragonese>
  • Galvez - son of Galve <Arabic>
  • Gaspar - given name (Jasper); treasurer <via Persian>
  • Gaston - given name; guest, host <French via German>
  • Geronimo - from the given name from Hierōnymos <via Greek>
  • Gimbernat - from the given name Gimberht <Catalan from German>; bright jewel
  • Gines - from given name Genesius;  well-born, legitimate <Catalan via Latin via Greek>
  • Giorgi - family of Giorgio; farmer <Italian via Greek>
  • Giovanetti - family of little Giovanni <Corsican>
  • Girau - probably an Catalan variant of Giraud <French> from Gerard <German>; hard spear
  • Giron - from Xirón; hem, remnant <Galician>
  • Godínez - son of Godino <Germanic>
  • Gomez - son of Gome; man <Germanic>
  • Gonzalez - son of Gonzalo from Gundislavus; war <Germanic>
  • Gutierrez - son of Gualtierre (Walter) <Germanic>
  • Henriquez -  son of Enrique (Henry) from Heimrich; ruler of the house <via Germanic>
  • Hernandez - son of Hernan (Ferdinand) - see Fernandez above
  • Ibáñez - son of Iban ~ Juan (John) from Yohanan; Jehovah has favored <Latin from Greek from Hebrew>
  • Isidro - given name; gift of the goddess Isis (Isadore)
  • Jacome - variant of the personal name Iacobus (Jacob)
  • Jimenez - son of Jimeno ~ Ximeno (Simon) from Shim'on; hearkening <Latin from Greek from Hebrew>
  • Júarez - son of Suaro
  • Lando - given name; land <Italian originally Germanic>
  • Laureano - given name (Laurentis); laurelled <via Latin>
  • Lopez - son of Lope; wolf <via Latin>
  • Lucchetti/Lucetti - family of little Luca; from Lucania <Italian>
  • Luciano - from the given name Lucius ; light <Latin>
  • Macías - from the given name Matias <Portuguese>
  • Manfredi - family of Manfredo <Italian via Germanic>
  • Mariani - family of Mariano <Corsican, Italian>
  • Marquez - son of Marco (Marcus)
  • Marti - given name (Martin) <Catalan>
  • Martin - given name <Aragonese>
  • Martinez - son of Martin from Martinus; for Roman God of war Mars <Latin>
  • Masini - plural form of Masino, a short form of Tommasino, a pet form of Tommaso <Corsican via Italian>
  • Mateo - given name (Matthew) from Mattathyah <via Latin from Greek from Hebrew>; gift from Jehova   
  • Mateu - given name (Matthew) from Mattathyah <Catalan from Latin from Greek from Hebrew>; gift from Jehova
  • Mendez/ Menendez/ Melendez - son of Mendo a nickname of Hermenegildo; <via Gothic> the one that is worth his cattle
  • Milian - given name Milian <Basque from Latin>
  • Millan - diminutive of Aemilianus; rival <Latin>
  • Minguez - son of Domingo (Dominick); of the Lord
  • Mir - personal name Mir/ Miro <Catalan via Germanic>; peace, world
  • Muñoz/ Muniz - son of Munio <Basque>
  • Nazario - from the given name meaning 'of Nazareth' <Latin>
  • Noa - given name (Noah) <Galician>
  • Nuñez - son of Nuño <Galician>; ninth child <via Latin>
  • Ochoa - son of Otsoa <Basque>; wolf
  • Oliveras - from given name Olivero (Oliver)​
  • Ordoñez - son of Ordoño
  • Orlando - from given name; famous land <Italian originally Germanic> (variant of Rolando)
  • Ortiz - son of Orti <Basque from Latin>; Forti or Fortinus
  • Osorio - given name Osorio <Basque>; wolf-hunter
  • Paoli – family of Paolo (Paul) <Italian via Latin> from Paulum; few little
  • Pau - given name (Paul) <Catalan>
  • Peláez - son of Pelayo from pelagos; open sea  <Asturian via Greek>
  • Perez - son of Petri <Basque from Latin>; stone
  • Pieri - a Friulian variant of Pietro; Peter <Italian via Friulian>
  • Pitri - family of Pietro (Peter) <Italian>
  • Ponce - from the given name Pontius <Latin>
  • Quiles - variant of Quilez; son of Aquileo from Achilleus <Greek>
  • Ramirez - son of Ramiro
  • Rodriguez - son of Rodrigo from Hroderich; ruling in fame <via Germanic>
  • ​​Rolando -  given name; famous land <Italian via Germanic> (variant of Orlando)
  • Roldán - from given name Rolando <Germanic>; famous land
  • Ruiz - son of Ruy, variant short form of Rodrigo
  • Santiago - from Sant Iago (Saint James/Jacob)
  • ​Sanz/ Saenz/ Sanchez - variant of given name Sancho from Santxo <Basque via Latin>; holy Sanctus 
  • Tomasini - family of Tomaso <Italian>
  • Totti - variant of Toti, plural of Toto from a personal name Doddo, Totto <via Germanic>
  • Valentin - from given name Valentinus <Latin>
  • Valez - son of Baldo <Italian>
  • Vasquez / Vazquez - son of Vasco; a Basque
  • Velasquez / Velazquez - son of Velasco <Basque>
  • Velez - son of Vela
  • Vicenty - variant of Vicente; victor
  • Vidal - from the given name Vitalis <Latin>; life
  • Ximenez - son of Semeno from Seme <Basque>; son
  • Zeno - from the given name Zenon, a derivative of Zeus <Greek>
DNA
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Diaz Y Burgos
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Rodriguez Y Montalvo
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Diaz Y Alvarado
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Feliciano Y Garcia
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Matronymics 
  • Alejandrina - Alexandra
  • Alicea - from the personal name Alicia
  • Maria - Mary
  • Iris - Iris​​

