The 100 most common Chilean surnames (and their meaning)

Before the arrival of colonization, in Chile it was only customary to give people a single name and until the 10th century surnames were not used. As the population increased, it became essential to differentiate it, Thus, surnames derived from a trade, place where they lived and family distinction were born..

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

What are the most popular surnames in Chile?

With these 100 most popular surnames in Chile, we will be able to better understand the culture of the longest country in South America.

1. Warrior

It comes from the Spanish surname Guerrero and is believed to have been first used by a family line of soldiers.

2. red

It is derived from the feminine plural of 'red' which comes from the Latin 'rubeus' which translates as 'blond or red'. Others point out that it comes from russeus, which translates as incarnated or very much alive.

3. fairies

It comes from a derivation of lighthouse, a name also used in the Middle Ages for watchtowers.

4. donoso

It is a term that was used in the past to describe a person with beauty. It means 'provided with qualities'.

5. Alvarado

It is derived from the name 'Allawarja' which is interpreted as 'total guardian'. It is also associated with the Latin 'albus' which means 'white' and translates as 'place whitened by snow'.

6. Munoz

It originates from the proper name 'Munio' which means 'to wall or fortify'. By adding the suffix oz it translates as 'son of Munio'.

7. bull

It had its origin in the name of the city of Zamora, it comes from the root 'tor-' or 'tur' which means 'mount or elevation of the land'.

8. town

Its name comes from the Latin 'populetum' which means 'alameda' or 'elm grove'.

9. Carvajal

From the Leonese word 'carvajo' which means 'oak' and which means 'place of carvajos'.

10. Pine tree

From the Latin 'pinus' which translates as 'tree belonging to the class of conifers'.

11. busts

Basque surname, which means: 'de bustí', 'to bathe', 'wet', 'wet'. It can also mean 'bustituá or wet'.

12. medina

This surname is derived from the name of Medina, a city in Saudi Arabia.

13. Cardenas

Means 'violet blue' in the old Spanish word 'cardino'.

14. lakes

It is of Aragonese origin and refers to the concavities that are filled with water.

15. Valdes

It is a surname of Asturian origin that comes from the place name Valdés, the old name of the current town of Luarca, capital of the Council of Valdés.

16. Leiva

It comes from the toponymic Leiva, which is a town in La Rioja.

17. Godoy

Surname of Greek origin that means 'Gothic place', that is, territory conquered from the Arabs.

18. Aravena

It is a Basque surname and the meaning is 'the lowest part of the valley'.

19. Pain

It is a toponymic surname and was used to refer to people who lived near rocky places.

20. Rosemary

It was an assignment to people who had made a pilgrimage to Rome during the Middle Ages.

21. Guzman

It refers to someone who originally belonged to the village of Guzmán in the Burgos province of Spain.

22. Saavedra

Galician surname of toponymic origin because it alludes to Sita, which is one in the province of Ourense and another in Lugo, Galicia, whose origin is the low-Latin 'sala' which means 'old room or House'.

23. Pizarro

Coming from the toponym Pizarro, which is the name of a locality added to the municipality of Campo Lugar, in the province of Cáceres, its root derives from slate, which refers to a place.

24. Gonzalez

It comes from the name 'Gonzalo' which means 'willing to fight or willing to battle'.

25. Gallant

It comes from the French 'Gaillard', it has its origin in the Gallic word 'gal' which is interpreted as 'robust, stocky or strong'.

26. Zuniga

It is derived from the Basque word 'estugune' which means 'channel or narrow'.

27. Ortiz

It is the patronymic form that the name 'Ortún or Fortún' adopted, and means the lucky one.

28. fields

It comes from the Latin 'campus' which translates as a large piece of land that is outside the city.

29. Vera

It means 'edge or edge'. It is a toponymic surname of the Spanish region that has this same name.

30. Garcia

It comes from the Basque word 'artz or hartz' which means 'bear'. It is one of the most popular in Spain and one of the most widespread outside this country.

31. Figueroa

It is derived from the Portuguese word 'figueira' or the Spanish word 'higuera', which literally means 'a fig tree'.

32. Rivera

It comes from old Spanish and refers to torrential mountain streams or rivers.

