🔥 200+ Mexican Last Names With Meanings (Updated 2026)

Mexican last names have deep historical, cultural, and linguistic significance.

Deriving from Spanish, Indigenous, and even other European influences, these names tell tales of ancestry, geography, and social caste.

From noble Castilian origins to names that derive from Nahuatl, each tells a story about the combined heritage of Mexico.

In this blog post, we will dive into the fascinating world of Mexican surnames, their meanings, and the traditions behind them.

This guide will reveal little-known tidbits of information about Mexican surname offerings, whether you are tracing the lineage or are just poverty-stricken with a ravenous curiosity about the riches of them.

Mexican last names

Aguilar – “Place of eagles” (Spanish)

Alvarado – “Guard” or “protector” (Spanish)

Ávila – From the city of Ávila, Spain (Spanish)

Bautista – “Baptist” (Spanish, religious origin)

Benítez – “Son of Benito” (Spanish)

Bonilla – “Small, good” (Spanish)

Cabrera – “Goatherd” or “place of goats” (Spanish)

Calderón – “Large cooking pot” (Spanish)

Camacho – “Twisted” or “ill-tempered” (Basque)

Campos – “Fields” (Spanish)

Cárdenas – “Thistle” (Spanish)

Carmona – From the town of Carmona, Spain (Spanish)

Carranza – “Thornbush” (Basque)

Castillo – “Castle” (Spanish)

Castro – “Fortress” or “castle” (Spanish)

Cervantes – Possibly from “ciervo” (deer) or “servant” (Spanish)

Chávez – “Keys” (Portuguese/Spanish)

Cisneros – From a place in Spain, possibly meaning “swan” (Spanish)

Cordero – “Lamb” (Spanish, often associated with Christianity)

Coronado – “Crowned” (Spanish)

Cruz – “Cross” (Spanish, religious origin)

Delgado – “Thin” or “slender” (Spanish)

Domínguez – “Son of Domingo” (Spanish)

Durán – “Enduring” or “steadfast” (Latin origin)

Escobar – “Place with broom plants” (Spanish)

Espinoza – “Thorny” or “spiky” (Spanish)

Estrada – “Road” or “path” (Spanish)

Fernández – “Son of Fernando” (Spanish)

Figueroa – “Fig tree” (Spanish)

Flores – “Flowers” (Spanish)

Fuentes – “Fountains” or “springs” (Spanish)

Gallardo – “Brave” or “gallant” (Spanish)

Gallegos – “Person from Galicia, Spain” (Spanish)

García – “Bear” (Basque, very common surname in Mexico)

Guerrero – “Warrior” (Spanish)

Gutiérrez – “Son of Gutierre” (Spanish)

Hernández – “Son of Hernando” (Spanish)

Herrera – “Ironworker” or “blacksmith” (Spanish)

Ibarra – “Valley” (Basque)

Juárez – “Son of Suero” (Spanish)

Lara – From the town of Lara de los Infantes, Spain (Spanish)

López – “Son of Lope” (Spanish, Lope means “wolf”)

Maldonado – “Ill-fated” or “badly given” (Spanish)

Martínez – “Son of Martín” (Spanish)

Medina – “City” (Arabic, brought to Spain)

Montes – “Mountains” (Spanish)

Morales – “Mulberry trees” or “moorlands” (Spanish)

Ortega – “Nettle plant” (Spanish)

Ramírez – “Son of Ramiro” (Spanish)

Zúñiga – From a place in Navarre, Spain (Basque)

Acosta – “By the coast” (Spanish)

Aguirre – “Prominent place” (Basque)

Alonso – “Noble and ready” (Germanic origin, via Spanish)

Aragón – From the region of Aragón, Spain (Spanish)

Aranda – From a place in Spain, meaning uncertain (Spanish)

Arce – “Maple tree” (Spanish)

Arellano – “Near an altar” (Spanish)

Arenas – “Sands” or “sandy place” (Spanish)

Arriaga – “A place near a stone” (Basque)

