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Puerto Rican Last Names

These Puerto Rican last names range from island staples like Rivera, Colón and Santiago to Corsican names from the coffee mountains, each shown with its meaning and origin.

202 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Acevedo

    Galician-Portuguese for holly grove

  • Adorno

    Genoese noble family name

  • Agosto

    Spanish for August; month-based surname

  • Albizu

    Basque surname of uncertain meaning

  • Alicea

    Distinctive Puerto Rican surname; possibly Italian origin

  • Alvarado

    Spanish place name; possibly whitish land

  • Andújar

    From the Andalusian town of Andújar

  • Antongiorgi

    Corsican compound of Antonio and Giorgio

  • Aponte

    Galician for at the bridge

  • Arocho

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly from Galician Arocha

  • Arroyo

    Spanish for stream

  • Avilés

    From the Asturian town of Avilés

  • Ayala

    Basque for slope or pasture

B

  • Báez

    Son of Pay, form of Pelayo

  • Bartolomei

    Corsican-Italian, son of Bartolomeo

  • Batista

    Spanish-Portuguese for Baptist; Saint John

  • Berríos

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly Basque origin

  • Betancourt

    From Norman Béthencourt via the Canary Islands

  • Bonilla

    From one of several Spanish places named Bonilla

  • Borrero

    Spanish, possibly for maker of borra wool

  • Burgos

    From the Castilian city of Burgos

C

  • Cabrera

    Spanish for goat place

  • Camacho

    Possibly Old Spanish for crooked or lame

  • Candelaria

    Candlemas; Canary Islands Marian devotion

  • Caraballo

    Possibly from Galician carballo, oak

  • Carrasquillo

    Spanish for little holm oak

  • Carrión

    From Carrión de los Condes, Palencia

  • Cartagena

    From the Spanish city of Cartagena

  • Casiano

    From Latin Cassianus

  • Castro

    Spanish for hill fort

  • Centeno

    Spanish for rye

  • Cepeda

    Castilian place name; stump or stock

  • Cesaní

    Corsican-Italian, from Cesare

  • Cintrón

    Possibly from Portuguese Sintra; Puerto Rican surname

  • Class

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly German or Dutch origin

  • Clemente

    From Latin clemens, merciful

  • Collazo

    Galician for farm laborer or tenant

  • Colón

    Spanish form of Colombo, dove

  • Concepción

    Spanish for Immaculate Conception

  • Cordero

    Spanish for lamb

  • Correa

    Spanish for leather strap

  • Cortés

    Spanish for courteous

  • Cotto

    Possibly Italian Cotto or Galician Couto

  • Crespo

    Spanish for curly-haired

  • Cruz

    Spanish for cross; religious devotion

  • Cuadrado

    Spanish for square or stocky

  • Cuevas

    Spanish for caves

D

  • Dávila

    Spanish for from Ávila

  • Delgado

    Spanish for thin

  • Díaz

    Son of Diego

E

  • Echevarría

    Basque for new house

  • Encarnación

    Spanish for Incarnation; religious devotion

  • Escalera

    Spanish for stairway or ladder

  • Esquilín

    Puerto Rican surname of uncertain origin

  • Estrada

    Spanish for paved road

F

  • Febus

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly from Phoebus

  • Feliciano

    From Latin Felicianus, happy

  • Fernández

    Son of Fernando; bold journey

  • Ferrer

    Catalan for blacksmith

  • Figueroa

    Galician for fig tree place

  • Fontánez

    Son of Fontán; fountain

  • Franceschi

    Corsican-Italian, son of Francesco

  • Franco

    Spanish for free or Frankish

  • Fraticelli

    Corsican-Italian for little friars

  • Fuentes

    Spanish for springs or fountains

G

  • Galarza

    Basque place name in Gipuzkoa

  • García

    Possibly from Basque for young or bear

  • Gerena

    From the Andalusian town of Gerena

  • González

    Son of Gonzalo; Germanic for battle

  • Guadalupe

    Marian devotion; possibly Arabic wadi, river, plus Latin lupus, wolf

  • Guzmán

    Germanic for good man

H

  • Hernández

    Son of Hernando; bold journey

  • Hidalgo

    Spanish for nobleman, son of something

I

  • Irizarry

    Basque Irizarri, old village

J

  • De Jesús

    Spanish for of Jesus; religious devotion

  • Jiménez

    Son of Jimeno; possibly Basque origin