33. Nunez

It is a variant of 'Nonius', a Latin name that indicates the ninth son of a family.

34. Miranda

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

35. Rockrose

It is a Basque surname that means 'fern', which is a bush as tall as two aras.

36. Gomez

It comes from the proper name 'Gome or Gomo' which is derived from the German word 'gumaz' and which means 'man'.

37. Cuts

Its meaning comes from a person who was in the court of the king.

38. Sanchez

It was derived from the given name Sancho and comes from the Roman god Sancus, who was the representative of loyalty.

39. Wall

It comes from the pre-Roman word tapia which means 'fenced'. A wall used to surround a piece of land.

40. Fernandez

It is derived from the proper name Fernando, a German name that translates as 'the brave traveler'.

41. Vargas

It is derived from the Cantabrian dialect which means 'cabin or slope'.

42. Kings

This surname was given as a nickname to people who worked for the kings or in one of the royal houses.

43. Castro

He is related to Roman defensive buildings in Spain. It comes from the Latin 'castrum' which refers to forts and cities protected by walls.

44. Gutierrez

It is one of the Hispanic forms that took the name 'Walter', which means 'chief of the army' or 'mighty warrior'.

45. Valenzuela

It means 'son of Vasco', it comes from the old Spanish name Velasco which means 'raven'.

46. flowers

It comes from the Latin personal name 'florus' which comes from 'flos or floris' which means 'flower'.

47. bull

It had its origin in the name of the city of Zamora, whose root 'tor or tur' is pre-Roman and means 'elevation of the land'.

48. Farias

It is a surname of Portuguese origin originally from Faria, it comes from a derivation of lighthouse, a name also used in the Middle Ages for watchtowers.

49. Rodriguez

Patronymic surname of the masculine given name 'Rodrigo' and is translated as 'powerful because of his fame' or 'rich in glories'.

50. Sepulveda

From the town called Sepúlveda in Segovia. It comes from the Latin 'sepultare' which means 'place of burials'.

51. Morales

It derives from the term with which they used to call the blackberry plantations or the fields and forests where this fruit was found naturally.

52. Perez

It comes from the proper name 'Pedro' which arose from the Greek 'Petros' which translates as 'stone'.

53. Diaz

It is the patronymic of the name 'Diago', which is one of the forms of the Hebrew 'Ya'akov' which translates as 'supported by the heel'.

54. Contreras

It refers to the family that lived in the Conteraras region in the province of Burgos. Spain, which is derived from the Latin word 'contraria' meaning 'surrounding region'.

55. Soto

It is the Spanish word to designate a thicket. It is also the name of several places in Spain.

56. Martinez

This surname originated from the name Martin which comes from the Latin 'Martinus' which translates as 'of war or the god Mars'.

57. Silva

It is a variation of the Spanish word 'selva'. It is also a toponymic surname that refers to people who live near that place.

58. Lopez

It is derived from the name 'Lope', associated with the Latin term 'lupus' which means 'wolf'.

59. Hernandez

It comes from the Germanic 'Firthunands', which means 'bold peacemaker'.

60. Castle

It comes from the Latin word 'castellum' with the same meaning, very popular in the Iberian Peninsula at the time of the Roman Empire.

61. towers

It is the plural of the Spanish word 'tower', it is a surname that was given to those who inhabited a region around a tower.

62. Spinoza

It is a variant of the homonymous name that comes from the Spanish word that means 'thorn or prickly'.

63. Vasquez

It means 'son of Basque' and refers to the name of the bearers of it. This is how people from the Basque Country are identified.

64. Alvarez

Patronymic surname that is based on the Nordic name 'Álvaro' which means 'warrior and sleeping elf'.

65. blacksmith

It refers to people who worked with metals, it comes from the Latin word 'ferrum' which means 'iron'.

66. carrasco

It originates from the common name that was formerly given to Kermes oak, which is a shrub that is characterized by its perpetual green leaves.

67. Vergara

Surname of Basque origin from the toponym 'Bergara', which was a name of a 'Guipuzcoan' population, whose meaning is 'elevated orchard among brambles'.

68. Bravo

It was usually a nickname meaning 'cruel or violent'. Although over time it changed and became a reference to someone with a lot of courage.

