The 110 most common surnames in Chile (and their meaning)

Chile is the largest country in South America and one of the countries of which the ancient Inca empire was part; Due to its location and history, its society is the product of an important mix of cultures and lineages.

In this article you will find a list of the most common surnames in Chile, which explains the meaning and origin of these words associated with the family.

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The most common surnames in Chile

In Chile there are many traces of the indigenous world before the arrival of the conquerors, although today we can see the influence of Spanish culture in this territory in the names of the people who live here.

To get closer to the Chilean culture, we bring in this article the most common surnames in Chile that demonstrate the passage of time in this land and the mixture of its cultures.

1. Alvarado

It comes from the Germanic name 'Allawarja' which means 'the one who keeps', but it is also associated with the Latin word 'albus' which literally translates as 'white'.

2. Warrior

It is an old Spanish word that referred to a dynasty of soldiers in a family.

3. fairies

It is a derivation of the word lighthouse. But it is believed that it was also a name for the watchtowers of the middle ages.

4. Rockrose

It is said that it is a surname of Arab and Syrian origin, it came to Spain with the conquest of the Muslims. It means 'hammer grip'.

5. donoso

It was an adjective to name the beauty of a person and his attractive personality. It means 'provided with qualities'.

6. red

It comes from the Latin word 'rubeus' which means both blond and red. Others point out that it comes from russeus, which translates as incarnated or very much alive.

7. Munoz

It is a patronymic name meaning 'son of Muno'. It comes from an old word that refers to 'wall'.

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8. medina

It comes from the proper name of a city in Saudi Arabia and was a reference to name other cities.

9. town

It has its origin in the Latin root 'populetum', which means 'grove of elms'.

10. Pine tree

It is a toponymic surname, which refers to the pine trees and the people who lived near them.

11. bull

Despite what you may believe at first impression. This surname is an appellation for high ground. It comes from the Spanish root ‘tor-’ or ‘tur’

12. Carvajal

It comes from a Leonese term: 'carvajo' and refers to oaks.

13. busts

It is a surname of Basque origin and is a reference to people when they get wet, as 'bustituá or wet'.

14. Quezada

It is thought to be a surname originating from southern Iran and popularized by Emperor All Sri Abuett Du Falternum. Its meaning is 'the hill of sand'.

15. Cardenas

It is the feminine plural of 'cardeno', which means 'violet blue'.

16. Godoy

It is a surname that has its roots in the Greek language and means 'the place of the Goths', that is, a reference to the territories that the Arabs conquered.

17. Valdes

It is a surname that comes from Asturias, as a toponymic name that refers to the capital of the council of Valdés.

18. lakes

It comes from the Aragonese language and refers to the concavities that are filled with water.

19. Leiva

It is a toponymic surname that refers to the population of La Rioja.

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20. Saez

It is one of the variations of the masculine proper name Sancho, which comes from the Latin 'Sanctus'.

21. Pain

It means 'stone or rock' and is a toponymic surname that was awarded to people who lived near rocky areas.

22. Saavedra

It has two toponymic references. One from the Low-Latin word 'sala' meaning 'an old room'. It also refers to Sita, a place in the province of Orense.

23. Guzman

It is a geographical surname, since it was a way of calling people who were originally from the village of Guzmán in the province of Burgos, in Spain.

24. Pizarro

It is another geographical name that was given to people who came from the town of Pizarro, in the province of Cáceres.

25. Rosemary

This is a way of referring to people who made a pilgrimage to Rome during the Middle Ages.

26. Arriagada

It is a surname of Navarre origin, it comes from the Basque word that means 'agate stone'.

27. Gallant

It comes from the Gallic word 'gal' which means 'strong', 'robust' or 'stocky'. It is constituted as a French surname 'Gaillard'.

28. Zuniga

It comes from the Basque word 'estugune', which refers to 'narrow channel'.

29. Gonzalez

It comes from the masculine proper name 'Gonzalo', which is changed to a patronymic surname as 'son of Gonzalo'.

30. Ortiz

It is a patronymic surname that refers to 'son of Ortún', which means 'the one who is lucky'.

31. Vera

It is a geographical surname that brings together all the people who come from various places in Spain with the same name.

32. fields

It is related to the place where the people near the green fields lived. It comes from the Latin 'campus' which means 'large ground'.

33. Garcia

It is a Spanish proper name that is also used as a surname. It comes from the Basque 'artz or hartz' which means 'bear'.

34. inostroza

Many think that this surname originated in Chile by mistake, since It may be a typo of the last name 'Hinestrosa', which comes from a village in the Castilian-Leonese province of Burgos.

