The 60 most common surnames in Argentina (and their origin)

A review of the most common surnames in Argentina, explaining their origin and meaning.

Argentina is one of the countries most defined by the mixture of cultures, since among its inhabitants there are both people descended from Amerindian peoples and, above all, of Spanish origin and, to a lesser extent, Italian and German.

Therefore, the characteristic surnames of the families that inhabit the Argentine nation reflect this cultural complexity associated above all with Europe, and specifically with the lineages coming from Spain.

Below you will find a list of the most common surnames in Argentinaexplaining their meaning and the family origin of these words.

What are the most common surnames in Argentina?

As in other Latin American countries, most surnames in Argentina are of Spanish origin, due to colonization.

Thus, it will not be surprising to see that the most frequent Argentinean surnames are also common in Spanish-speaking countries in general, and that they often come from Latin, although we also find a lot of influence from the Basque language.

1. González

The first place goes to González, a very common surname in Spanish-speaking countries. Its origin is located in the Iberian Peninsula, when the Visigoths inhabited it.What is not so clear or it is not known for sure is from which specific region of Spain it comes from, since different possibilities have been presented, such as Castilla, Huesca or Asturias.

As it happens with other surnames, the suffix "ez" indicates that it has a patronymic origin, which means that it comes from the father's name, in this case it would be the son of Gonzalo, which means "ready to fight''.

2. Rodriguez

The origin of the surname Rodriguez is located in the Middle Ages, before the XI century. In this case we find again the suffix "ez" which means "son of" and therefore it would be the son of Rodrigo which is a name of Germanic origin which means "rich in glory" or "surname of kings''.

The suffix "ez" is believed to come from the Basque language and it was Queen Isabella II who kept it as a tribute to the Kingdom of Navarre.

3. Gómez

The surname Gómez comes from the Germanic name Gome, which was widely used by the Goths and means man.

4. Fernández

Fernández, also of patronymic origin, means "son of Fernado"; in turn, this name is of Germanic origin and is translated as "peace".. This is a very common surname both in Spain and in America, therefore there are many family branches with this surname, not related to each other.

5. López

The surname López is also patronymic, formed by the suffix "ez" and the masculine proper name Lope which derives from the Latin Lupus meaning "thirsty of blood'', nickname given to the most reckless warriors.

6. Díaz

The surname Diaz refers to "son of Diego'' which comes from Hebrew and means "held by the heel". It is believed to have originated in the kingdoms of Castile and Leon in the Iberian Peninsula.

7. Martinez

It is believed that the surname Martinez may come from the Spanish autonomous communities of Galicia and Asturias, since this is where the oldest records of this surname are found. Being a patronymic surname we know that it means son of Martin, the name martin is of Romance-French origin and derives from the Latin Martinus meaning "warrior man".

8. Perez

Perez means "son of Peter'' which comes from the Latin Petrus meaning "stone". It is believed to have been popular in the northern regions of the Iberian Peninsula, from which point it later spread to the rest of the communities.

9. García

Although in this case the ending "ez" does not appear, it is also a patronymic surname that is believed to have a very ancient, pre-Roman origin and to derive from a language similar to Basque. It is said that the meaning could be "bear".

10. Sánchez

Sánchez means "son of Sancho", and it is not known for sure if it derives from Latin or Basque. It is a very widespread surname, which means that its origin is not known with certainty, although there were many kings, especially in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, who were called Sancho.

11. Romero

The origin of the surname Romero is located in the regions near the Mediterranean Sea.. It is believed that it was the name given by the citizens of the Byzantine Empire to the pilgrims coming from Rome.

This surname is also related to the plant, which receives the same name "rosemary" and which has Latin origin and means "sea dew".

12. Sosa

The surname Sosa is believed to have both Portuguese and Castilian origins. Although it is found in different regions of Spain, where there are more individuals with this surname is in the Canary Islands.

13. Torres

The surname Torres is of toponymic origin, this term means that it refers to a place, in this case it comes from the Latin word turris which means tower. Its origin is very old, with records dating back to the 11th century in the region of Castilla, in the Iberian Peninsula.

14. Álvarez

Álvarez indicates "son of Álvaro'', which means protector. Although no single origin is known, the oldest record is located in Asturias.

15. Ruiz

Ruiz is a patronymic surname that refers to the fact that it is a descendant of Rodrigo, a Germanic name that means "rich in glory or money".. Its origin is located in the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period, although it is not known specifically the region where it comes from, it is believed that it would be from the north of Spain.

16. Ramírez

The surname Ramírez indicates the son of Ramiro, which is a Germanic name that means "illustrious warrior". It is thought that it may have a Gothic origin, although since it is so widespread, it is not possible to know with precision.

17. Flowers

The surname Flores is of Asturian origin, being located the origin of the Latin Florus, of the Castilian name Flórez or of the medieval proper name Froylez.

18. Benitez

The patronymic surname Benitez refers to "Benito's son" which in turn comes from the Latin meaning "blessed", its origin is located in Asturias although it is difficult to know when it appeared.

19. Acosta

Acosta is a surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin that referred to the people who lived near the river.

20. Medina

Medina is a toponymic surname that comes from the Arabic "madina" that means "city".

21. Herrera

The toponymic surname Herrera refers to blacksmith, and is also linked to the Latin word ferrum which means "iron". The oldest records of this surname are located in Palencia, Spain.

22. Suarez

Suárez is a patronymic surname that is believed to derive from the proper name Suero used during the Middle Ages or from the Basque word "suar'' which in Basque means fiery.

23. Aguirre

The surname Aguirre is of Basque origin, linked to the Basque nobility. It is derived from the word "ageri" which means manifest, patent or discovered.