69. Riquelme

It is a surname of Germanic origin that means 'rich, helmet or protector'.

70. olive groves

It is derived from the Spanish word olive grove with the same meaning.

71. Vega

Surname that comes from 'vaica' which became 'vega' and means 'low, flat and fertile land'.

72. Sandoval

It is a toponymic name derived from the Latin words 'saltus' which means 'forest or clearing' and 'novalis' which translates as 'untilled land'.

73. Molina

It is derived from the miller's trade, likewise, it was assigned as a nickname to the people who owned a grain mill.

74. Alarcon

It comes from the name of a town in the province of Cuenca, whose root is the Arabic 'al-urqub' which means 'bend or turn of a road'.

75. Orellana

It derives from the Basque words 'oro' which means 'oats' and 'llana' which translates as 'abundance'. Together it means 'abundance of oats'.

76. graceful

Surname that denotes bravery and good bearing. It emerged as a warped deformation that means experienced in fighting or a good warrior.

77. Salazar

It is a surname that denotes a place called Salazar in Burgos, it is a Basque equivalent of Saavedra or a Castilianized variant of the Basque Zaraitzu.

78. Aerie

It comes from the noun eagle and means 'place where eagles live' or 'breed'.

79. Henriquez

It comes from the Germanic name 'Henricus' which is composed of the root 'haim' which is interpreted as 'home or country' and 'ric' which means 'powerful'.

80. Navarrese

It is a toponymic surname related to the gentile of the people who were born in the province of Navarra. Its meaning is forest and plain surrounded by mountains.

81. Vine

Surname that is related to the common name given to the vine that produces grapes.

82. Caceres

Surname of locative origin, that is, it comes from the Extremaduran province of Cáceres.

83. Yanez

From the Hebrew name 'Yehohanan' which translates as 'grace of Yahweh'.

84. Vidal

This surname was formed from the Latin proper name 'Vitalis', which means 'he who is full of life'.

85. escobar

It refers to the mountains of the province of León.

86. Salinas

It is the name that refers to someone who worked in a salt mine or sold salt for a living.

87. Jimenez

It means 'son of Jimeno', which is a variant of 'Simón', which is probably derived from the Basque word 'seme' which means 'son'.

88. Ruiz

It is a nickname that was given to people named Ruy, which, in turn, is an abbreviation for Rodrigo. It means 'son of Ruy'.

89. sanhueza

It comes from the name of Sangüesa in Navarra, Spain. Its meaning is 'raspberry'.

90. Palm

It is of Roman origin and refers to a tall tree with a straight trunk and branches.

91. dark

It comes from the Latin 'maurus' which translates as 'from Mauritania'. It is also a nickname for people with brown skin.

92. Saez

It comes from the name 'Sancho' which is a variant of 'Sauco or Sancus', who was a Roman deity and served as a guardian of oaths.

93. Navarrete

It is of toponymic origin since it is derived from the name of the place where Villa de Navarrete lived or owned land.

94. Acevedo

It is a toponymic surname of Portuguese origin, it derives from 'Azevedo' and when it went to Spain it changed to 'Acevedo'. It refers to a holly forest.

95. Ortega

This surname comes from the name of various plants commonly known as nettles, which are characterized by causing skin irritation, in addition to producing burning in the affected area.

96. Bustamante

Its origin comes from the town of Bustamante, a town belonging to the municipality of Yuso, in Cantabria, it derives from the old word 'bust' which means 'pasture for cows'.

97. Coins

It is a surname of Galician, Portuguese and Italian origin that derives from 'A Cunha' in Galician and Portuguese and from 'Acusani or Accusani' in Italian. Its meaning refers to the place of Acuña, in Portugal.

98. Maldonado

Its origin is a bit doubtful. It may come from the expression 'val donado' which translates as 'valley donated in testament', or a Spanish nickname for people with little luck.

99. araya

It comes from the toponym 'Arraya', which was the name of a town in Alava, derived from the Basque araya, araia which means 'valley slope or beautiful valley'.

100. Sources

Its meaning is the lived near a natural or artificial water source. And it is considered as a toponymic surname for people who lived near a source.