Mexican Last Names
Mexican last names tell the story of the country itself: Spanish patronymics like Hernández and López, Basque names brought by colonial settlers, and a small but proud group of Indigenous surnames such as Balam and Canul from the Maya world. Below are 100+ Mexican surnames with their meanings and origins, from the most common to the regional and rare.
Remember that Mexicans legally carry two surnames: the father’s first, then the mother’s (for example, Gabriel García Márquez). If you’re researching family history, both matter. Find first names in our lists of Mexican boy names and Mexican girl names, or compare with Spanish last names and Hispanic last names.
The most common Mexican last names
Patronymic surnames ending in -ez (“son of”) dominate Mexico. Hernández is by far the most common, carried by millions of Mexicans and ranking among the most common last names in the U.S. too.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Hernández | Son of Hernando (Fernando) | Spanish patronymic |
| García | Possibly “young” or “bear” (Basque) | Basque/Spanish |
| Martínez | Son of Martín | Spanish patronymic |
| López | Son of Lope (“wolf”) | Spanish patronymic |
| González | Son of Gonzalo | Spanish patronymic |
| Rodríguez | Son of Rodrigo | Spanish patronymic |
| Pérez | Son of Pedro | Spanish patronymic |
| Sánchez | Son of Sancho (“holy”) | Spanish patronymic |
| Ramírez | Son of Ramiro | Spanish patronymic |
| Flores | Flowers | Spanish descriptive |
| Gómez | Son of Gome (“man”) | Spanish patronymic |
| Cruz | Cross | Spanish religious |
| Morales | Blackberry bushes; mulberry trees | Spanish place name |
| Vázquez | Son of Vasco (“Basque”) | Spanish patronymic |
| Reyes | Kings (the Three Kings) | Spanish religious |
| Jiménez | Son of Jimeno | Spanish patronymic |
| Torres | Towers | Spanish place name |
| Díaz | Son of Diego | Spanish patronymic |
| Gutiérrez | Son of Gutierre | Spanish patronymic |
| Ruiz | Son of Ruy (Rodrigo) | Spanish patronymic |
| Mendoza | Cold mountain | Basque |
| Aguilar | Place of eagles | Spanish place name |
| Ortiz | Son of Orti (Fortunio) | Spanish patronymic |
| Moreno | Dark-haired, tanned | Spanish descriptive |
| Castillo | Castle | Spanish place name |
| Romero | Pilgrim to Rome; also rosemary | Spanish |
| Álvarez | Son of Álvaro | Spanish patronymic |
| Méndez | Son of Mendo | Spanish patronymic |
| Chávez | Keys; from Chaves, Portugal | Galician-Portuguese |
| Rivera | Riverbank | Spanish place name |
Mexican surnames from places and nature
Many Spanish surnames started as a description of where a family lived: by a river, a tower, a meadow or a grove.
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Luna | Moon | Also a popular girls’ name |
| Ríos | Rivers | Common in central Mexico |
| Campos | Fields | Place name |
| Vega | Fertile meadow | Place name |
| Fuentes | Springs, fountains | Place name |
| Montes | Mountains | Place name |
| Peña | Rock, crag | Place name |
| Robles | Oak trees | Place name |
| Lara | From Lara, Burgos | Place name |
| Salinas | Salt works | Common in the northeast |
| Villanueva | New town | Place name |
| Rosales | Rose bushes | Place name |
| Zamora | From Zamora, Spain | Place name |
| Navarro | From Navarre | Regional |
| Medina | City (Arabic madina) | Arabic via Spanish |
| Estrada | Road, paved way | Place name |
| Cortés | Courteous | Famous via Hernán Cortés |
| Delgado | Thin, slender | Descriptive |
| Ibarra | Meadow (Basque) | Basque |
| Figueroa | Place of fig trees | Galician |
Surnames common in northern Mexico
In Nuevo León, Coahuila and Tamaulipas, colonial settlers left distinctive surnames, many of Basque or Sephardic-era origin. These are also very common in Texas.
