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Mexican last names: 120+ common surnames and meanings

127 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

The most common Mexican last names are Hernández, García and Martínez, followed by López and González, according to Mexico's birth and voter records. Mexicans usually carry two surnames, the father's first surname and then the mother's, so Ana Hernández Cruz has Hernández from her father and Cruz from her mother.

Below are 120+ real Mexican surnames with the meaning and origin of each: the top twenty, -ez patronymics, other popular names, surnames from the land, Basque names brought to New Spain, Nahuatl and Maya surnames, devotional names and surnames from Mexican history. Most came from Spain, but some are older than the Spanish conquest. Pronunciation tips appear where English speakers may stumble.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Palma

    Palm tree, or one of the places named for palms

  • Nogales

    Walnut trees, from nogal, walnut

  • Ríos

    Rivers, for someone living near running water

  • Luna

    Moon, or from Spanish towns of that name

  • Montes

    Mountains or wooded hills

  • Sandoval

    From a village in Burgos, home of a noble Castilian family

Find a Mexican surname on this page

Narrow 127 surnames by how common they are in the 2020 US Census, by section, length or first letter, or search the meanings.

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Most common Mexican last names

The surnames that top Mexico's birth records, led by Hernández. Most are Spanish patronymics meaning 'son of'.

  1. Hernández US #11: Son of Hernando; the most common surname in Mexico
  2. García US #6: Medieval Basque-Navarrese first name; second most common in Mexico
  3. Martínez US #10: Son of Martín, a name honoring Mars, the Roman war god
  4. López US #12: Son of Lope, from Latin lupus, wolf
  5. González US #13: Son of Gonzalo, a Visigothic name built on gund, battle
  6. Pérez US #21: Son of Pedro, from Greek petros, rock
  7. Rodríguez US #8: Son of Rodrigo, a Germanic name meaning famous ruler
  8. Sánchez US #25: Son of Sancho, from Latin sanctus, holy
  9. Ramírez US #27: Son of Ramiro, a Visigothic name joining counsel and fame
  10. Cruz US #55: Cross, a devotional surname; one of Mexico's most common
  11. Flores US #39: Flowers, or son of a man named Floro
  12. Gómez US #49: Son of Gome, a Visigothic name meaning man
  13. Morales US #62: Mulberry trees, for a family living near them
  14. Vázquez US #191: Son of Vasco, a medieval first name; say BAHS-kes
  15. Reyes US #56: The kings, honoring the Three Kings of Epiphany
  16. Jiménez US #98: Son of Jimeno, a medieval Navarrese first name; say hee-MEH-nes
  17. Torres US #38: Towers, for a family living by one
  18. Díaz US #52: Son of Diego, from the medieval Latin name Didacus
  19. Gutiérrez US #70: Son of Gutierre, a medieval Castilian name of Germanic origin
  20. Ruiz US #92: Son of Ruy, a short form of Rodrigo; say RWEES

Mexican surnames ending in -ez

The -ez ending (and the rarer -iz and -oz) means 'son of'. After the top twenty, these patronymics fill page after page of any Mexican phone book.

  1. Juárez US #315: A spelling of Suárez, son of Suero; say HWAH-res
  2. Méndez US #155: Son of Mendo, a medieval Galician and Portuguese first name
  3. Domínguez US #260: Son of Domingo, from Latin Dominicus, belonging to the Lord
  4. Velázquez US #501: Son of Velasco; also the surname of Spain's great Baroque painter
  5. Álvarez US #95: Son of Álvaro, a medieval Visigothic first name
  6. Núñez US #228: Son of Nuño, a medieval Castilian first name; say NOO-nyes
  7. Benítez US #631: Son of Benito, the Spanish form of Benedict, blessed
  8. Márquez US #291: Son of Marcos, the Spanish form of Mark
  9. Muñoz US #164: Son of Muño, a medieval Castilian first name; say moo-NYOHS
  10. Fernández US #134: Son of Fernando, from Germanic words for journey and daring
  11. Enríquez US #844: Son of Enrique, the Spanish form of Henry
  12. Téllez US #1,624: Son of Tello, a medieval Castilian first name
  13. Ortiz US #68: Son of Orti, a short form of Fortunio, fortunate

Mexican last names from nature and the land

Rivers, springs, orchards and hills: many surnames simply describe where a family lived.