Place Surnames (location)
People were also named after places where they lived, either past or present. When surnames began people were rarely named after the village in which they currently lived, but after they left and moved to a new place they would be named after the village where they lived prior. So Juan who used to live in Burgos came to be known as Juan de Burgos. Eventually, as surnames became commonplace and necessary because of population growth, surnames became family names passed down by fathers. Over time the article de (of) was then often omitted. While the list of place surnames is longer than any other category, many of the place names are taken from natural landscapes. 
Many of the following place names are comarcas. A comarca is closely related to a county. Many villages and hamlets no longer have any inhabitants. Spain has a slightly complicated structure. See maps of Spain for a closer look. Also helpful is this list of villages, towns, parishes, cities, provinces, and regions of Spain. 
You may infer the regional language of the location is the derivation. You will find in many cases, the name that has prevailed is the Castilianized form of the location such as Corujo, a village in Galicia. In Galician it is Coruxo. Meaning, the current form uses the spelling and pronunciation of a Castilian speaker instead of the native language spoken in the area (Catalan, Aragonese etc....) 
  • Abarca - village in Palencia, Castile-Leon <Basque>; holm oak
  • Abreu - from Abreu in the former Minho province in Portugal <Galician>​
  • Agramunt - village in Urgel, Lleida, Catalonia <Catalan>;  sour bunch
  • Aguayo - from a town in Córdoba and/or Santander
  • Aguero - town in Jaco, Hoya de Huesca, Aragon 
  • Aguillo - from Aguilo, Santa Coloma de Queralt, Conca de Barberà, Catalonia <Catalan>
  • Aguinaga - from Aginaga, one of villages in Guipúzcoa and/or Navarre, Basque County; place of yews
  • Alacán - possibly derived from a person who worked with the Alaca, a pony-sized horse originally from Alaca, Turkey <via French>
  • Alburquerque - village in Badajoz, Extremadura  
  • Alcala - from any of the many towns in Spain; the castle <Arabic>
  • Alcantarra - village in Cáceres, Extremadura <Arabic>; the bridge​​
  • Aldemuy/ Aldamuy - probably from Aldemunde, Carballo, A Coruña, Galicia
  • Alfaro - city in La Rioja; the lighthouse <Arabic>
  • Almalgro - town in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha
  • Almazan - village in Soria, Castile-Leon; fortified one <via Arabic>
  • Almodovar - towns in in the provinces of Ciudad Real, Córdoba or near Cuenca; town in Portugal <via Arabic> 
  • Alsina - from Alzina, Lleida, Spain
  • Alvarado - village in Badajoz, Extremadura; dweller by the white hill or dry land
  • Amay - village in Liège, Belgium
  • Ames - town in Santiago, A Coruña, Galicia
  • Amill - from Amillis, a village in Seine et Marne, Ile-de-France, France <French>
  • Anca - likely from Igrexa de San Pedro de Anca in A Coruña, Galicia
  • Andino - town in Castile, Spain
  • Andrade - from San Martiño de Andrade, Pontedeume, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
  • Andujar - town in Jaén, Andalucia, Spain
  • Anglade - town in Gironde, New Aquitaine, France <French>
  • Antillon - town in Huesca, Aragon, Spain
  • Aquino - town in Italy <Italian>
  • Archilla - village in Brihuega, Guadalajara, Castille-La Mancha, Spain
  • Ardín - commune in Deux-Sèvres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France <French>
  • Arechavaleta - village in Gipuzcoa, Basque Country, Spain
  • Arguelles - parish in Siero, Asturias, Spain
  • Aróstegui - village in Atez, Pamplona, Navarre
  • Arrieta - village in Mungiadela, Biscay, Basque Country; the path of the scree (a slope covered with small loose stones) <Basque>
  • Arrigoitia - from Errigoiti, village in Busturialdea, Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
  • Arroyabe - village in Arrazua, Ubarrundia, Alava, Basque Country, Spain
  • Artigau - possibly from the town Artigat, Ariège, Occitania, France
  • Arvizu - from Arbizu, village in Barranca, Pamplona, Navarre <via Basque>; turnip field (Maybe origin of Albizu)
  • Avila - town in Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Aviles - city in Asturias or district in Lorca, Murcia from Latin name Abilius <via Latin>
  • Ayala - Castilianized form of Aiara, town in Álava, Basque Country, Spain<Basque>
  • Ayerra - from Ayera, Loporzano, Huesca, Spain <Aragonese>
  • Azpiroz - village in Larráun, Navarre
  • Badillo - from either Valillo de la Guarena, Zamora or Vadillo de al Sierra in Ávila, Castile-Leon
  • Balaguer - town in La Noguera, Lleida, Catalonia
  • Balboa - town in El Bierzo, Castile-Leon
  • Balzac - commune in Gond-Pontouvre, Angoulême, Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
  • Barada - probably from Baradal, Asturias, Spain​​
  • Bayona - from Baiona, Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia
  • Bayron - from Byram; at the cattle sheds <Old English>
  • Belgodere - from Belgodère, a commune in Haute-Corse, Corsica, France
  • Belmonte - town in Calabria, Italy
  • Belvis - variant of Bellvís, Pla d'Urgell, Lleida, Catalonia or village in Aude, Occitanie, France; beautiful view
  • Bercedoni - possibly from Bercedo, Burgos, Castile-Leon
  • Berdeguez - possibly a variant of Verdaguez from Pic de Verdaguer, a peak of the Montcalm Massif in the Pyrenees <Catalan>
  • Bermeo - village in Busturialdea, Bizkaia
  • Bernier - from village Bernières, Normandy, France
  • Betances/Betanzos - from Betanzos, A Coruña, Galicia
  • Betancourt/ Betancort - from Béthencourt, Norde, Hauts-de-France, France <Canary Islands>
  • Bettolacce - a village in Rogliano, Haute-Corse, Corsica
  • Bielsa - village in Sobrarbe, Huesco, Aragon
  • Boagna - possibly from Bognanco, Piedmont, Italy; fire oxen
  • Bobadilla - from one of the many places in Spain; originally Bovacella; female oxen barn
  • Bobe - from Bobes, Siero, Asturias; keeper of oxen 
  • Bonilla - town in Cuenca or Bonilla de la Sierra in Ávila
  • Bordelies - probably from Bordelès <Catalan> or Bordelais <French> someone from the city Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
  • Borges - a town in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain <Catalan>
  • Borobias - village in Soria, Castilla y León, Spain
  • Brea - from one of the many places in Galicia, Spain
  • Breto - village in Valle del Esla, Zamora, Castile-Leon
  • Brocco - probably a shortened version of Broccostella, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy
  • Burgos - the historic capital of Castile, Spain 
  • Bustamante - town in Santander, Cantabria
  • Bustamonte - variant of village Bustillo del Monte, Valderredible, Cantabria, Spain
  • Buyé - possibly from Buyeres, Asturias taken from Bruyères <French>; heather
  • Cabral - parish in Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia
  • Caceres - a province in Extremadura, Spain
  • Calderón - village in Requena-Utiel, Valencia; cauldron
  • Caracena - town in Soria, Castille-La Mancha
  • Carballo/ Caraballo - town Carballo, Bergantiños, A Coruña, Galicia
  • Cardona - town in Bages, Barcelona, Catalonia
  • Carmargo - village in Santander, Cantabria (pre-Roman Cabarcus)
  • Carmona - village in Los Arcores, Sevilla, Andalucia
  • Cartagena - town in Murica
  • Castejón - town and municipality in Navarre
  • Castellano - person from Castille
  • Cela - from any of the places found in Leon, Lugo, La Coruña, Orense, Pontevedra, Valencia, Aleria, Alicante; cover up, hide
  • Celis - village in Rionansa, Cantabria
  • Cereceda - from various places in Spain; cherry orchard 
  • Cervoni - from Cervon, a village in Nièvre, France
  • Cevallos - variant of Ceballos in Santander, Cantabria
  • Charriez - commune in Haute-Saône, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
  • Chiavramonti - variant of Chiaramonti a comune in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy
  • Ciordia - Castilianized form of Ziordia, Navarre; elderberry
  • Cisneros - village in Tierra de Campos, Palencia, in the northern part of Castile and León; of the swan
  • Cobis - likely from Cobisa, Toledo, Castile-La Mancha believed to be from Arabic qúbba; vault
  • Conchillos - variant of Cunchillos. Tarazona, Zaragoza, Aragon
  • Contreras - town Conteraras in Burgos, Castile
  • Cora - from either places in Lugo and Pontevedra in Galicia
  • Corcino - variant of Corsino, someone from Corsica <Italian>
  • Cordova - variant of Cordoba, Andalucia
  • Corujo - village Coruxo in Vigo, Ponteverde, Galicia
  • Cos - Greek island in the Aegean Sea <Greek>
  • Cuéllar - village in Tierra de Pinares, Segovia, Castile-Leon 
  • Cunchillos/ Conchillos - town in Tarazona, Zaragoza, Aragon
  • Davila - "from Avila," Castile-Leon 
  • De Leon - "from Leon," Spain; lion
  • Delestre - Lestre is a French commune , located in the department of Manche in the Normandy
  • De Osco - former Swiss municipality in Ticino, Leventina, Switzerland <Italian>
  • Deya- from Deià, Sierra de Tramontana, Mallorca <Catalan>
  • Deza - a comarca in Pontevedra, Galicia
  • Dieppa - the Italian form of Dieppe, a village in Normandy, France <Italian via French>
  • Doxats - possibly from Doxat, a municipality in Greece <via Greek>
  • Echandy - possibly from Échandelys a commune in Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France <French>
  • Echauri - Castilianized from Etxauri, Navarre; town of the houses
