Spanish last names with origins and meanings

Most Spanish surnames started in the Middle Ages in one of four ways: a father's name, a place, a trade or a nickname. The ending -ez means son of, so Fernández is the son of Fernando and Sánchez the son of Sancho. Others name where a family lived, like Torres, tower, or Navarro, from Navarra. Spain also has its regions' own surnames: Basque ones often name the family house, as Echeverría, new house, does; Catalan ones like Puig, hill, and Font, fountain, name the land; Galician ones like Castro and Souto do the same in Galician. Every Spaniard carries two surnames, one from each parent, so Pedro Sánchez Pérez has a father named Sánchez and a mother named Pérez. Spanish surnames crossed the Atlantic with settlers, which is why the commonest Hispanic last names in the Americas are the same ones.

How to use this list: tap a surname to copy it. For a character, pair a given name with two surnames, the father's first, and pick a regional surname if the story is set in the Basque Country, Catalonia or Galicia. If none fit, describe the family in the search, and the generator suggests new surnames.