Ayala – “Slope” or “hillside” (Basque)

Balderas – Possibly “valley” or “bold army” (Spanish)

Barajas – “Terraces” or “steps in a hill” (Spanish)

Barragán – “Warrior” or “strong man” (Arabic origin)

Barrientos – From a place in Spain (Spanish)

Becerra – “Young cow” (Spanish)

Bermúdez – “Son of Bermudo” (Spanish, from a Germanic name meaning “bold”)

Borrego – “Lamb” (Spanish)

Bustamante – “Field of thorns” (Spanish)

Campa – “Countryside” (Spanish)

Canales – “Canals” or “channels” (Spanish)

Carbajal – “Place with coal” (Spanish)

Carrasco – “Thicket” or “oak grove” (Spanish)

Casillas – “Little houses” (Spanish)

Ceja – “Eyebrow” or “ridge” (Spanish)

Cevallos – “Mountain range” (Spanish)

Chavarría – From a Basque place name, meaning uncertain

Colunga – From a town in Asturias, Spain (Spanish)

Cordova – From Córdoba, Spain (Spanish, possibly from Arabic)

Corral – “Corral” or “enclosure for animals” (Spanish)

Cuevas – “Caves” (Spanish)

De la Cruz – “Of the cross” (Spanish, religious origin)

Del Valle – “Of the valley” (Spanish)

Del Toro – “Of the bull” (Spanish)

Esparza – “Thicket” or “brushwood” (Basque)

Fierro – “Iron” (Spanish)

Franco – “Free” or “Frankish” (Spanish)

Galarza – “Hilltop fortress” (Basque)

Galván – “Sparrowhawk” (Visigothic origin, via Spanish)

Garza – “Heron” (Spanish)

Granados – “Pomegranates” (Spanish)

Huerta – “Orchard” or “garden” (Spanish)

Jasso – Possibly from a Basque place name

Ledesma – From a town in Spain (Spanish)

Leyva – From the town of Leiva, Spain (Spanish)

Lugo – From the town of Lugo, Spain (Spanish, possibly Celtic origin)

Márquez – “Son of Marcos” (Spanish)

Orozco – “Place with holly trees” (Basque)

Paredes – “Walls” (Spanish)

Rojas – “Red” or “ruddy complexion” (Spanish)

Zamora – From the city of Zamora, Spain (Spanish, possibly Arabic origin)

Abad – From Spanish abad meaning “abbot,” indicating church ties.

Abarca – Spanish surname for a maker of sandals or simple shoes.

Aceves – Variant meaning “son of Acebo,” linked to holly trees.

Adame – Spanish patronymic form of Adam, meaning “man” or “earth.”

Alcalá – Spanish locational surname meaning “fortified place.”

Aldana – Spanish locational name from places called Aldana.

Alfaro – Arabic/Spanish surname indicating a lighthouse or beacon.

Amaya – Spanish locational surname meaning “the end” or “mother city.”

Anguiano – From a Spanish place name.

Aragón – Spanish locational surname from the Aragon region.

Arana – Spanish for “spider,” possibly a nickname.

Arcelay – Basque Spanish surname of ancient lineage.

Araiza – Basque origin found in Mexican and Latin American usage.

Arechiga – Basque locational surname.

Arenas – Spanish for “sands” or sandy place.

Arellano – Spanish locational surname meaning “plains or fields.”

Armenta – Derived from livestock or animal husbandry terms.

Arredondo – Spanish locational meaning “around the world” (circular).

Arrendondo – Intermediate variant closely related to Arredondo.

Arteaga – Basque locational surname.

Astorga – Spanish locational surname from the ancient town of Astorga.

Avendaño – Spanish surname linked to landholdings or estates.

Ayala – Spanish surname meaning “villa of the deer.”

Baca – Spanish surname meaning “cow,” possibly occupational.

Balderas – From baldero, meaning a container maker.

Barragán – Spanish surname meaning “rustic” or “rough.”