  • Elizondo - from Elizondo, Spain <Basque>
  • Escalante - town in Trasmiera, Cantabria; escalating, climbing
  • Escamilla - town in Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha
  • ​Escoriaza - from Eskoriatza, Guipúzcoa, Basque Country; the place of the black earth 
  • Estrada - town in Val de San Vicente in Cantabria, Spain or La Estrada, Tabeirós - Tierra de Montes, Pontevedra, Galicia; <Latin> the way/ ground tread/ road <strata>
  • Ferré - possibly from Ferrère, Hautes-Pyrénées, France (Occitania)
  • Figueroa - a parish in Abegondo, A Coruña, Galicia; fig tree
  • ​Fuenmayor - town in Logrono, La Rioja
  • Galarza - village in Archevaleta, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country <Basque>​​
  • Gandia - city in Safor, Valencia  <Catalan>
  • Garay - from Garai, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain <Basque>
  • Garcia - etymology uncertain. Used as a given name by medieval kings, eventually became a surname. Possibly from ancient and current village Garcia in Tarragona, Catalonia originally Carçeia <Catalan>
  • Gerena - a town in Corredor de la Plata, Seville, Andalusia, Spain
  • Giglio - from Isola Giglio, an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea
  • Gil - village in Alt Àneu , Pallars Sobirà, Catalonia
  • Goni - village in Sardinia <Sardinian>​
  • Guadarrama - town in Community of Madrid, Spain 
  • Guevara - from Gebara, Barrundia, Ávala, Basque Country <Basque>
  • Herrera - village in Camargo, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
  • Hevia - parish in Siero, Asturias, Spain
  • Huarte - Castilianized form of Uharte, a town in Navarre, Spain
  • Huicy/ Huici - Spanish form of Uitzi, Larraun, Navarre, Basque Country
  • Ilarraza - from Ilarratza, Álava, Basque Country, Spain
  • Irizarry - from Irisarri, France - formerly in Navarre, Spain​
  • Jiminian - variant of Gemignani of Gemignano; twin <Tuscan>
  • Jorda - from River Jordan in Israel <Catalan>
  • Juarbe - Castilianized form of Suarbe, Ulzama, Navarre <Basque>
  • La Guardia - town in Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
  • Lemery - probably from Lémeré, Indre-et-Loire, Center-Val de Loire, France
  • Lameiro - village in Bembrive, Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Lampon - Santiago de Lampón, Boiro, La Coruña, Galicia
  • Laredo - village in Costa Oriental, Cantabria; village in Redondela, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Larrinaga - likely from Larrañaga, a 13th century hamlet that was rebuilt in 18th century, now a hotel in Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain
  • Latoni - possibly from Vilanava de Laton <Catalan version> of Villeneuve-du-Latou, Arieja, Occitania, France 
  • Lazu - from one of three villages in Romania
  • Lebron - village in Puebla del Brollon, Lugo, Galicia, Spain
  • Lecumberri - Castilianized form of Lekunberri, a town in Navarre <Basque>
  • Ledesma - village in Salamanca, Castille-Leon, Spain
  • Lemery - probably from Lémeré, Indre-et-Loire, Center-Val de Loire, France
  • Liaca - probably from Liac, a village in Midi-Pyrenees, France
  • Linares - town in Sierra Morena, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain; from 'lino': flax, linen
  • Llanes - village in Oriente, Asturias, Spain
  • Llauri - town Llaurí, Ribera Baixa, Valencian Community, Spain <Valencian>
  • Llera - from Llera, Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain
  • Llerandi - parish in Parres, Oriente, Asturias, Spain
  • Llerena - town in Badajoz, Extremadura that had a large Jewish population
  • Llorens - from Castilianized version of Llorenç del Penedès, Bajo Panadés, Tarragona, Cataluña <Catalan>
  • Lompré - most likely from the village (Lompré-el-Fagne) in Wallonia, Chimay, Hainaut, Belgium <Walloon>
  • Longoria - village in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
  • Lorca - village in Alto Guadalentín, Murcia, Spain 
  • Lourido - parish in Salvatierra de Miño, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Loyola - town Loiola in Guipúzcoa, Basque Country, Spain
  • Lucca - a city in Tuscany, Italy
  • Lucena - city in Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain founded by Jews <via Hebrew>; God save us
  • Lugo - town in Galicia, Spain 
  • Luyando - village in Ayala, Áyala, Basque Country, Spain
  • Luzon - Castilized form of Lações in Oliveira de Azeméis, Entre Douro e Vouga - Área Metropolitana do Porto. <via Portuguese>
  • Lyon - likely from Lyons-la-Forêt in Eure, Normandy, France
  • Malaret - probably from Malerèt, Catalan form of Malleret, Creuse, New Aquitaine, France
  • Malpica - Malpica de Bergantiños, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
  • Marin - village in Morrazo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain​
  • Maristani/Maristany - lagoon of the sea  <Catalan>
  • Martorell - town in Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia; diminutive of Martoro <Catalan>
  • Marzán - from one of the many locations in Galicia
  • Mejias - from Muxia, a town in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
  • Mera - village in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Merodis - from village Merodio, Asturias, Spain
  • Mestre - a town in Venezia, Italy <Italian>
  • Mirabal - probably a variant of Miraval, Aragon; look/admire the valley <Aragonese>
  • Miramontes - village in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain​
  • Miranda - village in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; view, outlook
  • Moget - most likely from the village Monget, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France <via French>
  • Mojica - from Muxika a town in Biscay, Basque Country, Spain <Biscay>
  • Molina - from either of the towns; Molina de Segura, Murcia or Molina de Aragon, Castile-La Mancha 
  • Monsanto - village in Alcanena, Portugal
  • Montoto - village Burgos, Valle de Valdebezana, Castilla y León, Spain
  • Monzón - town in Cinca Medio, Huesca, Aragón, Spain; seasons <via Latin>
  • Moret - a town Moret-sur-Loing, Seine-et-Marne, Ile-de-France; from morée; moorland, swamp
  • Moux - a village in Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
  • Moyano - from Moiano, Benevento, Campania, Italy
  • Navarro - from Navarre region or village of Navarro in Avilés, Asturias, Spain
  • Navedo - town in Peñarrubia, Cantabria, Spain
  • Navia - parish in Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Naviera - village As Naveiras, Veiga, Ortigueira, Galicia, Spain
  • Negrón - village in Rincón de Ademuz, Valencia, Spain
  • Noriega - a parish in Ribadedeva, Asturias, Spain
  • Novales - either village in Alfoz de Lloredo, Cantabria or in Hoya de Huesca, Huesca, Aragon, Spain
  • Obando - town in Extremadura, Spain
  • Ojeda - from village Rucandio, Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain; entanglement of leaves.​
  • Oquendo - from Okondo, Aiaraldea, Araba, Basque Country, Spain
  • Orellanes - Orellana la Vieja or de la Sierra is a town Badajoz, Extremadura
  • Orly - town in Ile-de-France, France <French>
  • Oronoz - from town Oronoz-Mugaire, Baztán, Navarre
  • Orozco - from either Orozko​ village in Basque Country or Andalusia, Spain
  • Orta - possibly from Orta, Cankiri, Turkey
  • Ortega - village in Mañon, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain; female sand/black grouse
  • Osuna - village of Seville, Andalucia <via Arabic>
  • Otero - village in Torrijos, Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain; small hill, knoll
  • Outeiro - one of many places in Galicia, Spain; hill​
  • Pacheco - village in Torre-Pacheco, Murcia, Spain
  • Pamias - now Pamiers, Ariège, Occitania, France <via Occitan>
  • Pancorbo - village in Burgos, Castile y León, Spain
  • Pantoja - village in la Sagra, Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
  • Parrella - most likely from parellada, a type of grape vine used to make cava in Catalonia which describes the branches; paired <Catalan>. Also possibly from various locations in Turin, Italy 
  • Parres - village in Llanes, Oriente, Asturias, Spain
  • Pastrana - village in Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
  • Pedraza - towns in the provinces of Palencia, Salamanca, and Segovia, Spain
  • Peralta - town in Ribera Ara-Aragon, Navarre; high rock <Asturian>
  • Perea - the region between Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea in Israel <Hebrew>; the country beyond 
  • Piñero - from el Piñero, a village in Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain
  • Pitre - likely from Pîtres, village in Normandy, France <via French>
  • Polanco - from Polanco, Cantabria, Spain
  • Porras - from any of three places in Lugo, Galicia, Spain <Galcian>
  • Quezada - Quesada, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain <via Arabic>
  • Quiroga - village in Lugo, Galicia, Spain 
  • Quirós - town in Asturias, Spain
  • Razo - parish in Carballo, Bergantiños, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
  • Rechani - possibly from village in Bulgaria or Retchani, village in Macedonia
  • Reus - town in Tarragona, Catalonia <Catalan>
  • Rois - town in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
  • Saavedra - village in Irixo, Carballiño, Ourense, Galicia, Spain
  • Salamanca - province in Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Salcedo - parish in Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Salgueiro - village in Candeán, Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain; willow tree