35. Figueroa

It is a surname that derives from the Spanish 'higuera' and the Portuguese 'figueira'. Which literally translates as 'fig tree'.

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36. Miranda

It means 'the one who is charming and admired', coming from the Latin word 'mirandus'.

37. Gomez

It originally comes from the German word 'gumaz', which means 'man'. Then it was derived as a proper name 'Gome or Gomo'.

38. Nunez

It is one of the variants of the Latin word 'Nonius', which means 'the ninth', so it is a reference to the ninth son of a family.

39. Rivera

It comes from old Spanish and is the way to describe torrents of water or mountain rivers.

40. Valdivia

It is a toponymic surname that comes from the Ibia Valley in Palencia. Whose meaning in the Basque language is 'ford of the hillside'.

41. Cuts

It comes from the French word 'curteis', which indicated a kind person and denoted very good education.

42. Kings

It has two possible origins. One as a nickname for those who worked for the king or in the royal houses and for those who were born on the day of the Three Kings.

43. Wall

Its origin is that of a pre-Roman word that meant 'fenced'. That is, a wall that was used to surround land.

44. Vargas

Its meaning is 'cabin or slope' and it comes from a Cantabrian word 'varga'.

45. Sanchez

This is one of the variations of Sancus, an ancient Roman god which represented loyalty.

46. Fernandez

It comes from the proper name Fernando, a Spanish variant of an originally German name. Whose meaning is 'the brave traveler'.

47. Valenzuela

It is one of the variants for the denomination 'son of Basque'. It is derived from the name 'Velasco' which in old Spanish means 'raven'.

48. Alarcon

It is a toponymic surname from a region of the same name located in Spain. It is believed that it could originate from the Arabic word 'al-'urqub', which means 'turn of the road'.

49. Gutierrez

It comes from the Germanic name 'Walter', which was derived from this Spanish variant. The meaning of him is 'he who is the leader of an army'.

50. flowers

It originates from the Latin name 'florus', which in turn derives from the words 'flos or floris', which refers to flowers.

51. Castro

This surname is related to an old Roman structure that served as offensive buildings. These were found in Spain and come from the Latin 'castrum', which was later taken as a toponymic surname by the nearby settlers.

52. Farias

It originally comes from the Portuguese 'Faria', which is a derivation for 'lighthouse'. An old name for surveillance buildings.

53. Morales

This is a reference that was made in the fields where blackberries were planted or for the forests where it occurred naturally.

54. Rodriguez

It is a patronymic surname from Rodrigo, which means 'children of Rodrigo'. It can also be translated as 'mighty because of his fame'.

55. Sepulveda

This surname comes from the Latin root 'sepultare', which is the place where graves were made.

56. Contreras

It has two origins. One that comes from the Latin 'contraria', which refers to a 'surrounding region'. Another origin is the topographic surname for people who come from the Conteraras region, in the province of Burgos.

57. Perez

It is a patronymic surname that means 'son of Pedro'. Which arises from the Greek root 'petros' which means 'stone'.

58. Soto

It is an old Spanish name that refers to the bushes.

59. Diaz

It is a patronymic surname that comes from 'Diego', which in turn derives from the Hebrew name 'Ya'akov'. Its meaning is 'held by the heel'.

60. Martinez

It is one of the variants of Martin, which comes from the Latin 'Martinus', which can be translated as 'consecrated to the god Mars'.

61. Benavides

It is a French surname that originates from two words 'bonne' and 'vie', which together mean 'good life'.

62. new

It is a toponymic surname with the same name and comes from the Latin 'nonus', which means new. So it translates as 'new town'.

63. Castle

It was very popularized in the Iberian Peninsula when it was under Roman control. It comes from the Latin word 'castellum'.

64. Lopez

It derives from the Latin 'lupus', which became a proper name like 'Lope', but retaining its meaning: 'wolf'.

65. Hernandez

comes from the German proper name 'Firthunands', which led to the Spanish variant 'Hernando' or 'Fernando'. The meaning of it is 'the bold peacemaker'.

66. Silva

It comes from the Spanish word 'selva', a toponymic surname for people who lived near jungles.

67. towers

It derives from the Spanish word 'tower', becoming its plural. It is a surname given to people who lived near a tower or who worked in one.

68. Vasquez

It is another of the variants for 'son of a Basque'. Which is a toponymic surname for those who came from the Basque region.

69. blacksmith

It started out as a nickname for people who worked with metals. It comes from the Latin 'ferrum' which means 'iron'.

70. Spinoza

It is the feminine variant of the homonymous word 'thorny'. So it refers to a plant that has thorns.

71. Alvarez

It has its origin in the Nordic language 'Álvaro', which translates as 'the warrior and sleeping elf'.