24. Giménez

The surname Giménez, which indicates "son of Gimeno", does not have a clear origin, it is believed that it can come from the name Ximeone that in turn derives from the name Simón, it is also thought that it can be linked to the root "seme" that means "son" in Basque" or to have Baltic origin from the words "Eximenonis" and "Ixemenones".

25. Gutierrez

Of Germanic origin, the surname Gutierrez derives from the name "Gutierre" or "Gutier". It is believed that the concrete origin in Spain could be Cantabria..

26. Pereyra

Pereyra is a toponymic surname of Galician origin that comes from the word Pereira that means "pear tree".

27. Rojas

Rojas is a toponymic surname that refers to the municipality of Rojas in the province of Burgos, in Castilla y León, Spain.

Molina

The surname Molina has its origin in the High Middle Ages and refers to a profession, a person who works with the mill.

29. Castro

Castro is a toponymic surname that derives from the Latin word "castrum" which means "fortified camp".. Its origin is located mainly in the northwestern area of the Iberian Peninsula such as the regions of Galicia and Castilla y León.

30. Ortiz

Ortiz is a surname of Basque origin being one of the oldest in Castile. Although the origin is not clear, it has been suggested that it may come from: the lineage of the Dukes of Normandy; from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the year 700 from Floriencio Ochoa Ortiz, a fighter in the battle of Guadalete, or from an Italian family.

31. Silva

The surname Silva of Portuguese and Spanish origin is a toponymic surname that comes from the Latin word "silva" which means jungle or forest.

32. Núñez

It is believed that the surname Núñez is of pre-Roman origin and means son of Nuño, proper name that comes from the Latin word "Nonius'', for this reason we will say that it is translated as "the ninth son".

33. Luna

The surname Luna is of Aragonese origin and the oldest records of it date from the 11th century.

34. Juarez

It is believed that the surname Juárez can be derived from the surname Suárez.

35. Cabrera

The Cabrera surname is related to the office of goatherd and it is believed to have its origin in ancient Gothic monarchs.

36. Ríos

The origin of the surname Ríos is also uncertain, it is believed that it could have started its use in some of the Spanish towns that bear the name of Ríos, such as those located in Jaén, Orense or Badajoz, although there is also the possibility that it derives from the surname Río.

37. Morales

Morales is a toponymic surname that has its origin in Cantabria, Spain.

38. Godoy

Godoy is a surname of Galician origin that comes from the comes from the Germanic "godo" or "gund" which means famous..

39. Moreno

The surname Morena comes from the nickname given to the Andalusian, Extremaduran and Levantine inhabitants who were darker skinned after the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Spaniards.

40. Ferreyra

The surname Ferreyra is of Portuguese origin and derives from the surname Ferreira which comes from the Latin root "ferraruis" which means blacksmith.

41. Domínguez

The surname Domínguez indicates that it is the son of Domingo, which comes from the Latin "dominicus" meaning "the man of the lord". It is a very extended surname in Spain, which makes it difficult to know the origin since there are different families in different regions that are not related among them.

42. Carrizo

The surname Carrizo is of Basque origin and refers to a type of plant that grows in very humid places.

43. Peralta

Peralta is a surname originating from Navarre and of noble lineage..

44. Castillo

The surname Castillo is of noble origin that originated in the formerly called "mountain of Santander".

45. Ledesma

The surname Ledesma is of Castilian origin coming from the town of Ledesma located in the province of Salamanca.

46. Quiroga

The surname Quiroga has its origin in Galicia, an autonomous community of Spain.

47. Vega

The surname Vega is of Castilian origin, more specifically it is believed that it comes from the region of Tierra de Campos located between the provinces of Valladolid, Palencia and León.

48. Vera

The surname Vera is of Roman origin and it is believed that it could be related to Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome.

49. Muñoz

The surname Muñoz does not have a concrete origin since different possibilities have been raised, it is believed that it could come from a Roman knight named Lucio Nurio; another possibility is that it has its origin in the Royal house of Scotland and finally it could derive from the Count Muñon Rodriguez who lived in the year 750.

50. Ojeda

The surname Ojeda is of toponymic origin linked to the town of Ojeda, located in the province of Burgos.

51. Ponce

The surname Ponce is of French origin, coming from the Porcelet lineage, descendant of the kings of Burgundy.

52. Villalba

Villalba is a toponymic surname coming from different populations of Spain. It derives from the Latin "vila alba" which translates as "white village".

53. Cardozo

The surname Cardozo is of Asturian origin although it is believed that it could also come from the region of Santillana in Santander.

54. Navarro

Navarro is a toponymic surname that indicates that it comes from Navarra, which in turn means forest or grove.

55. Colonel

The surname Coronel has Spanish origin although it has also been seen that one of its branches is of Jewish origin.

56. Vázquez

The surname Vázquez is of Galician origin, specifically from Bayona, a municipality in the province of Pontevedra.

57. Ramos

The surname Ramos is a toponym, that is to say, it makes reference to the place where the first person with this surname belonged, in this case it makes reference to several towns in the region.In this case it refers to several places in Spain. From the Latin word "ramus" which refers to a group of flowers.

58. Vargas

The Castilian surname Vargas has its origin in the year 1085 during the reconquest of Madrid, where Juan de Vargas, who belonged to the side of King Alfonso VI, played an important role.

59. Cáceres

The surname Cáceres is a toponym that indicates that it belongs to the municipality of Cáceres in the province of Extremadura, Spain.

60. Arias

The surname Arias is of Galician origin, having also a patronymic origin that derives from the proper name Arias.