  • Salicrup - from La Torre de Solicrup, a medieval farmhouse and tower in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Garraf, Penedès, Catalonia, Spain
  • Samper - town in La Fueva, Sobrarbe, Huesca, Aragon, Spain: Sant Per <Aragonese>; St. Peter
  • Sanabria - from Puebla de Sanabria in Zamora, Castile-Leon, Spain <Asturian>
  • Sandoval - from village Sandoval de la Reina in Burgos, Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Santaella - town in Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain 
  • Santander - city in Cantabria, Spain
  • Sariego - village in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
  • Segarra - comarca in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
  • ​Selles - village in France; saddles <French>
  • Sepúlveda - village in Segovia, Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Solano - neighborhood in Las Hormazas, Odra-Pisuerga, Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Solis - parish in the town of Rodiles, Asturias, Spain; comfort, consolation
  • Soriano - from Soria, Castile-Leon, Spain {Sephardic}
  • Sosa - Castilinized form of Souza; river in Portugal <via Portuguese>
  • Sotomayor - from Soutomaior, a from Pontevedra and/or Ourense provinces <Galician>; big grove
  • Sousa - river in Portugal <Portuguese>
  • Suau - from Suaux a commune in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France <via French>
  • Suria - village in Boges, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
  • Taboada - town in Lugo, Galicia, Spain <Galician>
  • Tacoronte - likely from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
  • Tamayo - from either a village in Oña, Burgos, Castile-Leon or a village in Venta del Moro, Valencia, Spain
  • Tapia - parish in Ames, Santiago, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain 
  • Tavarez - from Tabára, a town in Zamora, Castile-Leon, Spain <via Portuguese>
  • Teissonniere - from Le Val de Thouet, Parthenay, Deux-Sèvres, Nuova Aquitania, France
  • Tejera - village in Hermisende, Sanabria, Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain; likely a carpenter that used yew or someone associated with superstition of the yew tree 
  • Tellechea - possibly from Telechia, a remote village in Romania, once part of Roman Empire
  • Thillet - from Teillet, Tarn, Occitania <French via Latin>; lime/linden tree
  • Tobar - village in Burgos, Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Toledo - city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain
  • Torregrosa - town in Lérida, Catalonia, Spain <Catalan>
  • Torruella - from Torruella de Aragon, Abenozas, Huesca, Aragon, Spain (now abandoned)
  • Troncoso - from either village in Ourense or Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
  • Trujillo - from Tierra de Trujillo, village in Cáceras, Extremadura, Spain
  • Túa - river in Terra Quente, Nordeste Trasmontano, Bragança, Portugal <Portuguese>
  • Ubarri - possibly from the castilianized Ubari, from Awbari, Wadi Al Hayaa, Fezzan, Libya
  • Urdaneta - village in Aia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain
  • Uribe - village in Zaeanuri, Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
  • Urrutia - either of two towns in Biscay, Basque Country, Spain <Basque>
  • Valderrama - village in Burgos, Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Vallejo - village in Burgos, Castile-Leon, Spain
  • Varela - Varela, San Simón da Costa, Vilalba, Lugo, Galicia
  • Varnet - from Vernet, Pyrénées-Orientales, France <via Catalan>
  • Vendrell - town in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain <Catalan>
  • Vera - village in Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain​
  • Veray - from Verrayes, Aosta Valley, Italy <French>
  • Vergara - from Bergara village in Debagoiena, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain
  • Vidaurre - possibly a variant of Bidaurreta, a village in Pamplona, Navarre, Spain
  • Viera - a village in Coggiola, Biella, Piedmont, Italy
  • Vigil - from Vixil, a parish in Siero, Asturias, Spain <Asturian>
  • Vigo - town in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain <Galician>
  • Villafañe - town in Villasabariego, León, Castilla y León, Spain
  • Villaronga - possibly a variant of Villalonga, a village in Valencia, Spain
  • Villarreal - from Vila-Real a town in Plana Baixa, Castellón, Valencia, Spain
  • Villarrubia - villages in Toledo, Córdoba, and Ciudad Real provinces in Spain
  • Villaverde - from any of the various places in Spain; green village
  • Villodas - village in Iruña de Oca, Álava, Basque Country, Spain
  • Villodres - from Villodre, Palencia, Castille-Leon, Spain
  • Viteri - alternate spelling of Biteri in Basque Country, Spain
  • Yumet - possibly from Jumet, Charleroi, Belgium from when Spain occupied Flanders from 1556 to 1714
  • Zabala- from Zabala in Biscay or Álava provinces, Spain <Basque>
  • Zambrano - from Zambrana in Ayala, Álava, Basque Country, Spain
  • Zamora - city in Castile and León, Spain
  • Zaragoza - city in Aragon from the ancient Roman name, Caesaraugusta (Caesar Augustus) <via Latin>
  • Zayas -  from Zayas de Torre or Zayas de Báscones in Soria, Castile and León, Spain <Basque>
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Alfaro, La Rioja
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Aldemunde, Carballo, A Coruña, Galicia
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Santa Maria d'Agramunt
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Betanzos, A Coruña, Galicia
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Belgodere, Corsica
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Burgos
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Cartagena, Murcia
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Cuéllar, Segovia, España
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Elizondo, Navarre
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Escamilla, Castile-La Mancha
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Florentino - Florence, Italy
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Fuenmayor, Logrono, La Rioja
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Irisarri
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Leon
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Laredo, Costa Oriental, Cantabria
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Malpica de Bergantiños, A Coruña, Galicia
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Muxika, Basque Country
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Osuna, Seville, Andalucia
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Torre-Pacheco, Murcia
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Quiros, Asturias
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Pantoja, Toledo, Castile- La Mancha, Spain
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Puebla de Sanabria in Zamora, Castile-Leon
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Soria, Spain
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Taboada, Lugo, Galicia
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Oronoz-Mugaire, Baztán, Navarre, Spain
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Iglesia San Pedro, Sevilla, España
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Reus, Tarragona, Catalonia
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Sariego, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
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Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia
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Villarrubia, Toledo
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la Vera, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain
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Zambrana, Ayala, Álava, Basque Country
Spain
Demonyms
While many surnames were direct usages of the name of a village, town, city, or province, that a person lived in, some surnames were derived by how others referred to them. A demonym describes a group of people from a location. It can be used by the people who all belong to one place or by anyone to describe people to all reside in a particular location. Such as Cubanos - people from Cuba, Venezolanos - people from Venezuela and so on. 
  • Acaba - someone from the city Aqaba, Jordan
  • Aleman - someone from Germany
  • Alemany - a German <Catalan>​
  • Aragones - someone from Aragon, Spain
  • Barcelo - likely referring to someone from Barcelona
  • Basco - someone from Basque country, variant spelling of vasco​
  • Bibiloni - someone from Babylon
  • Borderlies - variant of Bordelais; someone from Bordeaux, France <French>
  • Catalan - someone from Catalonia
  • Cebrian - from Cyprianus, a person from Cyprus <via Latin>
  • Florentino - someone from Florence, Italy​
  • Galiano - a person from Galicia
  • Gallego - someone from Galicia ​​​
  • Godo/s - a Goth 
  • Grec - someone from Greece <Catalan>​
  • Jorda - likely someone from the Jordan Valley (Israel, Jordan, Syria, Palestine) <Catalan via Hebrew>
  • Jordan - likely someone from the Jordan Valley (Israel, Jordan, Syria, Palestine) <via Hebrew>​
  • Llompart - someone from Lombardy, Italy <Catalan>​
  • ​Mora - a Moor
  • Pichardo - one who came from Picardy, France
  • Rodas - someone from the Greek island of Rhodes
  • Roma - Roman <Catalan>
  • Roman - a Roman
  • Toscano/a - someone from Tuscany