  1. Rivera US #46: Riverbank, for a family living beside a river
  2. Ríos US #233: Rivers, for someone living near running water
  3. Fuentes US #377: Springs or fountains, for a family living near water
  4. Arroyo US #666: Stream or creek, for a family living beside one
  5. Robles US #385: Oak trees, for someone living by an oak grove
  6. Rosas US #786: Roses, for someone living where roses grew
  7. Olivares US #1,504: Olive groves, for a family living among them
  8. Nogales US #27,108: Walnut trees, from nogal, walnut
  9. Palma US #1,696: Palm tree, or one of the places named for palms
  10. Huerta US #747: Orchard or kitchen garden
  11. Campos US #328: Fields, for a family of the open countryside
  12. Prado US #1,489: Meadow or pasture, for a family living by one
  13. Montes US #705: Mountains or wooded hills
  14. Soto US #188: Grove or thicket near a river
  15. Salinas US #390: Salt works, for someone who lived or worked at one
  16. Espinoza US #285: Thorny place, from espino, a thornbush or hawthorn
  17. Cabrera US #357: Goat pasture, from places named for cabra, goat
  18. Luna US #289: Moon, or from Spanish towns of that name
  19. Del Valle US #2,946: Of the valley, for a family living in one
  20. Estrada US #241: Paved road, from Latin strata
  21. Silva US #157: Woodland, from the Latin word for forest; very common in Portugal

Basque surnames in Mexico

Basque settlers, miners and officials were prominent in colonial New Spain, and their names stayed. Most describe a house, a tree or the shape of the land.

  1. Echeverría US #3,607: New house, from Basque etxe berri; say eh-cheh-beh-RREE-ah
  2. Aguirre US #414: An open or exposed place, such as a clearing
  3. Ibarra US #521: River meadow or valley, from Basque ibar
  4. Ochoa US #408: Wolf, from the Basque first name Otxoa
  5. Zavala US #654: Wide place, from Basque zabal, wide
  6. Elizondo US #2,296: Beside the church, from eliza, church, and ondo, next to
  7. Iturbide US #52,071: Road to the spring, from iturri, spring, and bide, way
  8. Arriaga US #1,966: Stony place, from harri, stone
  9. Urrutia US #4,646: The far-off place, from urruti, far
  10. Larrea US #18,331: The pasture or meadow, from Basque larre
  11. Uribe US #1,435: Lower town, from uri, town, and behe, below
  12. Mendoza US #88: Cold mountain, from mendi, mountain, and hotz, cold
  13. Garay US #2,491: High place, from Basque garai, high
  14. Irigoyen US #20,674: Upper town, from iri, town, and goien, highest
  15. Lizárraga US #5,331: Place of ash trees, from lizar, ash
  16. Arteaga US #1,858: Place of holm oaks, from arte, holm oak
  17. Ugarte US #9,948: Between waters, from ur, water, and arte, between

Nahuatl and Maya surnames

A smaller group of Mexican surnames comes from Indigenous languages. Nahuatl names survive in central Mexico, and Maya names are very common in Yucatán. Maya meanings follow the Cordemex Maya dictionary.

