Spanish surnames are among the most widespread family names on the planet. Carried across oceans by explorers, settlers, and immigrants, they now appear on birth certificates from Mexico City to Miami, from Buenos Aires to Barcelona. Understanding where these names come from tells you a lot about Spanish history itself: Roman conquest, Moorish influence, medieval Christianity, and the slow evolution of a language that became the mother tongue of hundreds of millions.
The most common Spanish surnames fall into a handful of clear categories. Many are patronymic, built from a father’s given name with the suffix -ez meaning “son of.” Others describe a place, a physical feature, an occupation, or a personal quality. What follows is a thorough guide to the 100 most common Spanish surnames, grouped by origin type, with the real history and meaning behind each one.
Patronymic Surnames: The Great “-ez” Family
The most distinctively Spanish surnames are the patronymics ending in -ez, -iz, or -oz. These suffixes derive from the Latin -ici, meaning “son of,” and were attached to a father’s first name during the medieval period. They are the backbone of Spanish naming tradition and account for the majority of the most common Spanish surnames in use today.
García
The single most common Spanish surname in both Spain and much of Latin America. Its origin is debated but most likely pre-Roman, possibly Basque, with a proposed meaning of “young” or “bear.” García was already widespread by the early medieval period and spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world during colonization.
González
Meaning “son of Gonzalo,” this surname traces back to the Germanic given name Gundisalvus, built from elements meaning “war” and “battle.” It is one of the top two or three most common Spanish surnames globally and has been a fixture of Spanish records since the Middle Ages.
Rodríguez
Meaning “son of Rodrigo,” which itself comes from the Germanic Hrodric, meaning “famous ruler.” Rodrigo was a prestigious Visigothic name — the last Visigothic king of Spain bore it — which explains why Rodríguez spread so thoroughly across the Iberian Peninsula and its colonies.
Fernández
Meaning “son of Fernando,” from the Germanic Ferdinandus, combining elements meaning “journey” and “bold” or “prepared.” Fernando was a royal name in medieval Castile and Aragon, which gave Fernández enormous reach across Spanish territories.
López
Meaning “son of Lope,” where Lope derives from the Latin lupus, meaning “wolf.” The wolf was a powerful symbol in medieval Iberian culture, and Lope was a common given name, making López one of the most frequently occurring Spanish surnames to this day.
Martínez
Meaning “son of Martín,” from the Latin Martinus, itself derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. Saint Martin of Tours was enormously popular in medieval Spain and France, which drove Martín into heavy use as a given name and Martínez into the top ranks of Spanish surnames.
Sánchez
Meaning “son of Sancho,” from the Latin Sanctius, meaning “holy” or “sacred.” Sancho was a popular royal name in medieval Castile and Navarre, lending Sánchez prestige that helped it spread widely throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
Pérez
Meaning “son of Pedro,” the Spanish form of Peter, from the Greek Petros meaning “rock.” The apostle Peter’s importance to the Catholic Church made Pedro one of the most common given names in medieval Spain, and Pérez followed naturally as one of the dominant Spanish surnames.
Díaz
Meaning “son of Diego,” where Diego is a contracted Spanish form of Santiago (Saint James) or possibly from the Latin Didacus. The surname is famous partly through El Cid, whose actual surname was Díaz de Vivar, cementing its place in Spanish cultural memory.
Álvarez
Meaning “son of Álvaro,” from the Germanic Alwaro, combining elements that likely mean “all” and “cautious” or “guardian.” Álvaro was a Visigothic name that remained in heavy use through the medieval period, keeping Álvarez firmly in the top tier of Spanish surnames.
Jiménez
Meaning “son of Jimeno,” a name of uncertain but likely Basque origin, sometimes interpreted as meaning “he who hears” or connected to the Hebrew name Simeon. Jiménez and its variant Giménez are particularly common in southern Spain and throughout Latin America.
Moreno
Strictly speaking this is a nickname surname (see below), but it appears so frequently in the patronymic discussion because it often accompanied men named in the same era. It means “dark-complexioned” or “dark-haired,” from the Latin maurus, and became a fixed hereditary surname across all Spanish-speaking regions.