Barrenechea – Basque locational surname.

Barrón – Derived from the Spanish word for “barrow” or hill.

Basurto – Basque locational surname.

Bayardo – From Spanish baiardo, meaning “daring one.”

Beltrán – Patronymic from Beltrán, meaning “bright raven.”

Bermejo – Spanish for “reddish,” referring to hair or complexion.

Blanco – Spanish for “white,” descriptive of appearance.

Bocanegra – Spanish for “black mouth,” possibly descriptive.

Briseño – Mexican locational surname (origin uncertain).

Burgos – Spanish locational surname from Burgos city.

Bustamante – Locational surname from a Spanish noble estate.

Cabrera – Spanish for “goatherd” or goat keeper.

Calderón – From caldera (cauldron), referring to a potter.

Camacho – Spanish family name tied to shepherding.

Camarena – Spanish locational surname.

Candelaria – Religious surname linked to the Virgin of Candelaria.

Cano – Spanish for “gray or white-haired,” descriptive.

Cantú – Found in northern Mexico, likely from Italian or Spanish roots.

Cardoza – Variant of Cardozo, meaning “thistle field.”

Carranza – Spanish locational surname meaning “rocky place.”

Carrasco – From carrasca (holm oak).

Cartera – Spanish for “wallet,” possibly occupational.

Casares – From casas (houses), locational.

Casillas – Meaning “small houses.”

Castellanos – From castellano, meaning “castilian” or from a castle town.

Cazares – Spanish locational surname from Cazares.

Cepeda – Spanish locational surname.

Chaparro – Spanish for “shrub oak,” or stout.

Chavarría – Basque surname used in Mexico.

Chávez – Spanish surname meaning “from the place of keys.”

Cienfuegos – Spanish for “hundred fires,” possibly locational.

Cordero – Spanish for “lamb,” symbolic or occupational.

Cornejo – From cornejo (dogwood tree).

Coronado – Spanish for “crowned.”

Cortés – From cortez, meaning “courteous.”

Cruz – Spanish for “cross,” religious origin.

Curbelo – Spanish surname with Canarian ties.

Dávila – Locational surname meaning “from Ávila.”

Delgadillo – From delgado (thin), descriptive.

Domínguez – Patronymic meaning “son of Domingo.”

Echeverría – Basque locational surname meaning “new house.”

Elizondo – Basque locational surname.

Escalante – Spanish locational meaning “steep slope.”

Escobar – From escoba (broom shrub).

Espinosa – From espino (thorn).

Estevez – Patronymic meaning “son of Esteban.”

Fabela – Iberian surname used in Mexico.

Fajardo – Spanish locational surname.

Farías – Possibly from Italian Ferrara origins adopted into Spanish usage.

Ferrera – Occupational (ironworker).

Flores – From flores (flowers), symbolic.

Fonseca – Spanish surname meaning “dry spring.”

Gallegos – Spanish locational meaning “from Galicia.”

Gama – Spanish surname tied to geography.

García – From bear, historically one of the oldest Spanish surnames.

Gil – From “pledged to God.”

Gómez – Patronymic meaning “son of Gome.”

González – Patronymic meaning “son of Gonzalo.”

Grijalva – Spanish locational surname.

Guajardo – Spanish surname with Andalusian roots.

Guerrero – Spanish for “warrior.”

Gutiérrez – Patronymic meaning “son of Gutierre.”

Hernández – Patronymic meaning “son of Hernando.”

Holguín – Spanish locational surname.

Ibarra – Basque surname meaning “valley.”

Jaramillo – Spanish surname meaning “from Jaramillo.”

Landa – Basque locational surname.

Ledesma – Spanish locational, often tied to Leon province.

León – Spanish for “lion,” symbolizing courage.

Linares – From linares (flax fields).

Magallanes – Spanish surname meaning “from Magallanes.”

Márquez – Patronymic meaning “son of Marcos.”

Molina – From molino (mill), occupational.

Montes – Spanish for “mountains” or hills.