Place Surnames (landscape/topography)
Another form of a place surname occurs when people are named after a geographic or landscape feature that a person lived near or on such as 
Serrano (hill), Rios (river), Vega (meadow), Acosta (coast), and de la Mar (from the sea).  Places with an asterisk* can also be found as real place names listed above.
  • Abadía - abbey
  • Abascal - priest's street <Basque>
  • Abasolo - priest's meadow <Basque>
  • Acevedo - variation of the diminutive of Acebo; holly grove
  • Acosta - by the coast
  • Aguilar - near an eagle's nest
  • Aguinaga - place of yews* <Basque>
  • Aiza - cliff/ rock <Basque>
  • Alamo - poplar tree
  • Alberi - variant of albero; hay <Basque>
  • Albizu - hayfield <Basque> 
  • Alcazar - fortress, castle <via Arabic>
  • Aldana - slope <Basque>
  • Aldea - small neighborhood <via Arabic>
  • Algarín - grassy pastureland <Basque>
  • Allende - a person living far yonder from the village​​​
  • Alvarado - dweller by the white hill, or dry land
  • Aponte - from da ponte; the bridge <Galician>
  • Araujo - variation of Arauco; place of ferns <Basque>
  • Arce - maple tree
  • Arena - sand
  • Aristizábal - spacious oak wood field <Basque>
  • Arostegui - from Uriostegui; someone who lived outside or on the perimeter of a village; oak <Basque>​
  • Arrieta - the path of the scree (a slope covered with small loose stones) <Basque>
  • Arroyo - creek
  • Atalaya - watchtower <via Arabic>
  • Ayuso - downwards <Asturian>
  • Barbosa - a place full of the 'barba' plant <Portuguese>
  • Basurto - in the middle of the forest
  • Bengochea - house furthest down <Basque>
  • Berrios - variant of barrios
  • Bianchi - white place <Italian>
  • Bolivar - valley of the mill <Basque>
  • Boscana - possibly a feminine form of Bosca; someone who lived by the woods <Italian>
  • Bosque/s - someone who lived on the edge or inside the forest
  • Braña - from verannia; cool and humid mountain areas of green pastures <Latin via Celtic>
  • Bustol - variant of busto; tomb <Italian via Latin>
  • Caban - rustic hut, cabana <Catalan>
  • Cabrera - place of goats
  • Cajiga - gall oak
  • Calderon - crater/ basin/ hollow
  • Campeche - logwood
  • Campis / Campiz- fields <Latin>
  • Campo - field
  • Camps - open field <Catalan>​
  • Caragol - caraway (A spice used in rye bread)  <Catalan>
  • Carballo - gall oak <Galician>
  • Carbonell - from Carbonellus; charcoal <Latin>
  • Cardoso - place where thistle grows​
  • Carrasquillo  - diminutive of Carrasco; holm oak
  • Carvalho - oak <Portuguese> 
  • Casals - from casales, farm house/ hut/cottage <Latin>
  • Casanova - new house <Portuguese>
  • Castillo - castle
  • Castrodad - a fortified place
  • Centeno - rye
  • Cerdeira - cherry tree <Galician>​
  • Cereceda - cherry orchard <Latin from Greek>
  • Chevremont - mountain of the goats <French>
  • Cintron - lemon <French>
  • Cornet - dogwood forest <Catalan>
  • Cornier - variant of cornejo; dogwood
  • Cortijo - a type of traditional rural dwelling for large families found in southern Spain
  • Coto/Cotto - stump, boundary <Galician>
  • Cotoner - possibly from cotoneum; quince (fruit) <Latin>
  • Crescioni - watercress <Italian>
  • Cuajo - a substance used to curdle milk and make cheese. extracted mainly of the flower of the thistle or of the latex of the fig tree; rennet
  • Cueto - hilltop
  • Cuevas - caves
  • de Hostos - of the leaves <Basque>
  • de la Fuente - of the fountain
  • de la Mar - by the sea
  • de La Rosa - of the rose
  • de La Torre - from the tower
  • de Soto - of the grove
  • del Rio - from the river
  • del Valle - from the valley
  • Desarden - probably a variant of Desjardins 'from the garden' <via French>
  • Dumont - someone who lived on or near a hill <French>
  • Duprey - someone from the meadow <French>
  • Echagüe - possibly from échauguette; watchtower <French>
  • Echeandia - one who lived in or near a big house <Basque>
  • Echevarría/Etxeberria - new house <Basque>
  • Elizondo - a person who lives close to a church <Basque>
  • ​Encina - holm oak
  • Escaleras - stairs/ladder; dweller by a terraced slope
  • Espina/ Espinosa - thorn/ thorny
  • Estrella - star 
  • Extaberri - new house <Basque>
  • Fajardo - someone who lived near grove of beech trees from faxarda <Galician via Latin>
  • Falcon - falcon
  • Figueroa - fig tree* <Galician>
  • Flores - flowers
  • Fonfrias - cold spring <Asturian>
  • Fonseca - dry spring <Asturian>
  • Frontera - border
  • Gaztambide - road of the chestnut tree <via Basque>
  • Grajales - the place of the graja - rook, jackdaw - specific type of crow
  • Granada - pomegranate <via Arabic>
  • Guadalupe - river of love <via Arabic>
  • Gual - local word for the albillo vine used for white wine <via Canary Islands>
  • Huerta - garden, small orchard
  • Ibarra - meadow <Basque>​​
  • Juncos - someone who lived near reeds from xuncu (Asturian) xunco (Galician)
  • Lacot - likely from la côte; the coast <French> see Acosta
  • La porte - someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town <French>; gateway, entrance
  • Lamas - someone who lived by a marsh <Galician>
  • Lamela - diminutive of lama; mud, meadow <Galician via Latin>
  • Lastra - slab of stone, ballast <Italian>
  • Latorre - the tower
  • Llander - variant of llande - acorn <Asturian>
  • Lozada - dweller by an area paved with flagstones
  • Luna - moon
  • Maisonet - from maisonette; small house <French>
  • Manzano - dweller near an apple orchard
  • Mata - plantation of trees/ forest <Portuguese>
  • Matos - bushes <Portuguese>
  • Medina - city <Arabic>
  • Mendizabal - wide mountain <Basque>
  • Mendoza - cold mountain <Basque>
  • Mercado - market​
  • Montalban - white mountain <Occitan>
  • Monteagudo - sharp mountain
  • Morales - blackberry grove
  • Morer - from morera; mulberry <Catalan>
  • Moscoso - place with many flies
  • Narvaez - hayfield of turnips
  • Nevares - a village in Parres, Asturias; snowy <Asturian-Leonese>
  • Nieves/Neves - snow (sometimes as hair color)
  • Nogueira/Noguera- walnut <Galician>
  • Nuño - ninth child <via Latin>
  • Olmeda - grove of elm trees
  • Olmos - elm trees
  • Orenga - oregano <Catalan>
  • Otero/Outeiro- small hill, knoll <Galician>
  • Padilla - frying pan
  • Palacio/ Palacios - palace
  • Parrella - most likely from parellada, a type of grape vine used to make cava in Catalonia  from word aparellada which describes the branches; paired <Catalan> : Also possibly from either locations in Turin, Italy
  • Pasamonte - mountain pass
  • Pedreira - stone quarry <Galician>
  • Peña - dweller by a large jutting rock
  • Pereira - pear tree <Portuguese>; known to be used Sephardic Jews who fled Spain and Portugal
  • Pi - pine tree <Catalan>
  • ​Pijúan - variant of Puig; mountain of Juan <Catalan>
  • Piñeiro - pine tree <Galician>
  • Pinela - a feminine variant derived from pinaria; place of the pine trees <via Latin>
  • Pino - pine tree
  • Pique - probably from pique; sour (wine) or pike <via French>
  • Plá - plain, plateau <Catalan>
  • Pomales - place of the apples <Catalan>
  • Prado - meadow <Galician>
  • Puga - thorn ​
  • Quiñones - from quiñón, denoting a piece of land that was shared out among a group of five co-tenants for sowing <Latin via Asturian-Leonese>
  • Quintana - dweller on a piece of land whose rent is one-fifth its produce <Catalan>
  • Rabasa - tree stump <Catalan>
  • Ramis - branches <Latin>
  • Ramos - dweller in a thickly wooded area 
  • Reguera - gully for irrigation
  • Reveron - variant of Riverón: a dweller near the riverbank or shore
  • Rios - rivers
  • Rivera - variant of ribera; riverbank, shore <Catalan>
  • Robledo - oak wood
  • Robles - oak trees​
  • Rocha - rock <Portuguese>
  • Roche - rock <French>
  • Roma - pomegranate <Galician>
  • Roque - rock <Occitan>
  • Rosa - rose
  • Roure - oak tree <Catalan>
  • Rúa - the road bordered by houses <Galician>
  • Salazar - dweller in the old hall
  • Salgueiro - willow tree <Galician>
  • Saliceti - willow groves <Italian>
  • Sejo - variant of Seijas from seixo; pebble <Portuguese>
  • Serrano - dweller by a mountain ridge or chain of hills
  • Sierra - dweller on a hill range, ridge
  • Silva - forest <Portuguese>
  • ​Silvestre - wild (nature)
  • Soler - someone who lived in a home with a paved floor <Catalan via French>
  • Soto - grove
  • Surillo - likely diminutive of suro; cork tree <Catalan>
  • Suro - colloquial name of the Mediterranean cork tree <Catalan>
  • Tapía - dweller near a mud wall (Sephardic)
  • Teixeira -  place of the yew trees from teixo <Galician/Portuguese>
  • Toral - from toural, the pasture in which the bulls and cows were raised <via Galician>
  • Torrens - from torrents; a strong and fast-moving stream of water <Catalan via Latin>​
  • Torres - towers
  • Urbina - city dweller
  • ​Uriarte - hamlet, village, settlement <Basque>
  • Urrutia - a solitary place, far away <Basque>
  • Valcarcel - prison valley
  • Valle - valley
  • Vargas - steepest part of a slope
  • Vega - meadow
  • Vilá -  village <Galician>/ somebody who lived in a vila: a village with special privileges in Catalonia 
  • Vilella - from villula, diminutive of villa; town, village <Catalan>
  • Villanueva - new village dweller
  • Villarejo - diminutive of villares plural of villar; suburb of village
  • Zuñiga - cultivated field and slope <Basque>
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Flores in Burgos
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Aguilar
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Almenara en Andalucia
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Arena en Cabo de Gata en Costa de Almeria
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Cuevas en Cantabria
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Caragol - Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain
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Cotoner in Spain
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de la Fuente Turia - Valencia
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Encina in Navarre
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Granada
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Huerta in Valenica
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Roble in Andalucia
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Rios/Rivera - Rio Ebro, Miravet, Tarragona, Catalonia
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Urbina - Barcelona
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Rocha in Cuenca
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Olmeda en Cabeza del Buey, Spain
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Pereira in Portugal
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Suro
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Teixiera - yew trees Palencia, Spain

