The 100 most common surnames in Mexico (and their meaning)

Mexican surnames are born as a mixture with part of the Spanish culture due to the immigration that occurred during the 16th century.. Some of the local tribes had their own naming and surname systems that were generally related to nature, gods, personal characteristics, and the geography of places.

When the indigenous Mexicans converted to Catholicism, a large number of them decided to take the Spanish translation of it as their last name, leaving behind their traditional names.

• We recommend you read: "The 90 best expressions and phrases of Mexico (with their meaning)"

What are the most popular Mexican surnames?

To learn a little more about the history and evolution of this country with the 100 most common surnames in Mexico, where tradition and the mixture of cultures converge.

1. Acosta

It is a toponymic surname for people who lived near a site near the coast of a river, lake or sea.

2. Aguirre

It comes from the Basque word 'agerí' which means 'exposed or extensive'. It was adopted by people who lived in open places.

3. Baptist

It is derived from the homograph proper name that comes from the Greek 'Baptistes' which translates as 'the one who baptizes'.

4. Zuniga

It is derived from the Basque term 'estugune' and translates as 'channel or narrow' and refers to an area of ​​the province of Navarra in Spain.

5. camacho

Its meaning is 'the one who lives in the mountains' and it is believed that it comes from France, but there are studies that say it comes from Portugal.

6. Zarate

It refers to an area of ​​Spain called Zárate and is derived from the Basque words zara, which means forest, and athe, which translates as door.

7. Cardenas

It is the feminine plural of the Spanish word 'cardeno' whose meaning is 'violet blue'. But it also indicates a town in the community of La Rioja in Spain.

8. Villarreal

It refers to the Spanish places with the same name. It breaks down from the endings villa which means town and real which has the same meaning and is translated as real town.

9. Arellano

It refers to a place in Navarra, Spain. It comes from the Latin name Aureliano which means 'Aurelio's farm or estate'.

10. Kings

It comes from the homograph word that means monarch and refers to the nobility or the workers who served the kings.

11. Cervantes

Its popularity is due to the same name of an area in Lugo, Spain. It comes from the word deer and means 'son of the deer'.

12. Vera

It means 'edge or shore' and comes from the name of many places in Spain.

13. Ayala

It derives from the city of Ayala or Aiara in the Basque Country, it is made up of the words ai which means hillside or slope and alha which translates as 'pasture'.

14. Rivers

It is considered a toponymic. It was usually used by people who lived or were born near a watercourse.

15. Cuts

It comes from the French word 'curteis', it refers to a person with good manners, polite, friendly or elegant.

16. Tellez

It comes from the Latin 'tellus' which means 'earth' and is a way to indicate that someone is 'son of Tello'.

17. Soto

Surname that describes the geography of a place where a person comes from, it means the bank of a river near a forest or with abundant vegetation.

18. Bernal

Spanish variant of the name 'Baruch', which in Hebrew means blessed.

19. Oak trees

It is derived from the oak tree, prized for its hard wood and strong roots, and refers to a person who originally lived near these trees.

20. slim

It is a descriptive surname, therefore, given to a person of low weight.

21. Silva

It comes directly from the Latin 'silva' which means 'jungle or forest'.

22. road

It comes from the Latin 'strata' and means 'path or way'. It was used in the north of Spain to call several towns and due to this it began to be used by its inhabitants as a toponymic surname.

23. Sandoval

It comes from the Latin 'saltus-novalis' which is interpreted as 'meadow suitable for cultivation or recently cultivated'.

24. Warrior

It was used as a nickname for people who fought in an army, the knights, or those who worked as paid warriors.

25. Barrier

Spanish word with the same meaning that refers to a family that lived near a gate or fence or any other barrier.

26. red

It is considered a patronymic surname since it indicates the red color of the earth and that is how people who live or reside in the area are known.

27. salty

It comes from the Galician that translates as 'salty', it was used as a nickname for an ingenious or insightful person.

28. vegetable plot

This is a very common Mexican surname that comes from the Latin term 'hortus' which translates as 'farmland' where vegetables, fruits and legumes are grown.

29. Calf

It refers to a person of high spirit and is derived from the Spanish word 'becerra' which means 'young cow'.