72. Santana

It is a surname that has no meaning of its own. It was given to orphans who came from the Hospice of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which was under the religious protection of Santa Ana.

73. Loyola

It is a word that is made up of the two Basque words: 'lo (h) i', which means 'mud' and 'ol (h) a' which is a suffix for 'everyone's place'.

74. carrasco

It comes from a vulgar Spanish word to describe the Kermes oak, a very characteristic shrub due to its bright green leaves that last all year.

75. Vega

It comes from the Spanish word 'vaica', which refers to large and fertile lands.

76. Vergara

It comes from the Basque language 'Bergara', a toponymic name for the 'Guipuzcoan' population. Its meaning is 'elevated orchard among brambles'.

77. Riquelme

It is a surname that has a German origin, which means 'he who is protective' or 'he who possesses wealth'.

78. Bravo

It was an old Castilian nickname for people with a bad character. But then it became a nickname for those who were brave.

79. olive groves

It comes from the Spanish word 'olivar', which refers to olive groves.

80. Sandoval

It comes from two Latin words: 'saltus' which refers to 'forest or clearing' and 'novalis' which means 'untilled land'.

81. Orellana

This name comes from two Basque words: 'oro', which means 'oats' and 'llana', which can mean 'abundance'.

82. Molina

It is a nickname that derives from those who worked as millers or for those who owned a mill.

83. Jaramillo

It comes from the Spanish form for the Hebrew word: 'jrm', which means 'the consecrated one' or 'the dedicated one'.

84. graceful

It is said that it is a Spanish deformation for 'aguerrido', a nickname for people who had a lot of experience in fights or battles.

85. Navarrese

Its meaning is 'plain that is full of forests'. It is a toponymic surname to refer to all the people who come from Navarra.

86. Salazar

It is a Basque variant of the surname 'Saavedra', as well as a Spanish adaptation for the Basque 'Zaraitzu'.

87. Henriquez

It has its origins in the Germanic proper name 'Henricus'. Composed of the words 'haim', which means 'home or country' and 'ric' which means powerful.

88. Aerie

It comes from the Castilian noun 'eagle' and which means 'place where eagles live'.

89. Lizama

It may come from the Spanish words: 'leiza' and 'ama', which means 'the place that is on top'.

90. Duarte

It is a patronymic surname that means 'son of Eduardo'. Name that derives from Old English and means 'the rich guardian'.

91. Vine

It is a surname that is associated with the vines of the grapes.

92. escobar

It is a toponymic name that refers to some mountains that exist in the province of León.

93. Salinas

It is an occupational surname for people who worked in the salt mines or who sold salt as merchants.

94. Caceres

It is a geographical surname of its own, which comes from the Extremaduran province of Cáceres.

95. Vidal

It originated from the Latin word 'Vitalis', which refers to a person who is full of life, energy or is very lively.

96. dark

It has its root in the Latin word 'maurus', which has two meanings: a nickname for people with brown skin or for those who came from Mauritania.

97. Ruiz

It is one of the nicknames given to those named Ruy, a diminutive of Rodrigo. So its meaning is 'son of Ruy'.

98. Palm

It is a Roman word that was used to name long and strong trees with flat branches.

99. Jimenez

It is a patronymic surname that means 'son of Jimeno'. This is a variant of the name 'Simón', which comes from the Basque 'seme' which means 'son'.

100. sanhueza

Its meaning in old Spanish is 'raspberry', but it also refers to the Sangüesa region in Navarra.

101. Bastias

There is no exact origin of this surname, but it is believed that it may come from France, after the taking of the Bastilles, which was later downgraded to Bastias.

102. Navarrete

It is a toponymic surname belonging to all the people who came from Navarrete.

103. Ortega

It is a vulgar form for the word 'nettle', a very popular plant due to its poisonous characteristics.

104. Bustamante

It refers to a town in Cantabria, derives from the old Spanish word 'busto', which refers to the grassland that cows eat.

105. Avendano

It comes from the Basque word 'arandanal', which means 'place of blueberries'.

106. Acevedo

It comes from the Portuguese 'Azevedo', which means 'holly forest'. Over time the Spanish variant 'Acevedo' was created.

107. Sources

It is a toponymic surname to refer to people who lived near natural water sources.

108. araya

It comes from the Basque word 'araya' or 'araia', which means 'beautiful valley'.

109. Coins

It has two roots: Galician 'A Cunha', and Italian 'Acusani' or 'Accusani', which refers to a city in Portugal.

110. Jagged

It is a very common surname in Spain and comes from the Castilian 'melted', which means 'he who has no teeth'. So it became a nickname for those who did not have dentures.

With these surnames we can see the great Spanish influence that it had in many places in Latin America.