Metonyms/Characteristics/Descriptions/Sobriquet 
A third type of Spanish surname that is found is a surname that is given to someone because of his or her characteristics. These characteristics could be physical addressing a person’s hair color, height, complexion, weight such as: Delgado (thin), and Rubio (blonde). The characteristics could be personal, given on the basis of personality traits or abilities. Bravo (fierce), and Cortez (courteous). Surnames that are animal names also fall into this category as they were usually assigned to people who shared characteristics with the animal they were named after (metonymic). So someone called Vaca might have been big and slow like a cow. ​Upon investigating the names below, one may read into them various ways. 

  • Agrait/ Agraït - grateful <Catalan>
  • Aguilera - eagle-like
  • Albarron - variant of Albarran; bachelor <Arabic>​
  • Amador - one who loves, lover
  • Aneiros - profane, sacrilegious <via Greek>
  • Azarola - like a fox <Basque>​
  • Benvenutti - welcome <Corsican>
  • Berenguer - bear spear <Catalan via Germanic>
  • Bermejo - someone with a red or ruddy complexion
  • Bizoso - variant of bizzoso; whimsical <Italian>
  • Bodón - probably from Bourdon <French>; bumblebee/ possibly from bödön <Hungarian>; bowl
  • Bofill - good son <Catalan>
  • Bonello - variant of Bonella <Latin>; good
  • Bou - ox <Catalan>
  • Bravo - fierce/ violent/ courageous
  • Brunet - diminutive of brun; brown <Catalan, French>
  • Bruno - from le Brun, referring to the color of the hair, complexion; the brown one <Italian, Portuguese via French>
  • Buso - mouth (of a fish) <Galician>
  • Cafiero - disbeliever <Italian via Arabic>
  • Canales - pipes <French>
  • Candoso - candid
  • Carrillo - cheek​
  • Castaing - chestnut hair <French via Occitan/Aranese>​​
  • Cedeño - likely variation of sedeño; someone who traded or sold silk
  • Castaño - chestnut hair
  • Celso - from Celsus; lofty, exalted <Latin>
  • Chacón - possibly from a Philippine lizard
  • Cianchini - from ciancicare, someone who mumbles/chatters <Italian>
  • Coello - rabbit <Galician>
  • Colom - dove <Catalan>
  • Conill - rabbit <Catalan>
  • Coomba - female dove <Italian>
  • Cordero - lamb
  • Correa - belt
  • ​Cortez/ Cortes - courteous 
  • Crespo - curly hair
  • Delgado - thin/skinny
  • Escarra - left-handed​
  • Feliu - happy <Catalan>
  • Galan - gallant
  • Gallo - rooster​
  • Garrete - possibly from garreta; shank <Catalan>​
  • Garza - heron
  • Geigel - from geige  <German>; fiddle (now any stringed instrument particularly violin)
  • Grande - large​​
  • Guenard - from goguenard; banterer, jester <French>
  • Hartz - bear <Basque>
  • Homar - from homard; lobster <French>
  • Laguerre - a belligerent person or for a valiant soldier <French>
  • Lami - blades of swords <Italian>
  • Lassí - plural of Lasso; weary, tired <Italian>
  • Llagoste - variant of lobster <Catalan>
  • Llop/ Llopis - wolf <Catalan>
  • Lovey/ Llovet - little wolf <Catalan>
  • Lobo - wolf
  • Longo - tall <via Latin>
  • Lovato - wolf cub
  • Lozano - lush
  • Maio - May <Galician>
  • Maldonado - ill-favored/ badly given​
  • Mangual - someone fierce, severe; flail, a weapon <Portuguese>
  • Merlo - blackbird <Galician>
  • Moreno - brown ​
  • ​Nieto - grandson
  • Nuño - ninth child <via Latin>
  • Oca - goose
  • Ochoa - wolf <Basque>​​
  • Ortega - female sand/black grouse
  • Pabon - variant spelling for Pavon - someone showy like a peacock​ 
  • Pico - nickname for someone who had a prominent pointed nose; beak
  • Pinto​ - spotted
  • Poche - pocket/ pouch <French>
  • Pou - from one of two meanings; louse <French> or well <Catalan>
  • Prieto - a dark-haired or dark-skinned person​​
  • Pulido - polished
  • Raposo - fox <Galician>
  • Rendon - one who surrenders
  • Resto - remainder (from subtraction) <Italian>
  • Roig - red (haired, complexioned) <Catalan>​
  • Romero — rosemary
  • Ros - someone with blond hair or a fair complexion <Catalan>
  • Rosado - rosy, pink
  • Rubio - blonde
  • Rufino - red bearded <via Latin>
  • Salgado - salty; a witty person <Galician> 
  • Salamo - from shalom; peace <Catalan via Hebrew>
  • Sonohano - from sonhando <Portuguese>; dreaming 
  • Souffront - a sufferer <French>
  • Toro - bull
  • Torrado - toasted <Portuguese>
  • Tossi - variant of Tosi, nickname for a youth, from toso; clean-shaven, sheared <Italian>
  • Toste - soon, hastily <Galician>
  • Trabal - from germanic name Trasbald <Catalan>; fast and daring
  • Vera - from verdad; true
Nicknames
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​Occupations 
The fourth category of Spanish surnames might also be classified as a subset of personal characteristics. This category of surname is surnames that are given based on the surname bearer’s occupation or position in a given community.  Some common examples of occupational surnames are: ​Cantero (mason), Cabrera (goat herder), Molinero (miller).
  • Alcaldo - variation of alcalde; mayor, magistrate < judge <via Arabic>​
  • Alena - a former unit of measure of length used mainly for textiles, typically about 45 inches, likely used for someone in texitles <Latin>
  • Alfalla - variant of alfayate <via Arabic>; tailor
  • Aristizábal - spacious oak wood field <Basque>
  • Armero - armourer
  • Arrajero - locksmith <via Portuguese>
  • Ballester - one who makes crossbows <Catalan>
  • Balseiro - ferryman <Portuguese>
  • Barbero - barber
  • Barros - someone who worked with clay or mud
  • Bisbal - episcopal, of the bishops <Catalan>
  • Bobé - variant of bover; keeper of oxen
  • Bolivar - valley of the mill <Basque>
  • Borrero - executioner; hangman <via French>
  • Boticario - apothecary
  • Cabrero/a- goat herder
  • Calvario - calvary
  • Camba - hand mill <Galician>
  • Cancel - possibly someone who made or guarded the architectural element of separation (cancellus) such as a gate or lattice often found in religious buildings or in Andalusia, outside the front door <via Latin>
  • Canales - pipes <French>
  • Cantero - mason, stone-cutter
  • Cantor - singer
  • Caride - most likely a reference to someone who worked with shrimp or prawns <via Greek>
  • Carrero - cart-driver
  • Carretero - person who makes or drives cars or wagons (Carter)
  • Cavallero — horseman, knight
  • Cerón - one who dealt with wax honeycomb residue
  • Cesteros - basket craftsman
  • Chavez/ Chaves - key maker from llaves (keys)
  • Cifredo/ Cifre - someone who created cyphers
  • Collazo - serf, farmhand from a foreign land
  • Conde/Conte/Conty/Conti - count/ earl (Conte, Conty, and Conti are variants that come via French)
  • Corredor — runner
  • Darder - from dard; dart <French>
  • Escobar - sweeper
  • Escribano - scribe <Galician>
  • Escudero - squire 
  • Espada - someone who made swords or someone who was fierce or a protector or a military man; sword
  • Fabre - blacksmith <French via Occitan>​
  • Ferinaca - may be nickname for someone who made or sold farina di castagne; chestnut flour - extremely popular in Corsica 
  • Ferrer - iron smith <Catalan>
  • Garzot - from garzon, a young servant <French>
  • Guerrero - soldier, warrior
  • Guzman - the nobleman who served in the army as a chosen soldier <via Gothic>
  • Heraldo - herald
  • Hererra/o - ironsmith
  • Hidalgo - nobleman
  • Infante -  child: in Spain also a title borne by the eldest sons of noblemen before they inherited a fortune, and in particular by the son of the king of Castile; thus a nickname for a member of the household of an Infante.
  • Joglar - possibly from juglar; minstrel
  • Laborde - someone who took care of cattle in huts made of boards <French>
  • Leduc - duke <French>
  • Linares - textile fibers from flax
  • Machado - hatchet maker
  • Mangual - a weapon: one-handed flail
  • Marchand - merchant <French>
  • Marin -  sailor (marinero)
  • Mariscal - marshall
  • Marques — marquis
  • Marrero - a stone breaker that used a sledgehammer
  • Metel - truncated from metellus; hired servant <Catalan>
  • Mir - from either a French variant of metge; medic (doctor)  OR  Catalan variant of Mirón from germanic; famous
  • Molinero - miller
  • Mulero - ​​a person who cared for mules
  • Oller - potter <Catalan>
  • Pales - shovels
  • Panet - possibly from panettiere <Italian>; baker
  • Parrilla - grid-shaped iron utensil that is placed over the fire for roasting​
  • Pizarro - slater
  • Plumey  - from plumé - one who works with lead <Catalan>
  • Porrata - possibly from porrat, a fair that is celebrated to honor a saint in the town named for the saint.
  • Portero - doorkeeper
  • Reyes - someone who worked for kingdom; kings
  • Rolón - person who made scrolls 
  • Sabater - shoemaker <Catalan>
  • Sagasta - from Latin sagacitatem; sage, wise, acute <via Latin> (likely via Aragonese, Occitan, or a language from NW Italy)
  • Salas - person who worked in a home    
  • Salinas - worker at a saltworks
  • Seda - silk merchant <Catalan; Sephardic Jewish>
  • Sellas - saddlemaker <Catalan>
  • Suarez - swine herder
  • Teixidor - weaver <Catalan>
  • Tejedor - weaver
  • Torrero — bull keeper, bullfighter
  • Varela - someone who used a stick, as in a herder
  • Vela - someone who worked with the strong canvas that is tied to the masts of a ship to receive the wind
  • Volker - from voelker from fulchar; folk army <German>
  • Zapata - variant of zapato; shoe
  • ​Zapatero - shoemaker
Ancestry Records
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Religious
  • ​Abad - abbott
  • Almenara - the mosque tower <Arabic>
  • Angeles - angels
  • Anglero - possibly from aingeru; angels <Basque>
  • Baptista - baptist
  • Batista - variant of Baptista; baptist
  • Bautista - baptist
  • Belen - Bethlehem
  • Bithorn - possibly from the biblical town in Israel, Bethoron
  • Bisbal - episcopal, of the bishops <Catalan>
  • Cantres - variant of Chantre <French>; church cantor
  • Capellán - chaplain
  • Capello - chapel
  • Celso - from San Celso a saint celebrate July 28; sublime
  • Concepcion - conception
  • Cruz - cross
  • de Clemencia - clemency/ mercy
  • DeJesus - of Jesus
  • Diácono - deacon
  • Dominguez - son of Domingo (Dominick); of the Lord
  • Dominicci – of Domenico <Italian> (Dominick); of the Lord
  • Encarnacion - incarnation
  • Fraile - friar
  • Fraticelli - diminutive of frate; little friar <Italian>
  • Iglesia/s - church/es
  • Israel - from personal name Yisrael; ‘fighter of God’ <Hebrew>
  • Luz - light
  • Merced - mercy
  • Milagrosa - miraculous
  • Monge - from monxe <Galician>; monk
  • Monje - monk
  • Nadal - given name to someone born near Christmas <Catalan>
  • Natividad - nativity
  • ​Nazario - from the given name; 'of Nazareth' <Latin>
  • ​Obispo - bishop
  • Orando - praying
  • Pagan - heathen <Galician>
  • Pasqual - Easter-like, derived from pesah, Hebrew word for Passover <via Hebrew>
  • Pastor - shepherd
  • Pilar - pillar​
  • Romero — pilgrim
  • Rosario - rosary
  • Sábados - sabbath, Saturday
  • Sacristán - sexton; keeper of church relics
  • Sagrado - sacred
  • Sampayo - variation of San Pelayo, a Christian martyr
  • Samper - town in La Fueva, Sobrarbe, Huesca, Aragon: Sant Per <Aragonese>; St. Peter​
  • San Miguel - Saint Michael
  • Santa Cruz - holy cross
  • Santana - from Saint Anna
  • Santiago - from Sant Iago (Saint James/Jacob)
  • Santos - saints, holy​
  • Sanz/ Saenz/ Sanchez - variant of given name Sancho from Santxo <via Latin>; holy Sanctus 
  • Trinidad - trinity
  • Vela - candle​ ​​
  • Vicario - vicar
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Iglesia in Oviedo, Spain
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Iglesia de San Pelayo
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Capelllo in Somosierra, Spain
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Besides the Castillian Spanish we all know and love, Catalan, Basque, Galician, Asturian, and Valencian are alive and well in Spain. All except Basque are Romance languages stemming from Latin. For this reason, the languages appear very similar in spelling and the root origins of the words are most often the same. However, there are instances in which words are distinct to the language or region. When thinking about surnames and when they began to be used, keep in mind that Spain was not unified and the modern day provinces were still separate kingdoms. This is why the origins of the names can be a clue to where your ancestors may have emigrated from. See language map.