30. Rooms

It comes from the Germanic 'salla' which means walled or fortified enclosure and is applied to the people who live near this place.

31. roses

Very common Mexican surname that comes from the Latin word rose and refers to the rose flower.

32. Juarez

It is one of the variants of 'Suárez' and derives from the Latin name 'Suerius' which translates as sewing or shoemaking.

33. Lion

It is a surname that was frequently used as a toponymic, especially by those who came from the city of León in Spain.

34. Beltran

It is derived from the Germanic personal name which translates as 'bright raven'.

35. Trejo

It comes from a region of Asturias, Spain, its origin is from the Celtic 'trecc' which translates as 'high place' or elevation 'protected hill'.

36. Roman

It comes from the Latin surname 'Romanus' which means from Rome.

37. Quintero

It is a variant of the name 'Quinteiro' very common in the region of Galicia, Spain. It refers to someone who lived on or near a farm.

38. Mejia

It comes from the old Spanish word 'mexia' which means 'medicine'.

39. Valdez

It is a patronymic surname meaning 'son of Baldo' which is an abbreviated form of 'Baltazar'. Another meaning refers to a person who came from Valdéz, which literally translates as 'from the valley'.

40. Bravo

It was used as an ancient nickname for people of great courage and bravery.

41. Miranda

It is derived from the Latin word 'mirandus' which means 'charming, wonderful or admirable'.

42. Resendiz

It is a derivative of the personal name 'Resendes', composed of the Germanic words 'reths' which means 'advice' and 'sinths' which means 'path'.

43. Peralta

It originally comes from the Latin expression 'Petra Alta' which means 'high rock'.

44. Navarrese

This surname denotes someone from the Navarra region which itself is derived from Basque and probably means a valley or plain of people.

45. Spout

It comes from the Latin word for gray hair and was a nickname used for a person with prematurely white hair.

46. Salazar

This Mexican surname also falls into the category of toponymics. It means 'old cabin' and its origin is Basque.

47. Pacheco

It comes from Portuguese and is related to a Roman soldier servant of Caesar called 'Pacieco'.

48. osorio

It is related to the Basque word 'Otso' which means 'wolf' and refers to a wolf hunter.

49. caves

It refers to a person who lives in or near a cave.

50. Castilians

It is derived from the Latin word 'castellum' which means 'castle'.

51. Salazar

It comes from the common name given in Spanish to plants called nettles.

52. Ochoa

It is a Castilianized form of the Basque name 'Otxoa' which is derived from the word 'otso' which means 'wolf'.

53. Padilla

Surname with two meanings: It can come from an instrument similar to a palette used by the bakers called padilla and can also derive from the Greek word 'padeiá' which means 'education or instruction'.

54. Santiago

It comes from the homograph proper name, which in turn is a Hebrew term 'Ya'akov' which translates as 'supported by the heel'.

55. Cervantes

It is a toponymous surname from a region of Lugo in Spain, derived from the Spanish word for 'deer'.

56. Murillo

It is derived from the Spanish word 'wall' which has the same meaning.

57. Pain

It is considered a common surname that is a toponymic since it comes from the homograph noun that means 'stone or rock'.

58. Lugo

It is a toponymic name for a person belonging to the city of Lugo in the Spanish province of Galicia.

59. Cisneros

It originated in the place called Cisneros in the Spanish province of Palencia, it is a derivation of the Spanish word swan with the same meaning.

60. Saints

Its use began as a proper name, especially for children born on All Saints' Day.

61. Vine

It is the Spanish word for vine and points to a person who lived around such plants.

62. olive groves

The name Olivares is derived from the Spanish word 'olivar' which has the same meaning.

63. Orozco

It refers to a place called Orozco in the Basque country. The name was adopted by those who originally belonged to this region.

64. Nunez

It is derived from the name 'Nuno', a variant of 'Nonius' which is Latin for 'the ninth'.

65. palaces

Surname that was originally adopted by those who inhabited a place around a palace or a mansion.

66. Rangel

Variant of the name Rengel which is derived from the old Germanic root for 'curved, bent or thin'. It could have been a name for someone who made or sold rings, belts, and sashes.