  1. Moctezuma US #8,883: Nahuatl Motecuhzoma, he who frowns like a lord; say mok-teh-SOO-mah
  2. Popoca US #15,929: Nahuatl for it smokes, the same root as the smoking volcano
  3. Xicoténcatl US #99,304: Nahuatl name of Tlaxcalan lords, tied to the bumblebee; say shee-koh-TEN-kahtl
  4. Chan US #384: Yucatec Maya for small; the most common Maya surname in Yucatán, and also a common Chinese surname
  5. Pech US #13,977: Yucatec Maya for tick, the small creature
  6. Canul US #33,419: Yucatec Maya for guardian or protector; say kah-NOOL
  7. May US #304: Yucatec Maya for a young deer; say MY. Also an English surname
  8. Balam US #45,763: Yucatec Maya for jaguar; say bah-LAHM
  9. Dzul US #68,391: Yucatec Maya for foreigner or gentleman; say TSOOL
  10. Ek US #15,221: Yucatec Maya for star; also the logwood dye tree
  11. Couoh: Yucatec Maya for tarantula
  12. Ceh US #103,857: Yucatec Maya for a large deer; say KEH
  13. Moo US #6,241: Yucatec Maya for macaw; say MOH
  14. Dzib US #105,671: Yucatec Maya for writing or painting; say TSEEB
  15. Cocom US #98,894: Maya for one who listens closely; a ruling family of Mayapán
  16. Canché US #41,034: Yucatec Maya for a raised wooden frame or rustic altar

Religious and devotional Mexican surnames

Surnames drawn from saints, feasts and church devotions form a large group in Mexico.

  1. Santiago US #238: Saint James, the patron saint of Spain
  2. Bautista US #554: The Baptist, honoring Saint John the Baptist
  3. De la Cruz US #417: Of the cross, a devotional surname
  4. Santos US #190: The saints, a devotional name sometimes given to a child born on All Saints' Day
  5. De Jesús US #726: Devotional surname honoring the name of Christ
  6. Salvador US #2,638: Savior, a name honoring Christ
  7. Trinidad US #2,575: Honors the Holy Trinity, a major church feast
  8. Natividad US #7,782: Nativity, honoring the birth of Christ
  9. Pascual US #2,827: From a first name meaning of Easter, Latin paschalis
  10. Sacramento US #31,303: Sacrament, honoring the Eucharist
  11. San Juan US #7,400: Saint John, for a family devoted to him

Surnames from Mexican history

Last names carried by Mexico's independence heroes, revolutionaries, presidents and artists, with the meaning behind each.

  1. Hidalgo US #1,459: Nobleman, from hijo de algo; Miguel began the independence war
  2. Zapata US #1,055: From an old Spanish word for a boot; Emiliano bore it
  3. Guerrero US #240: Warrior; Vicente became Mexico's second president
  4. Victoria US #5,597: Victory; the name chosen by Mexico's first president
  5. Madero US #14,454: Timber or beam; Francisco launched the 1910 revolution
  6. Cárdenas US #421: From a town in La Rioja; Lázaro nationalized Mexico's oil
  7. Orozco US #500: From Orozko in Biscay; muralist José Clemente bore it
  8. Villa US #653: Town or estate; revolutionary Pancho adopted it as his name
  9. Carranza US #1,244: From Karrantza, a Basque valley; Venustiano oversaw the 1917 constitution
  10. Paz US #1,268: Peace; poet Octavio won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature
  11. Infante US #3,087: Royal prince or child; film idol Pedro bore it
  12. Félix US #837: Lucky or happy, a Latin name; screen legend María bore it

How to pick the right name

Give a character two surnames

Mexican names usually end with the father's surname and then the mother's, as in Sofía Ramírez Ochoa. In everyday speech people often use only the first surname.

Let the surname hint at a region

Maya surnames like Pech and Canul point to the Yucatán Peninsula, and Nahuatl surnames to central Mexico. The common -ez names fit anywhere in the country.

Keep or drop the accents on purpose

Hernández and Juárez take written accents in Spanish. Many Mexican American families dropped them, so either spelling can be authentic depending on the character.