Romero
Meaning “pilgrim to Rome” or “Roman,” from the Latin Romarius. It was often given as a surname to those who had made the pilgrimage to Rome, a significant act of medieval Catholic devotion. Romero is common across Spain and heavily used in Latin America.
Hernández
A variant of Fernández, meaning “son of Hernando,” the older Spanish form of Fernando. Hernández is particularly common in Mexico and Central America, where it rivals Rodríguez and García for the top spot among Spanish surnames.
Domínguez
Meaning “son of Domingo,” from the Latin Dominicus, meaning “of the Lord” or “belonging to God.” Domingo was a popular given name in Catholic Spain, partly boosted by the fame of Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican order.
Vázquez
Meaning “son of Vasco” or “son of a Basque,” from Vasco, which itself derives from the Latin Vascones, the Roman name for the Basque people. This surname is a direct linguistic trace of the Basque presence in medieval Iberian society.
Ramos
From the Latin ramus, meaning “branch” or “bough.” It likely originated either as a topographic name for someone living near a grove or as a religious surname given to those born around Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos). Common across Spain and Latin America.
Ortiz
Meaning “son of Ortún” or “son of Fortunio,” from the medieval Basque given name Orti or Fortún. The -iz ending is a variant of the patronymic -ez and is particularly characteristic of names with Basque roots.
Ruiz
Meaning “son of Ruy,” a medieval short form of Rodrigo. Ruiz is therefore a cousin of Rodríguez, both tracing back to the Visigothic royal name Rodrigo, and the two surnames are among the most recognizable in the entire Spanish-speaking world.
Gutiérrez
Meaning “son of Gutierre,” from the Germanic given name Waltharius or Gualterius, meaning “ruler of the army.” Gutiérrez is particularly strong in Colombia and other South American countries, where it consistently ranks among the top ten most common Spanish surnames.
Núñez
Meaning “son of Nuño,” from the Latin Nonius or a Visigothic form related to “ninth.” Nuño was a common given name in medieval Castile, and Núñez spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world during the colonial period.
Flores
From the Latin flos/floris, meaning “flower.” It could be a topographic name, a habitational name, or a name given to someone born on a feast day associated with flowers. Flores is especially prevalent in Mexico, the Philippines (a major legacy of Spanish colonialism), and Central America.
Ramírez
Meaning “son of Ramiro,” from the Germanic Raginmir, combining elements meaning “counsel” and “famous.” Ramiro was a royal name in medieval Aragon and Asturias, giving Ramírez early prestige and wide geographic spread.
Suárez
Meaning “son of Suero,” from the Latin or Germanic Suerius, possibly connected to the Suebi, a Germanic tribe that settled in northwestern Iberia. Suárez is particularly common in Cuba, Colombia, and Spain’s Asturias region.
Cruz
From the Latin crux, meaning “cross.” This surname was often given to foundlings left at a church or to those who lived near a roadside cross, a common landmark in medieval Catholic Spain. Cruz is one of the most recognizable Spanish surnames in the United States.
Aguilar
From the Latin aquila, meaning “eagle,” via the word aguilar, meaning “place of eagles.” It is primarily a habitational surname, referring to one of many towns named Aguilar across Spain. The eagle was a powerful heraldic symbol in medieval Iberia.
Patronymics Without the “-ez” Ending
Not all patronymic Spanish surnames use the classic -ez formula. Some are simply the father’s given name used directly as a family name, and others follow different suffixes or constructions that still indicate “son of” or “descendant of.”
Castillo
Meaning “castle,” from the Latin castellum. This is primarily a habitational surname, given to those who came from one of the many places in Spain called Castillo or who lived near a castle. It is extremely common in Mexico and throughout Latin America.
Morales
From moral, the Spanish word for a mulberry tree, derived from the Latin morus. It was a topographic or habitational name for someone living near a mulberry grove or a place called Morales. It is one of the top surnames in Mexico and Central America.
Vargas
From a topographic term used in northern Spain meaning “steep hill” or “sloping terrain covered with brush,” possibly from a pre-Roman root. Vargas is common throughout Latin America and is particularly strongly associated with Colombia and Venezuela.