The surnames listed below are also listed above by category of the type of surname. I provided the following list for those who are interested in seeing surnames by language as to make connections between locations and families. Often, immigrants to Puerto Rico settled together and it becomes obvious when seeing that many family names are from the same native language, thus indicating the origins of the families.

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Basque Surnames:
Abaroa - refugee
Abascal - priest's street
Abasolo - field of the abbot 
Aiza - cliff/ rock
Aizarotz - from Basaburu, Navarre
Aldana - from Amorebieta, Bizkaia; slope

Amatez - son of Amatu; beloved
Anaya - son of Anaia; brother
Arechavaleta - village in Guipuzcoa
​
Aristizábal - spacious oak wood field
Arrieta - village in Mungiadela, Biscay
Arrigoitia - from Errigoiti, village in Busturialdea, Bizkaia
Azarola - like a fox
Baez - son of Joan (John)
Bengochea - house furthest down
Bermeo - village in Busturialdea, Bizkaia
Bolivar - valley of the mill 
Etxeberria/ Echevarría - new house
Elizondo - a person who lived close to a church

Erazo - from Eraso, from several places in Navarre, Basque Country
Galarza - village in Archavaleta, Guipuzcoa​​
​Garcia - bear (?)
Garrastazu - bush
Ibarra - meadow
Loyola - town Loiola in Guipúzcoa

​Luyando - village in Ayala, Áyala
Malavé - shortened from Zumbalabe; pasture/oven
Mendoza - cold mountain

Milian - given name Milian
Mojica - from Muxika in Biscay, 
Muñoz/ Muñiz - son of Munio
Ochoa - wolf
​
Oquendo - from Okondo, Aiaraldea, Araba 

​Osorio - given name Osorio
Otero - from Outeiro or Uteru; height; hill
Sein - child
Solo - dweller on a rural estate

Uriarte - hamlet, village, settlement
Urrutia - either of two towns in Biscay province
Uribe - village in Zaeanuri, Bizkaia, Basque Country
Velasquez/Velazquez - son of Velasco
Vergara - from Bergara village in Debagoiena, Gipuzkoa
Viscarcondo/Viscarrondo - from Bizcarrondo, someone who lived by the shoulder of a mountain
Viteri - from Biteri in Basque Country
​
Ximenez - son of Semeno from Seme; son
​
Zabala- from Zabala in Biscay or Araba provinces
Zambrano - from Zambrana in Araba province

Zayas -  from Zayas de Torre or Zayas de Báscones in Soria province 
Zuñiga - cultivated field and slope​

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Catalan Surnames:
Agramunt - village in Urgel, Lleida; sour bunch
Andreu - from the given name (Andrew)
Ballester - one who makes crossbows
Beltrán - given name (Bertram)
Bernal - variant of given name
 Bernaldo (Bernard)
Bisbal - episcopal
Blanxart - from blanco (white)

Bonaventura - good fortune
Brunet - diminutive of brun; brown <Catalan, French>
Cardona - a town in Catalonia
Coll - neck
Dones - women
Escarra
 - left-handed
​Ferrer - ironsmith
Grec - person from Greece
​Jorda - from River Jordan in Israel
Llanes - plural form of llana 'wool'; or see above

Llop - wolf 
Marti - given name (Martin)
Mateu - given name (Matthew)
Moles - millstone

Nadal - given name to someone born near Christmas
Noguerra - dweller by the walnut tree

Novello - young, ‘new
Oliver - given name
​Oriol - golden 
Pagan - heathen
Pales - shovels
Parrella - most likely from parellada, a type of grape vine used to make cava in Catalonia  from word aparellada which describes the branches; paired <Catalan> Also possibly from either locations in Turin, Italy

Petit - small, little
Picasso – magpie
Pijúan - variant of Puig; mountain of Juan
Plá - plain, plateau
Porra - club

Puig - dweller on a platform-like hill
Pujols - hills; diminutive of Puig
Quintana - dweller on a piece of land whose rent is one-fifth its produce

Roig - red (haired, complexioned)
​Roma - Roman
Seda - silk merchant 

Segarra - a county in Catalonia
Soler - site, plot

Suria - village in Boges, Barcelona, Catalonia
Surillo - likely diminutive of suro; cork tree <Catalan>
Torrens - from 'torrents'- a strong and fast-moving stream of water
​
Tosell/ Toset
- clean-shaven​

​Vilaro - little rustic cabin
Vilá -  somebody who lived in a vila: a village with special privileges in Catalonia
Vivas/Vives - may you live
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Galician/ Portuguese Surnames:
Abreu - from the former Minho province in Portugal
Agudelo - from San Martiño de Agudelo, a parish in Barro, Pontevedra, Galicia
Aponte - from 'da ponte' the bridge
Ares - village in Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia
Balboa - town in El Bierzo, Castile-Leon
Barbosa - a place full of the 'barba' plant
Bayona - from Baiona, Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia
Betances - from Betanzos, A Coruña, Galicia
Brea - from one of the many places in Galicia
Campeche - logwood
Duarte - from personal name Eduardo (Edward)
Fajardo - one who lived by a beech tree
​Franco - a person from France
Gallego - a person from Galicia

Gándara - barren land 
Giron - fold
Godoy - may refer to the Goths (Godos)
Grego
 - a person from Greece
Homar - lobster
Lazo - village in A Coruña, Galicia
Lemus - variant of Lemos in Lugo, Galicia. 
Lugo - town in Galicia 

Matias - from Matthias <via Latin> (Matthew)
Matos - from mata ‘brushwood’, ‘scrub’, ‘thicket’

Mera - from one of the many places in Galicia
Miramontes - village in A Coruña, Galicia
Neira - from Neira de Jusá now known as Baralla in Lugo
Nuñez - son of Nuno 
Ovalle - person who lived in 'the valley'
Pedreira
 - quarry
Puga - thorn

Quiroga - town in Lugo, Galicia
Razo - parish in Carballo, Bergantiños, A Coruña 

Rocha
 - living near a rock/cliff
Rúa - house was located on the road, that is, the road bordered by houses 
Saavedra - from either parish in Begonte, Terra Chea, Galicia or in Dadín, Irixo, Carballiño, Galicia; old hall
Salgado - salty; a witty person

Somoza - from As Somozas, Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia
Santiago - from Sant Iago (Saint James/Jacob)
Sotolongo - from Soutolongo, a parish in Lalín, Deza, Pontevedre
Sotomayor - from Soutomaior, Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia
​Tapía - parish in Ames, Santiago, A Coruña, Galicia; mud wall (Sephardic)​
Tenorio - from San Pedro Tenorio, a parish in Cerdedo-Cotobade, Pontevedra

Toste - galley bench
Troncoso - from either village in Ourense and Pontevedra, Galicia; derivative of tronco ‘tree trunk’, ‘stump’

Túa - river in Terra Quente, Nordeste Trasmontano, Bragança, Portugal
Ulloa - central region of Lugo, Galicia
Ventura - good fortune
Vigo - town in Pontevedra, Galicia

Non-Spanish Puerto Rican Surnames

We know of course that often there are musings of old stories of being Italian, Corsican, French, English and other ethnicities. There are areas of Puerto Rico that are known for particular groups creating communities. Such as in the southwest part of the island. The areas of San German and surrounding municipalities had a heavy influx of the aforementioned immigrants. Just as in the United States, enclaves of immigrants grow and become large thriving communities, eventually intermingling with the existing community. So while these families may have immigrated from Italy, Corsica, and/or France, their future generations became proud Puerto Ricans.

The list below are Italian, French, and other surnames found in Puerto Rico. Keep in mind that surname practices in France and Italy are quite different than those of Spain. Particularly with patronymic surnames. I have recently added an English surname and will add to the list upon request.

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If you are searching for a particular name, feel free to drop me a line on the form at the bottom of the about page and I will add it to my research list!
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Italian/Corsican Surnames:
Adorno - personal name Adorno <Italian>; adorned
Agostini - family of Agostino (August)
Alonzo - given name <via Germanic> (Adelfonsus)
Antonini – family of Antonino (Anthony)
Aquino - town in Frosinone, Lacio, Italy
Balbi - family of Balbo

Belmonte - town in Calabria, Italy
Blasini - family of Blas <Corsican via Latin>; lisping, stammering, crooked tongue
Boglio - from Baglio; bean
Borreli - family of Borello: borro ‘gully’, ‘hole’; or from towns in Sicily.

Boscana - possibly a feminine form of Bosca; someone who lived by the woods 
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Boschetti – diminutive of Bosco: near woods
Brandi - family of Brando; sword

Cianchini - from ciancicare, someone who mumbles/chatters 
De Osco - former Swiss municipality in Ticino, Leventina, Switzerland
Emmanuelli - of Emanuele (Emanuel); God is with us <via Hebrew>
Dominicci – family of Domenico 
Fantauzzi - personal name Fante; child, youth
Farinacci – plural form of Farina: wheat flour 
Ferinaca - may be nickname for farina di castagne; chestnut flour - popular in Corsica 

Fonzi - family of Fonzo, diminutive of Alfonzo
Giorgi - family of Giorgio (George); rustic, farmer
​Giovanetti - of little Giovanni <Corsican>
Goni - village in Sardinia
Lucca - habitational name from Lucca Sicula in Sicily
Mariani - family of Mariano <Corsican, Italian>

Matta - feminine form of Matto from the Germanic personal name
Olivieri - family of Oliverio: olive tree
Orsini - bears
Palmieri - from palmiere (Palmer); pilgrim via palm - one who made pilgrimage to Holy Land and brought back a palm leaf
Paoli – family of Paolo (Paul)
Passalacqua - occupational nickname for a ferryman or boatman, from the phrase passa l’aqua ‘(one who) crosses the water’. 

