This is how some of the most common Hispanic surnames were born.

Our names, whether we like them or not, are a kind of heritage that we carry with us throughout our lives. They are one of the first choices our parents made for us and often have emotional meanings — a grandfather’s, grandmother’s or sibling’s name, for example. Our surnames are not chosen by our parents, but say a lot about our origin and our roots.

To understand the issue a little more, the awesome.club will tell, in this post, how some of the most common surnames in the Spanish language came about. Some of them have a very close relationship with their Portuguese versions. Check it out.

In 1505, in Spain, a cardinal established the surname system that, in an improved form, we still use today. This system was regularized in Latin America at the end of the 19th century and provides that children of the same father cannot have different surnames.

This is how the so-called patronymics appeared, which indicate, in a simplified way, who is the father of a person. Explaining better, this is the case, for example, of surnames like Martínez (son of Martín), Rodríguez (son of Rodrigo), Álvarez (son of Álvaro) or González (son of Gonzalo), among others. Some of these surnames have Portuguese forms, such as “Rodrigues” and “Álvares”, common among us Brazilians.

Some of the surnames, on the other hand, originate from physical or psychological characteristics of people. There is also the possibility that the surname originated from a nickname. These are the cases, for example, of surnames such as Alegre, Delgado (thin), Feliz, Rubio (blonde), Rojo (with reddish skin), Grande, Leal, Bravo, Calvo or Blanco — Branco, in its Portuguese form or Bianco , in the surname of Italian origin.

Trades and professions also served as a basis for the emergence of some surnames, identifying people’s activities. In some cases, professions were passed down from father to son, which further reinforced the importance of the surname. There were, for example, generations of blacksmiths and fishermen; the father taught his son the craft.

This is how surnames such as Carpintero (carpenter), Tinajero (jug maker), Ferrer (Ferreira), Pescador, Ballesteros (kind of guard), Duque, Vaquero, Tejedor (weaver), Merino (who can designate judge or caretaker of cattle) and Leñero (woodcutter).

The gentiles and surnames of the places of birth, especially of the ancient Spaniards, were used to differentiate between two people with the same name, referring to the place where they were born or where their family came from. Some surnames with these characteristics that became part of surnames in Latin America are: Catalán, Santander, Saldaña (Saldanha), Soria, Tarragona, Sandoval, Toledo and Torres — all cities or regions in Spain.

Just as the origin by city or region could define the surname of an entire family, the characteristics of places could also serve as a basis for the question. Architectural elements, rivers passing through a certain place or even characteristics of the local flora ended up weighing on the emergence of surnames. This is how, for example, Valles (Vales, the same in Portuguese), Del Monte (Do Monte), Villalobos (in Portuguese, Villa-Lobos), Flores, Selva (Silva, which, in Latin, means precisely “Selva ”), Rosales (related to rose bush, which, in Portuguese, could be Rosa), Noguera (species of trees, or in Portuguese, Nogueira), Cuevas (Spanish term for “caves”), