100 Cool Mexican Last Names

Thus, Mexican surnames 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 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)