67. Nava

It is a toponymic surname since it refers to the river valleys and they are named after the pre-Celtic goddess Navia.

68. table

It is a surname given to people who lived on the plateaus. There are many variants for this Mexican surname such as Mesa, de Meza, de Mesa, and Demesa.

69. Pineda

This surname originally refers to the pine forest.

70. Rock

It is related to the Spanish word 'rock', it denotes someone who lived around a cliff or who lived in any of the several places with this name in Spain.

71. Maldonado

It is a derivative of a Spanish phrase meaning 'ill-favored', and was adopted as a nickname.

72. Laura

It is a toponymic name for a person from a place called Lara de los Infantes in the Spanish province of Burgos.

73. rose bushes

Surname that denotes the place where the roses grow or given by the trade of the grower of these plants.

74. Ibarra

It is of Euskera or Basque origin, it is the equivalent of the word 'vega' which is defined as a fertile and flat land that is constantly moistened by a river.

75. Contreras

It comes from 'Contrebia' a name given by the Romans to various cities in Spain.

76. Solis

It is believed that it is a very old surname and comes from a Hispanic lineage from the time of the reconquest.

77. Ruiz

It arose from one of Rodrigo's diminutives: 'Ruy or Rui', which is of Germanic origin that translates as 'rich in glory' or 'fame of powerful'.

78. Guzman

Surname that comes from the German 'gutmann' which means 'good man'. It may also come from the Danish name 'Gudsmand' which translates to 'man of God'.

79. Salinas

Surname referring to someone who worked in a salt mine or sold salt for a living.

80. Sources

Surname that was used to indicate that a person who lived or was born in a place near a water source or in a city that had that name.

81. Safe

It is a Spanish word that means 'safe or protected'.

82. Spinoza

It is another of the variants of Espinosa, it was adopted by many Christians in honor of the crown of thorns that Christ wore during his way to the cross.

83. Vargas

It comes from the word 'varga', which in Cantabrian means 'cabin' or 'sloping ground'.

84. Valenzuela

Toponymic surname of the city of Valencia, a word that comes from the Latin voice 'valentia' which means 'courage or courage'.

85. From the cross

It is a toponymic surname because it accompanied the given name Cruz and denoted his place of residence or origin.

86. Enriquez

It comes from 'Henry' which, in turn, comes from the Germanic name 'Heimirich', which is a combination from the Germanic elements 'Heim' which means 'home' and 'ric' which translates as 'power or ruler'.

87. Figueroa

It is derived from the Portuguese word 'figueira' or the Spanish term 'higuera', both of which are a reference to a fig tree.

88. Gallant

It has its origins in a Germanic personal name that combines the Old Germanic elements 'gail' meaning 'joyful' and 'hard' meaning 'strong or brave'.

89. Velasco

It is derived from the personal name 'Belasco' which, when combined with the Basque root 'bel', means 'raven'.

90. Chavez

Its origin is Portuguese, it comes from the word 'chaves', which means 'keys'.

91. Villalobos

Denotes a person who lived in the town of Villalobos in Spain. It is a combination of the word 'villa' which means 'town' and 'wolf'.

92. Cheek

Spanish word to designate the cheek. It is a nickname for someone who was bold or with some peculiarity in that area of ​​the face.

93. Villegas

This surname indicates the place of origin of Villegas, an area that is located in the Spanish province of Burgos.

94. fields

It derives from the Latin word 'campus' which refers to a large green field.

95. Zavala

Variant of the word 'Zabala', which refers to a place in Spain that comes from the Basque word 'Zabal' which means 'wide, wide or extensive'.

96. Cabrera

It comes from the Latin word 'capraria' and means 'site of the goats'.

97. Castaneda

It comes from the Latin 'castanea' and is the way in which people referred to places where chestnut trees existed.

98. Heron

It is believed that it was a nickname for people with very long legs.

99. Aguilar

It refers to the person who lived in a region called Aguilar and comes from the Latin word 'Aquilare' which means 'den of eagles'.

100. Of Lion

It has the same meaning as the surname León, that is, a reference to someone from the city of León in Spain.