  • Jusino

    Distinctive Puerto Rican surname; possibly from Justino

K

  • Kuilan

    Distinctive Puerto Rican surname; origin debated

L

  • Laboy

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly French origin

  • Laureano

    From Latin Laureanus, of the laurel

  • Lebrón

    Possibly from French Lebrun, brown

  • León

    Spanish for lion; kingdom of León

  • Llanos

    Spanish for plains

  • López

    Son of Lope; wolf

  • Lorenzo

    From Latin Laurentius, of Laurentum

  • Lozada

    Galician place name

  • Luchetti

    Corsican-Italian, little Luca

  • Lugo

    From the Galician city of Lugo

  • Luna

    Spanish for moon

M

  • Maisonet

    French for little house

  • Malavé

    Puerto Rican surname of uncertain origin

  • Maldonado

    Spanish for badly given or ill-favored

  • Mangual

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly Catalan-Mallorcan origin

  • Marcano

    Possibly Italian or Canarian origin

  • Mariani

    Corsican-Italian, from Mariano

  • Marín

    From Latin Marinus, of the sea

  • Marrero

    Canarian surname; possibly from marra, stone hammer

  • Martínez

    Son of Martín; dedicated to Mars

  • Matías

    From Matthias, gift of God

  • Matos

    Portuguese-Galician for woods or thickets

  • Mattei

    Corsican-Italian, son of Matteo

  • Medina

    From Arabic for city

  • Meléndez

    Son of Melendo, from Hermenegildo

  • Mercado

    Spanish for market

  • Merced

    Spanish for mercy; Our Lady of Mercy

  • Miranda

    Spanish-Portuguese place name; possibly lookout

  • Mojica

    Spanish surname; origin uncertain

  • Molina

    Spanish for mill

  • Montalvo

    Spanish for white mountain

  • Montañez

    Spanish for mountain dweller

  • Morales

    Spanish for mulberry trees

  • Muñiz

    Son of Muño

N

  • Nazario

    From Latin Nazarius, of Nazareth

  • Negrón

    Spanish for dark one

  • Negroni

    Corsican-Italian for dark one

  • Nevárez

    Variant of Nevares, an Asturian place name

  • Nieves

    Spanish for snows; Our Lady of the Snows

  • Nolasco

    From Saint Peter Nolasco

O

  • O'Neill

    Irish Ó Néill; Irish families settled in Puerto Rico

  • Ocasio

    Distinctive Puerto Rican surname; possibly Latin for occasion

  • Oliver

    Catalan-Mallorcan for olive grower

  • Olivo

    Spanish for olive tree

  • Olmo

    Spanish for elm tree

  • Oquendo

    Basque place name in Álava

  • Orengo

    Ligurian Italian surname

  • Ortega

    Spanish for nettle or grouse

  • Ortiz

    Son of Orti; possibly fortunate

  • Osorio

    Possibly Latin ursus, bear

  • Otero

    Spanish for small hill

P

  • Pabón

    Spanish for peacock

  • Pacheco

    Possibly from Latin Pacificus, peaceful

  • Padilla

    Spanish place name; small pan

  • Padrón

    Galician town; Canarian surname

  • Pagán

    Spanish from Latin paganus, villager

  • Pantojas

    From the Castilian place name Pantoja

  • Paoli

    Corsican-Italian, son of Paolo

  • Perdomo

    Canarian surname of Norman origin

  • Pérez

    Son of Pedro; rock

  • Pietri

    Corsican-Italian, son of Pietro

  • Pizarro

    Spanish for slate

  • Pomales

    Puerto Rican surname of uncertain origin

Q

  • Quiles

    Valencian surname; possibly from Aquiles

  • Quiñones

    Leonese place name; shares of land

  • Quintana

    Spanish for country estate or farmhouse

R

  • Ramírez

    Son of Ramiro; famed counsel

  • Ramos

    Spanish for branches; Palm Sunday

  • Rentas

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly Spanish for rents

  • Resto

    Puerto Rican surname of uncertain origin

  • Rexach

    Catalan surname of uncertain origin

  • Reyes

    Spanish for kings; Epiphany devotion

  • Ríos

    Spanish for rivers

  • Rivera

    Spanish for riverbank; most common Puerto Rican surname

  • Robles

    Spanish for oak trees

  • Rodríguez

    Son of Rodrigo; Germanic for famous ruler

  • Rolón

    Spanish surname; possibly from Roldán

  • Román

    Spanish for Roman

  • Roque

    From the given name Roque, after Saint Roch

  • Rosa

    Spanish for rose

  • Rosado

    Spanish for rosy or pink

  • Rosaly

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly Corsican or Catalan origin

  • Rosario

    Spanish for rosary; Marian devotion

  • Ruiz

    Son of Ruy, short for Rodrigo

S

  • Salas

    Spanish for halls

  • Saldaña

    From the town of Saldaña, Palencia

  • Salgado

    Spanish-Portuguese for salted

  • Sanabria

    From the Sanabria region of León

  • Sánchez

    Son of Sancho; holy

  • Santana

    Spanish for Saint Anne

  • Santiago

    Spanish for Saint James

  • Santoni

    Corsican-Italian, from Santo, saint

  • Santos

    Spanish for saints

  • Sepúlveda

    From the Castilian town of Sepúlveda

  • Serrano

    Spanish for mountain dweller

  • Sierra

    Spanish for mountain range

  • Soler

    Catalan for sunny place

  • Solís

    Asturian place name

  • Sostre

    Puerto Rican surname; possibly Catalan origin

  • Soto

    Spanish for grove or thicket

  • Suárez

    Son of Suero

T

  • Tapia

    Spanish for mud wall

  • Tirado

    Spanish for thrown or slender

  • Toledo

    From the Castilian city of Toledo

  • Toro

    Spanish for bull

  • Torrens

    Catalan-Mallorcan for torrents

  • Torres

    Spanish for towers

  • Trinidad

    Spanish for Holy Trinity

  • Trujillo

    From the Extremaduran city of Trujillo

V

  • Valcárcel

    Galician-Leonese place name; possibly valley of the prison

  • Valentín

    From Latin Valentinus, strong

  • Del Valle

    Spanish for of the valley

  • Valle

    Spanish for valley

  • Vallés

    Catalan, one from the Vallès or a valley

  • Vargas

    Spanish for sloping meadows

  • Vázquez

    Son of Vasco; Basque

  • Vega

    Spanish for fertile meadow

  • Velázquez

    Son of Velasco; Basque for crow

  • Vélez

    Son of Vela; possibly raven or watchman

  • Vidal

    Catalan-Mallorcan, from Latin vitalis, lively

  • Villanueva

    Spanish for new town

  • Vizcarrondo

    Basque place name; ridge place

Z

  • Zapata

    Spanish for shoemaker or boot wearer

  • Zayas

    Castilian surname; possibly of Arabic origin

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Results (6)

  • Vega

    Spanish for fertile meadow

  • Díaz

    Son of Diego

  • Crespo

    Spanish for curly-haired

  • Otero

    Spanish for small hill

  • Del Valle

    Spanish for of the valley

  • Pietri

    Corsican-Italian, son of Pietro

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    Most common Puerto Rican last names

    Rivera is usually counted as the most frequent surname in Puerto Rico, with Rodríguez, Santiago, Díaz, Ortiz, Torres, Hernández, Colón, Cruz and Rosario close behind. Most are Spanish patronymics or place names. Rodríguez and Hernández mean son of Rodrigo and son of Hernando, Rivera refers to a riverbank, Torres to towers and Santiago to Saint James. Colón, the Spanish form of Columbus, is far more common on the island than in Spain itself.

    Rosario, Cruz, Santiago and Concepción reflect Catholic devotion, and several were given to foundlings or converts in colonial times. Names like Negrón, Maldonado, Quiñones and Figueroa are noticeably more frequent in Puerto Rico than elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, which makes them useful when you want a surname that feels specifically Puerto Rican. The list above gives the meaning of each, so you can see whether a name comes from a place, a saint or a parent.

    Corsican, Irish and other roots on the island

    In 1815 the Spanish crown issued the Real Cédula de Gracias, which offered land to Catholic settlers from friendly countries. Corsicans arrived in large numbers and settled in the coffee country around Yauco, Adjuntas and Utuado, where their names are still concentrated: Mattei, Pietri, Antongiorgi, Franceschi, Negroni and Paoli. French, German, Irish and Scottish settlers came too, and names such as O'Neill, Power and Kelly have been part of island life for two centuries.

    Very few Taíno words survive as surnames, because the native population was devastated early in the colonial period and baptism records gave converts Spanish names. Taíno heritage lives on more clearly in place names such as Mayagüez, Caguas and Jayuya. African heritage is a large part of Puerto Rican ancestry, but enslaved people were also recorded under Spanish surnames, often those of an owner or a parish, so African origins rarely show in a surname.

    Naming customs on the island and in the diaspora

    Puerto Ricans use the Spanish system of two surnames, the father's first and the mother's second, so Luis Rivera Colón has a father surnamed Rivera and a mother surnamed Colón. Official documents on the island keep both, and women do not change their surnames when they marry. Many people link the two with a hyphen on the mainland, where forms often have room for only one last name and the second one otherwise gets lost.

    Puerto Ricans have been United States citizens since 1917, so the large migration to New York in the 1940s and 1950s involved no immigration inspection, and names were seldom altered. Communities in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Florida still carry the same surnames as the island, though the second surname is often dropped by the second generation. For a Nuyorican character, a single surname like Ortiz, Colón or Vélez feels natural.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the most common Puerto Rican last names?

    Rivera, Rodríguez, Santiago, Díaz, Ortiz, Torres, Hernández, Colón, Cruz and Rosario appear near the top of most counts, followed by González, Ramos, Vázquez, Pérez and Martínez. Rankings vary a little by source, but these names are familiar to anyone who has spent time on the island.

    Which common Puerto Rican last names are rare in other countries?

    Colón, Negrón, Quiñones, Maldonado, Figueroa, Santiago and Rosario are much more frequent in Puerto Rico than in most of Latin America. The Corsican names of the western mountains, such as Mattei, Pietri and Antongiorgi, are also very characteristic of the island and rarely found elsewhere in the Caribbean.

    Are any Puerto Rican last names of Taíno origin?

    Very few. Taíno society was largely destroyed within a few decades of Spanish arrival, and survivors were baptised with Spanish names. Some families believe a name has Taíno roots, but most documented surnames on the island are Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Canarian or from other European settlers. Taíno words survive mainly in place names and everyday vocabulary.

    Why do Puerto Ricans use their mother's family name too?

    Puerto Rico follows the Spanish naming system, in which each child receives the father's first surname and then the mother's first surname. Both appear on birth certificates and legal documents. In everyday life people often use only the first one, and many who live on the mainland drop the second entirely.

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