Reyes
Meaning “kings,” from the Latin reges (plural of rex). This surname was often given to those born on or near the Feast of the Epiphany (Los Reyes Magos, the Three Kings), making it a distinctly Catholic calendar surname. Very common in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Guerrero
Meaning “warrior” or “fighter,” from the late Latin guerrarius, itself from the Germanic werra, meaning “war.” Guerrero is also the name of a Mexican state, which reflects how thoroughly this surname embedded itself in the geography of the Spanish-speaking world.
Herrera
Meaning “ironworks” or “smithy,” from the Latin ferraria. It was an occupational or topographic surname for someone who lived near or worked in an iron forge. Herrera is particularly common in Colombia, Venezuela, and Spain.
Medina
From the Arabic madina, meaning “city” or “town.” This surname is a direct linguistic trace of the Moorish presence in medieval Spain, and it was often given to those who came from a place called Medina, of which there are several in Spain. It is very common across Latin America.
Torres
Meaning “towers,” from the Latin turris. A habitational surname for those who came from any of the many places named Torres in Spain, or who lived near a tower or fortress. Torres is among the most common Spanish surnames in the United States and Latin America.
Rojas
Meaning “red” or “reddish,” from the Latin rubeus via the Old Spanish roxo. It likely began as a topographic name for land with red soil or as a nickname surname for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Common throughout South America.
Molina
From the Latin molina, meaning “mill.” This was a habitational or topographic surname for someone who lived near or worked in a mill. Several towns in Spain are called Molina, giving the name both occupational and geographic roots. Very common in Chile and Colombia.
Fuentes
Meaning “fountains” or “springs,” from the Latin fontes. A topographic surname for someone who lived near a natural spring or water source. Fuentes is widespread across Spain and Latin America, where fresh water sources were natural community landmarks.
Navarro
Meaning “from Navarre,” referring to the medieval kingdom in northern Spain. This is an ethnic or regional surname, marking descent or origin from the Navarrese people. Navarro is common throughout Spain and appears regularly across Latin America.
Campos
Meaning “fields” or “plains,” from the Latin campus. A topographic surname for someone who lived on or near open farmland. It is widespread across the Spanish-speaking world and is particularly common in Brazil’s Spanish-influenced border regions as well as throughout Latin America.
Vega
From the Spanish vega, meaning “meadow” or “fertile plain,” possibly from a pre-Roman Iberian root. A topographic surname for those who lived on low-lying fertile land near a river. Vega is common throughout Spain and Latin America and is a well-known surname in the United States as well.
Castro
From the Latin castrum, meaning “fort” or “fortified camp.” Castro was both a topographic name for those near a fortified settlement and a habitational name from the many Spanish and Portuguese towns called Castro. It is very common in Galicia, Chile, and Cuba.
Rubio
Meaning “blond” or “fair-haired,” from the Latin rubeus (in its later sense of “bright” or “golden”). This is a classic nickname surname describing a physical characteristic. Rubio is used throughout Spain and Latin America and is familiar internationally through various public figures.
Delgado
Meaning “thin” or “slender,” from the Latin delicatus. Another classic nickname surname, this one describing a person’s build. Delgado is common across the Spanish-speaking world and has traveled widely to the United States and the Philippines.
Mendoza
From a Basque place name meaning “cold mountain” (from Basque mendi, “mountain,” and hotza, “cold”). Mendoza is a habitational surname that became famous through the powerful Mendoza noble family of medieval Castile, and it now names a major city and wine region in Argentina.
Ibáñez
Meaning “son of Ibán,” where Ibán is the Basque form of Juan (John). The -ez suffix here marks it as a patronymic, but the root name’s Basque form distinguishes it from the more common Juárez. Ibáñez is particularly associated with the Basque Country and Aragon.
Geographic and Habitational Surnames
A large portion of Spanish surnames are habitational or topographic in origin, meaning they identify where an ancestor came from or what the landscape around their home looked like. These surnames are essentially addresses frozen in time, and they often preserve the names of medieval towns, geographical features, and long-vanished landmarks.
Serrano
Meaning “of the mountains” or “mountain dweller,” from the Spanish sierra (mountain range), itself from the Latin serra (saw, referring to jagged peaks). This topographic surname identified people who came down from the highlands, and it spread widely as communities mixed during and after the Reconquista.
Montoya
From a place name in Álava, in the Basque Country, meaning “wooded hill” (from the Latin mons and possibly a Basque suffix). Montoya gained international recognition through the fictional character Inigo Montoya and is common in Colombia and throughout Latin America.