Use the meaning

Balam means jaguar, Hidalgo means nobleman and Aguilar means haunt of eagles. A surname with a fitting meaning adds a quiet layer to a story.

Mexican last names: 127 ideas from Nomezo

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Mexican last names: the counts in Mexico and the US, what happens to two surnames on US paperwork, and who chooses the order

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

Hernández was the surname on 671,972 Mexican birth records from 2017 to 2020, more than any other. In the US the order changes: García is the country's sixth most common surname, with 1,149,510 people in the 2020 Census, and 26 surnames on this page are in the US top 100.

Two surnames do not always survive US forms intact. The finder above narrows the names by section, length or first letter, and the tags show each surname's US rank.

  1. Step 1Start with the most commonHernández in Mexico, García in the US.
  2. Step 2Pick an originPatronymic, Basque, Nahuatl or Maya.
  3. Step 3Plan for US formsAccents dropped, surnames run together.
  4. Step 4Choose the orderFather's first is custom, not always law.

The most common surnames, in Mexico and the US

  • The Maya surnames of Yucatán. Chan is the most common Maya surname in Yucatán, with 73,314 people on the 2016 voter roll, followed by Pech, Canul and May (Posta, citing INE).
Top Mexican surnames: Mexican birth records, 2017–2020, and the 2020 US Census
SurnameMexican births, 2017–2020US rank, 2020
Hernández671,972#11
García458,788#6
Martínez447,073#10
López412,247#12
González352,650#13
Pérez332,048#21
Rodríguez293,473#8
Sánchez288,543#25
Ramírez258,411#27
Cruz204,640#55

Sources: INEGI figures as reported by El CEO (December 23, 2021), not a published INEGI table; US Census Bureau, 2020. US counts include families from other Spanish-speaking countries.

Two surnames on US paperwork

  • Accents are dropped. US passports and Social Security cards do not show accents. In 2023 NBC News reported that California had barred accent marks on birth certificates since 1986, while Texas, Illinois and several other states allowed them (NBC News).
  • Surnames get run together. The 2020 Census strips spaces and hyphens, so 3,631 people were counted under GARCIAHERNANDEZ and 3,470 under HERNANDEZGARCIA (US Census Bureau).
  • The order is a choice in some states. In 2016 Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that Mexico City could not force the father's surname to come first; Baja California now lets parents agree on the order, but civil registration is state law, so rules still differ (El Imparcial).

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common last name in Mexico?

Hernández is the most common surname in Mexico, followed by García, Martínez, López and González, both in 2017–2020 birth records (INEGI, Mexico's statistics institute) and in the voter roll (INE).

How do Mexican last names work?

Mexicans usually carry two surnames: the father's first surname followed by the mother's first surname. In 2016 the Supreme Court ruled that Mexico City could not force the father's surname to come first, and some states, such as Baja California, now let parents agree on the order, but the rules still vary by state.

Are there Mexican last names from Indigenous languages?

Yes. Nahuatl surnames such as Moctezuma and Popoca survive in central Mexico, and Maya surnames such as Chan, Pech and Canul are very common in Yucatán.

Why do so many Mexican surnames end in -ez?

The -ez ending is a Spanish patronymic meaning son of, so Hernández is son of Hernando and Ramírez is son of Ramiro. Spanish settlers brought these names to Mexico from the 1500s on.

Why are Basque surnames common in Mexico?

Basque settlers, miners and officials were prominent in colonial New Spain. That is why Echeverría, Aguirre, Ibarra and Ochoa are familiar Mexican surnames today.

Can the mother's surname go first in Mexico?

In some states, yes. After a 2016 Supreme Court ruling against Mexico City's father-first rule, states such as Baja California let parents agree on the order, but each state sets its own registry rules, so check locally.

Why do Mexican American families hyphenate or drop a surname?

US forms usually have one last-name box, so the second surname can be mistaken for the last name or dropped. Hyphenating, as in García-Hernández, keeps both together; other families keep only the father's surname.

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