Pelegrina - variant of Pelligrini; pilgrim
Pietri - family of Pietro. (Peter)
Santini - family of Santino; holy
Santoni - family of Santone; holy
Semidei/ Simidey - demigods

Surnames with multiple etymologies:
Coll – neck <Catalan>; diminutive of the personal name Nicholas <English>; reduced form of McColl <Scottish, Irish>

English/Scottish/Irish/Welsh Surnames:
Bayron - from Byram; at the cattle sheds <Old English>
Bird - slender person <English>
Gibbs - plural of personal name Gibb, a nickname of Gilbert
Joy - one with a cheery disposition (English)
Knight - most likely to have been applied to a servant in a knightly house or someone who won the title in some contest of skill
McCormick - Anglicized form of Mac Cormaic ‘son of Cormac’; raven son <via Gaelic>
Murdoch - a variant of Murtagh <Scottish, Irish>; sea battler
Palmer – one who made pilgrimage to Holy Land and brought back a palm leaf <via French via Latin>
Potter - someone who made pots
Sullivan - Anglicized form of Ó Súileabháin ‘descendant of Súileabhán’; dark eye <via Gaelic>
Walker - someone who cleansed cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, to thicken
Warren - someone who lived near or worked on piece of land for breeding game <via Anglo-Norman French>
Watlington - from Watlington, Norfolk or Oxfordshire, or Whatlington, Sussex, England
From Flandes (Flemish, Dutch, French, Walloon)
Parts of what is now Belgium and Luxembourg was ruled by Spain from 1556 - 1714 known as Flandes. 
Amay - village in Liège, Belgium
Lompré - most likely from the village (Lompré-el-Fagne) in Wallonia, Chimay, Hainaut, Belgium <Walloon>
Yumet - possibly from Jumet, Charleroi, Belgium 
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French Surnames:
Allard – Derived from the given name ÆÐELRÆD. <via German> (Ethelred) <French>
Amill - from Amillis, a village in Seine et Marne, Ile-de-France, France <French>
Ardín - commune in Deux-Sèvres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France 
Balzac - commune in Gond-Pontouvre, Angoulême, Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Borbón - from Bourbon 
Betancourt/ Betancort - from Béthencourt, Norde, Hauts-de-France, France <Canary Islands>
​Beauchamp – beautiful field <French>
Belgodere - from Belgodère, a commune in Haute-Corse, Corsica, France
​Bernier - personal name <French via German>
Botet - patronymic derived from Boto <French via German> Bodo: messenger 

Cervoni - from Cervon, a village in Nièvre, France
Chardón – thistle
Delestre - from Lestre, Manche, Normandy, France

Denizard - patronymic variant of Denis <French via Greek>; Dionysius
Droz - patronymic form of 
Drogo <Alsatian>
Duprey – from Dupré; the meadow
Dumont - one who lived on or near a hill

Gaston - <French via German> from gast; guest
Gautier  - patronymic form of Gutierre (Walter) <French via German> 
Giraud - a vernacular form of Gérald (Gerald)
Guillot - patronymic derived from of Guille from Guillame (William)
Laguerre – nickname for a belligerent person or for a valiant soldier; war ​
Lavoie - by a road
Le Guillou – derived from patronymic Guillaume (William)
Loubriel - derived from diminutive of hellebore likely used for a healer
Marchand - merchant/ trader
Marqués – a title of nobility between a duke and a count

Merle - blackbird
Pantín - puppet
Selles - village in France; saddles <French>​
Troche - from 'trouche' hole <French>

German/ Dutch Surnames:
Bernard - from a Germanic personal name (see Bernhard); strong bear
Coln - person from the city of Cologne
Goble - from Göbel a nickname for Godebert
Kiess - gravel <German>
Korber - basketmaker <German>

Mohr – nickname for someone with a darker complexion
Neumann  -  a newcomer to a place
Raschke - variant of Rasch; quickly
Riefkohl - cauliflower

Schatz - treasure
Schomburg - from Schömberg in Württemberg
Schütz - watchman, guard
Seilhamer/ Seilheimer - someone who worked in a quarry; sledgehammer
Stahl - smith; steel worker
Theiling - from ætheling; an Anglo-Saxon prince <via Germanic>
Tischer - variant of Tischler; table craftsman <German>

Van Gerdy - from Gehrden, Hanover, Germany <via German>
Volker - from Voelker from fulchar; folk army 
Wiechers - variant of personal name Wichert; strong battle

Other:
Babin - someone with the characteristics of an old woman <Polish>
Geronimo - from the given name <via Greek>
Petrovich - son of Petro <Ukrainian and Belarusian> (Peter)

Hartman - personal name used in Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden <via Germanic>; hardy man


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Purely Puerto Rican Surnames... yes, that exists.

 Let me explain, while most of the surnames of Puerto Ricans have origins from Spain, there is quite a number that did not. Think of the famous Yankee, Bernie Williams, and the mother of the beloved Roberto Clemente, Luisa Walker. Their surnames are clearly English. These surnames will be easy to find the meaning of, but the origin of how those names ended up on the island is the genealogical mystery! Still, while the vast majority of Puerto Rican surnames can be found in one list or another because of the various languages, there are some that will be quite difficult to uncover the history of. I have discovered that some surnames were created on the island.
​I believe these criolla surnames happened for a few reasons. First, many immigrants landed in Puerto Rico that were not from Spain. In looking through documents, you will find many French and Italian surnames as well as, although much less, German, Irish, and English surnames. So, as these immigrants settled in and learned Spanish, it is easy to see how the original names may have changed due to pronunciation. Imagine the transcribing issues that would arise if a native French-speaker were saying his/her name in Spanish to a native Spanish-speaker unfamiliar with French. This doesn't even account for the various Spanish accents or speakers of other languages spoken in Spain. This would have been exacerbated by my second theory: illiteracy. New immigrants to Puerto Rico coming from all parts of Europe may not have been literate. In this case, they would not know the spelling of their name and would need to rely on the communication and understanding between themself and the person collecting information for immigration, residence, birth, marriage, and death records as well as land and census records. In many of these cases names are recorded using the phonetic spelling of non-native Castilian speakers. 


An example of this are two surnames in my ancestry are Laracuente and Laboy. Neither are very common on the island and rarely found off (without ties to PR.) I have been researching them for years. There is no known origin of either name in any published surname origin books. According to the Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, the results are: 
  • Laboy - Hispanic (Puerto Rico): unexplained. Compare Lamboy.
  • Lamboy - Apparently of Hispanic origin: unexplained. This name is also found in France.
  • Laracuente - Hispanic (mostly Caribbean): unexplained.
I have found in my family documents the current Laboy also as Lamboy, La Boy. According to the Records of Foreigners 1815-1845 there are men named Labady, Labord, and Labrouy all of which are reasonable similar to the current Laboy.  The surname Lavoie is also found in Puerto Rico. In Spanish the letter v is often pronounced /b/ so a conclusion about be made that the spelling changed because of the pronunciation. In these same records, a Larracontre is found. All of these names are from immigrants to Puerto Rico from France. Based on my research, family lore as well as my DNA results, I can conclude that two of these immigrants were the originators of the surnames Laboy and Laracuente. ​

I am going to create a list here of names that are uncertain of origin but are most likely to have been created in Puerto Rico and are still prevalent on the island and not commonly found outside of Puerto Rico (besides the mainland US.) Some of these surnames may also be listed above. I, of course, will continue to research with the hope of finding the true story for the surnames in which there is no reasonable nor certain meaning. For now, I will list the most current information and reasonable theories. 


*Puerto Rican Surnames:
Agosto - variation of the personal name Augusto; sacred, venerable <via Latin>  
Aldamuy - possibly from Aldemunde, Carballo, Bergantiños, Galicia <Galician>
Arrigoitia - from Errigoiti, village in Busturialdea, Bizkaia, Basque Country <Basque>
Beniquez
Bithorn - possibly from Bathoorn <Dutch> or religious - see above-
Bracetti - probably an accidental mixup of Brassetti and Braccianti, both variants with same meaning <Italian>; little arms 
​Brignoni - possibly from Brignone <Italian> from Brignon, village in France
​Dieppa - 
Italian form of Dieppe, a village in Normandy, France 

Dauhajre
Esqulin - possibly from L'Esquilino, one of the celebrated Seven Hills on which Rome was founded
Febus - 
Garced - variant of French surname Garcet; little guy
​Graniela - variant of Italian surname Granillo; little grain- used to describe someone who had pockmarks or other blemishes

Jiminian - variant of Gemignani of Gemignano; twin <via Tuscan>
Jusino - variant of Justino which is diminutive of Justo; just, fair
Laboy - possibly from Lamboy or Lavoie 
Laracuente/ Larracuente - possibly from French name Laracontre or from La Roquette 
Ocasio - believed to be 
from Spanish 'ocasión,' 'time’; occasion
Olique - from Alique, a small village in Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha

Pijem - variant spelling of village Pihem, Hauts-de-France
Pomales -
​Rieckehoff
 - variant of German surname Reichhoff; rich + hope
​Tosado - variant of Italian surname Tosato; sheared
Vivoni - from Vivona from Bivona, Sicily, Italy
Völckers - variant of German personal name, Volker; people + army
​
Do a quick search for your surname!
 References:
  • Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
  • The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland ©2016, Oxford University Press
  • Diccionario Etimológico Comparado de los Apellidos Españoles, Hispanoamericanos Y Filipinos ©2013,  Fondo de Cultura Económica, ed., Guitierre Tibón
  • New Dictionary of American Family Names by Eldon C. Smith ©1988, Gramercy Publishing Company 
  • Orígenes Históricos de Cataluña by José Balarí Y Jovany  ©1899
  • An Etymological Dictionary of the French Language by A. Brachet translated by G.W. Kitchin, M.A. ©1882, Oxford at Clarendon Press

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Spanish Surname Resources

Here are a few websites that may be useful:
  • Spanish Surname meanings (free) - this website is operated by Pearson. There are no citations.
  • Spanish Names from the 15th Century (free) - this webpage was written by Juliana de Luna which includes citations.
  • Surname Generator (free) - this webpage is operated by Ancestry.com. Citations are from texts published by the Oxford University Press.
  • 30 Interesting Spanish Surnames Meanings (free) - This article is found on Mental Floss. 
  • Explanation of Spanish Surnames (free) - This is operated by Wikipedia. This is in Spanish. If you use Google Chrome, it will translate into English for you if you cannot read Spanish. 
  • Don Quijote - A language learning site that has information about Spanish and other languages in Spain.

    Stay informed about new surnames and other updates!

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Puerto Rico is the perfect meeting place between Spain, the country I come from, and America, the country where I now belong. The meeting point of two worlds where magic can happen. ~ Jose Andres

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