León
Meaning “lion,” from the Latin leo, but also a habitational name from the city and kingdom of León in northwestern Spain. The lion was the symbol of the Kingdom of León, so this surname carries both a natural and a political meaning depending on its specific origin.
Pena / Peña
Meaning “rock” or “cliff,” from the Latin pinna or petra. A topographic surname for someone who lived near a large rock formation or cliff face. Peña is common throughout Spain and Latin America, and the unaccented form Pena appears in Galicia and Portugal as well.
Aguilera
Meaning “eagle’s nest” or “place of eagles,” from the Latin aquila. A habitational and topographic surname from any of several places in Spain called Aguilera. It is widely used in Latin America and is familiar internationally through multiple public figures.
Rivera
Meaning “riverbank” or “stream,” from the Latin riparia. A topographic surname for someone who lived near a river or stream. Rivera is extremely common throughout Latin America, the United States, and Spain, and it consistently ranks among the top Spanish surnames in North America.
Iglesias
Meaning “churches,” from the Latin ecclesia. A habitational or topographic surname for someone who lived near a church or came from a place called Iglesias. Particularly common in Galicia and throughout Latin America, it is one of the most recognizable Spanish surnames internationally.
Cano
Meaning “white-haired” or “gray-haired,” from the Latin canus. This is another nickname surname describing appearance, though it could also be topographic in some cases, referring to pale or light-colored terrain. Common throughout Spain and Latin America.
Montero
Meaning “mountain hunter” or “gamekeeper,” from the Spanish monte (mountain, forest). An occupational surname for someone who hunted or managed game in the hills and forests. Montero is common throughout Spain and Latin America.
Gallego
Meaning “Galician,” a person from Galicia in northwestern Spain. Like Navarro, this is an ethnic or regional identifier that became a hereditary surname. Gallego spread throughout Latin America as Galician emigrants settled across the Spanish-speaking world.
Soto
Meaning “grove” or “thicket,” from the Latin saltus (forest, woodland). A topographic surname for someone who lived near a stand of trees or a wooded area. Soto is common across Spain and Latin America, particularly in Colombia, Mexico, and Chile.
Crespo
Meaning “curly-haired,” from the Latin crispus. A nickname surname describing a person’s hair texture, which was one of the most common physical traits used to generate hereditary surnames in medieval Spain. Crespo is used across Spain and Latin America.
Cabrera
Meaning “place of goats,” from the Latin capra (goat). A habitational surname from any of several Spanish places called Cabrera. It is common throughout Spain and Latin America, particularly in Cuba and the Caribbean.
Lara
From a habitational name referring to Lara de los Infantes, a small town in Burgos, Castile. The name may derive from a pre-Roman root. Lara was the surname of a powerful medieval Castilian noble family and has been common throughout the Spanish-speaking world ever since.
Palacios
Meaning “palaces” or “great houses,” from the Latin palatium. A topographic or habitational surname for someone who lived near a palace or manor house. Palacios is common throughout Spain and Latin America, particularly in Colombia and Venezuela.
Valencia
From the city and region of Valencia in eastern Spain, whose name ultimately derives from the Latin valentia, meaning “strength” or “valor.” This is a classic habitational surname marking geographic origin, and it is common throughout Latin America and among Spanish-speaking communities in the United States.
Villanueva
Meaning “new town,” from the Latin villa nova. There are dozens of places called Villanueva across Spain, making this one of the most geographically widespread habitational surnames in the Spanish-speaking world. It is common in Mexico, the Philippines, and throughout Latin America.
Mora
Meaning “mulberry” or “blackberry,” from the Latin mora, but also possibly from the Latin Maurus, meaning “Moorish” or “dark.” Mora could be a topographic, habitational, or ethnic surname depending on regional context. It is common throughout Spain and Latin America.
Salinas
Meaning “salt flats” or “salt works,” from the Latin salinae. A habitational or topographic surname from the many places in Spain associated with salt production. Salt was an enormously valuable commodity in the medieval world, making Salinas a name with real economic weight behind it.
Ríos
Meaning “rivers,” from the Latin rivus. A topographic surname for someone who lived near rivers or at a river confluence. Ríos is common throughout Spain and Latin America and is a recognizable surname in the United States as well.
