
For example, if their father’s last name was “Diaz Martinez” and the mother’s last name was “Rodriguez Hernandez”, the child’s surname would become “Diaz Rodriguez”. Since an individual’s parents typically have two last names as well, a child’s surname is formed by combining the first part of the father’s surname and the first part of the mother’s surname. For many centuries, this custom was used amongst the rich but it did not become typical of commoners until around the 1800s. Having two surnames was introduced by Madrid’s Castilian kings during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, many Hispanic last names consist of two names instead of one to honor both the mother’s name and the father’s name. For example, if a person was beach blonde, they might take the last name of “Rubio”, or if they were known to be courteous, they might take the surname of “Cortes”. Often times, they were created from old pet names or nicknames an individual grew up. Descriptiveĭescriptive surnames were not as common as they stemmed from features that stood out about an individual.

For example, if there were two Pablos, one could be Pablo Vicaro (Pablo, the vicar) and the other could be Pablo Zapatero (Pablo, the shoemaker). Similar to other last names, occupational surnames helped others to distinguish between two people who have similar names. Occupational surnames stemmed from a person’s trade or place of work. For example, “Ernesto Desoto” would mean Ernesto “of the grove” (soto).
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Many geographical names also feature the word “de” meaning “of” or “from”. Using landmarks allowed people to distinguish two town members of the same name. For example, if there were two Marcos, one could be named Marco Iglesias (lived near the church) and Marco Vega (lived by a large meadow). Using the surroundings of their homestead helped others to identify where they could find a certain person. GeographicalĪnother common last name stems from the geographical landscape of where the first name bearer lived. For example, “Pedro Alvarez”, technically means Pedro, the son of Alvaro. Normally these endings are associated to patronymic or matronymic names. Last names ending in “ez”, “az”, “iz”, and “oz” are customary in Spanish culture and that’s because these suffixes stand for “son of”. The most common surnames are patronymic or matronymic meaning they stem from an individual’s father (patronymic) or mother (matronymic). Surname Categories Patronymic & Matronymic

Today, surname origins are broken into four categories: patronymic & matronymic, geographical, occupational, or descriptive. In this sense, names were seen as very necessary and practical. In earlier eras, first names and last names often indicated where someone lived, who their parents were, or what trade they practiced. Spanish surnames began to rise around the 12th century as a way to distinguish between men with the same first name. Whether you’re a writer who’s creating a Hispanic character or searching for the origin of your own last name, this list of Spanish last names is sure to give you answers. Spanish is one of the liveliest languages of all, so it’s no surprise that Spanish last names are the same.