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Garza | Heron | Signature Monterrey surname |
| Treviño | From Treviño, Burgos | Nuevo León founding family |
| Cantú | Possibly from Cantù, Italy | Very common in Monterrey |
| Villarreal | Royal town | Nuevo León and Texas |
| Elizondo | Near the church (Basque) | Basque |
| Leal | Loyal | Descriptive |
| Quintanilla | Little country estate | Place name |
| Guerra | War | Descriptive |
| Zambrano | From Zambrana, Álava | Place name |
| Salazar | Old hall, manor (Basque) | Basque |
| Montemayor | Great mountain | Place name |
| Tijerina | Little scissors (occupational) | Tamaulipas and Texas |
| Cavazos | Possibly “ditches, holes” | Northeast Mexico |
| Benavides | Son of Benavid | Place and patronymic |
| Galván | Possibly from Gawain | Northern Mexico |
Mexican last names of Indigenous origin
After the conquest, most Indigenous families took Spanish surnames, but some kept names from their own languages, especially in Yucatán, Tlaxcala and Michoacán.
| Surname | Meaning | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Balam | Jaguar | Yucatec Maya |
| Canul | Protector, guardian (disputed) | Yucatec Maya |
| Chan | Small | Yucatec Maya |
| Can | Serpent | Yucatec Maya |
| Ek | Star | Yucatec Maya |
| Pech | Tick | Yucatec Maya |
| Uc | Seven | Yucatec Maya |
| Tun | Stone | Yucatec Maya |
| Dzul | Foreigner | Yucatec Maya |
| Cocom | Name of a ruling Maya lineage | Yucatec Maya |
| May | Possibly “deer hoof” | Yucatec Maya |
| Poot | Traditional lineage name | Yucatec Maya |
| Moctezuma | He who frowns like a lord | Nahuatl |
| Xicoténcatl | Place of bumblebees | Nahuatl (Tlaxcala) |
| Cuautle | From cuauhtli, “eagle” | Nahuatl |
| Tzintzún | Hummingbird | Purépecha |
Occupational and descriptive Mexican surnames
Some surnames describe a trade, a trait or a title a family once held.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Herrera | Ironworks, forge (from place names) | Spanish occupational |
| Guerrero | Warrior | Spanish |
| Pastor | Shepherd | Spanish |
| Molina | Mill | Spanish |
| Carrillo | Little cart, cheek | Spanish |
| Calderón | Cauldron maker | Spanish |
| Bravo | Brave, fierce | Spanish |
| Rubio | Blond | Spanish descriptive |
| Cano | Gray-haired | Spanish descriptive |
| Serrano | From the mountains | Spanish |
| Escobar | Place of broom plants | Spanish |
| Soto | Grove, thicket | Spanish |
| Mejía | Possibly from Messias | Spanish |
| Vargas | Sloped meadow | Spanish place name |
| Castro | Fort, castle (Latin castrum) | Spanish |
| Santiago | Saint James | Religious |
| Bautista | Baptist | Religious |
| Contreras | Surrounding area | Spanish place name |
| Maldonado | Badly given, ill-favored | Spanish nickname |
| Valenzuela | Little Valencia | Spanish place name |
How to research a Mexican surname
- Always record both surnames. The second (maternal) surname is often the key to separating two families with the same common first surname.
- Look for the -ez ending: it means “son of,” so Martínez was once “son of Martín.” Compare with the patronymics in Portuguese last names, which end in -es.
- Catholic parish records (baptisms and marriages) are the richest source for Mexican genealogy, often going back to the 1600s.
- Watch for spelling shifts after immigration: Vázquez may appear as Vasquez, and Chávez as Chaves, in U.S. records.
- If your surname is Maya or Nahuatl, regional archives in Yucatán, Tlaxcala or Puebla are the best place to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common last name in Mexico?
Hernández is the most common Mexican surname, followed by García, Martínez, López and González.
Why do Mexicans have two last names?
Spanish naming custom gives each child the father’s first surname followed by the mother’s first surname, so both family lines are kept.
What does the -ez ending mean in Mexican surnames?
It is a patronymic suffix meaning “son of.” Rodríguez means “son of Rodrigo” and Pérez means “son of Pedro.”
Are there Aztec last names?
Yes, though they are rare. Moctezuma, Xicoténcatl and Cuautle are Nahuatl in origin, while Maya surnames like Balam, Canul and Chan are common in Yucatán.
Is Garza a Mexican last name?
Garza, meaning “heron,” is a Spanish surname that became one of the defining family names of Monterrey and northeastern Mexico, and of South Texas.