Occupational Surnames
Occupational surnames tell you what an ancestor did for a living, and in medieval Spain, those trades became family identities. From blacksmiths to shepherds, these Spanish surnames carry a professional history in every syllable.
Herrero
Meaning “blacksmith” or “ironworker,” from the Latin ferrarius. One of the classic occupational surnames of medieval Spain, Herrero identified those who worked with iron and metal. It is common throughout Spain, particularly in Castile and Aragon.
Pastor
Meaning “shepherd,” from the Latin pastor. An occupational surname for those who herded livestock, a crucial profession in the agrarian economy of medieval Spain. Pastor is used throughout Spain and Latin America and carries strong religious connotations as well, given the pastoral imagery of Christianity.
Escribano
Meaning “scribe” or “notary,” from the Latin scribanus. An occupational surname for the literate professional who drafted legal documents, a prestigious and essential role in medieval Spanish communities. Escribano is less common than some others on this list but genuinely occupational in the truest sense.
Caballero
Meaning “knight” or “horseman,” from the Latin caballarius. An occupational or status surname for a mounted warrior or gentleman, Caballero carries strong connotations of chivalric honor. It is common throughout Spain and Latin America.
Sastre
Meaning “tailor,” from the Latin sartor. An occupational surname for someone who sewed and made clothing. Sastre is most common in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, where the Catalan-influenced naming tradition preserved it strongly.
Zapatero
Meaning “shoemaker” or “cobbler,” from zapato (shoe). This is one of the most recognizable occupational Spanish surnames in modern Spain, partly because it was the surname of a former Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Escudero
Meaning “squire” or “shield-bearer,” from the Latin scutarius. An occupational and status surname for a young man in service to a knight. Escudero appears throughout Spain and Latin America and carries a distinctly medieval flavor.
Religious and Calendar Surnames
Catholic Spain produced a remarkable set of surnames tied directly to religious devotion, feast days, and sacred concepts. These names reflect how deeply Christianity shaped Spanish naming culture from the medieval period onward.
Santos
Meaning “saints,” from the Latin sanctus. This surname was often given to children born on All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos) or to foundlings. Santos is extremely common in Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines, where Spanish Catholic naming traditions took deep root.
De la Cruz
Meaning “of the cross,” a compound form of Cruz. This extended form was particularly common among converts to Christianity in medieval Spain and among foundlings placed at church doorways. De la Cruz is common throughout Latin America and the Philippines.
Santana
A compound of Santa Ana, meaning “Saint Anne,” the mother of the Virgin Mary in Catholic tradition. Santana became a fixed surname in Spain and spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It is one of the most recognizable Spanish surnames internationally, partly through the musician Carlos Santana.
Navidad
Meaning “Christmas” or “Nativity,” from the Latin nativitas. A calendar surname given to those born on or near Christmas Day. While less common than Santos or Cruz, Navidad is a genuine and distinctly Spanish Catholic surname found across the Spanish-speaking world.
Encarnación
Meaning “incarnation,” referring to the Catholic feast of the Incarnation (the Annunciation). This surname was given to those born around that feast day or to those with particular devotion to the mystery of the Incarnation. It is used in Spain and Latin America, more commonly as a given name but appearing as a surname as well.
Trinidad
Meaning “Trinity,” referring to the Holy Trinity of Catholic theology. A religious surname given to those born on Trinity Sunday or to express devotion. Trinidad names both a major Caribbean nation and a common surname across the Spanish-speaking world.
Ángel / Angeles
Meaning “angel” or “angels,” from the Greek angelos, meaning “messenger.” This surname appears both in the singular (Ángel) and plural (Angeles) form and is found throughout Spain and Latin America. Los Angeles, the California city, takes its full name from a religious phrase built around this root.
Arabic-Origin Surnames: The Moorish Legacy
Eight centuries of Moorish rule in parts of the Iberian Peninsula left a permanent mark on the Spanish language and on Spanish surnames. Some of the most distinctive Spanish surnames come directly from Arabic roots, a linguistic fingerprint of the medieval convivencia and the Reconquista.
Alcázar
From the Arabic al-qasr, meaning “the palace” or “the fortress.” A habitational surname from any of several Spanish places called Alcázar, referring to the great Moorish fortress-palaces that defined Iberian architecture. Common in Andalusia and throughout Latin America.
Alvarado
This one is actually of Spanish origin, from albar meaning “white” or “whitened land,” possibly with some Arabic influence in its phonology but fundamentally a Spanish habitational surname. It is included here because it is often grouped with Arabic-influenced names; its root is the Latin albus. Alvarado is very common in Central America and Colombia.
Guadalupe
From a place name combining the Arabic wadi (river, valley) and the Latin lupus (wolf), meaning roughly “river of the wolf.” Guadalupe is both a place name (famously in Extremadura, Spain, and as the site of a major Marian apparition in Mexico) and a common surname throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
Alcántara
From the Arabic al-qantara, meaning “the bridge.” A habitational surname from Alcántara in Extremadura, site of a famous Roman bridge that retained its Arabic name through the medieval period. Common in Spain and parts of Latin America.
Almodovar
From the Arabic al-mudawwar, meaning “the round one” or “the circular,” referring to a rounded hill or fortification. A habitational surname from Almodóvar del Río in Córdoba, Andalusia. Known internationally through filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar.
Zúñiga
From a Basque place name, not Arabic, but often grouped with the Moorish-era surnames because of its unusual phonology for Spanish. Zúñiga refers to a place in Navarre and was the surname of a powerful noble family in medieval Castile. Common in Colombia and Central America.
Basque-Origin Surnames
The Basque Country in northern Spain has its own language, Euskara, completely unrelated to any other known language family. Basque surnames carry a distinctive sound and often encode descriptions of the landscape or ancestral farmstead, since Basque naming tradition frequently tied surnames to the family home.
Echeverría
From the Basque etxe (house) and berri (new), meaning “new house.” This is a classic Basque house-name surname, where the family took their identity from the farmstead they occupied. Echeverría is common in the Basque Country and spread to Argentina and Uruguay with Basque emigration.
Iriarte
From the Basque iri (town, settlement) and arte (between), meaning roughly “between the settlements.” Another Basque topographic surname, Iriarte is found in the Basque Country and Navarre and spread to Latin America through emigration.
Urrutia
From the Basque urre (distant, far) or ur (water) and etxe (house), meaning “distant house” or possibly “house by the water.” Urrutia is a common Basque surname that appears throughout the Spanish-speaking world, particularly in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.
Aguirre
From the Basque agirre, meaning “prominent place” or “open place,” often referring to a clearing or a place exposed to view. Aguirre is one of the most widely dispersed Basque-origin Spanish surnames, found across Spain and throughout Latin America.
Goicoechea
From the Basque goiko etxea, meaning “the upper house.” A classic Basque house-name surname identifying the family’s home as the one situated higher up on a hillside. Goicoechea is found throughout the Basque Country and in Argentina, where Basque immigration was substantial.
Azcárraga
From the Basque, meaning “place of holly oaks” or “oak-covered place,” from azkar (maple, oak). A topographic surname from the Basque Country that spread to Mexico and other parts of Latin America through emigration. Known through the powerful Azcárraga media dynasty in Mexico.
Larraínzar
From the Basque larre (pasture) and a suffix indicating a place, meaning “place of pastures.” This is a less common but genuine Basque-origin surname found in Navarre and spread to parts of Latin America.
Nickname Surnames: Appearance, Character, and Color
Medieval Spaniards were not shy about turning physical descriptions and character assessments into permanent surnames. These nickname surnames, called sobrenombres, describe everything from hair color to temperament, and they give a vivid picture of how communities once distinguished between people who shared the same given name.
Blanco
Meaning “white” or “fair,” from the Germanic blank via Old French. A classic nickname surname for someone with fair hair or pale skin. Blanco is common throughout Spain and Latin America and appears regularly among Spanish surnames in the United States.
Negro
Meaning “black” or “dark,” from the Latin niger. A nickname surname for someone with very dark hair or complexion. Negro is less common than Blanco but genuinely used as a surname throughout Spain and Latin America, particularly in older family records.
Prieto
Meaning “dark,” “dark-complexioned,” or “tight,” from the Latin pressus (pressed, tight). Prieto is another nickname
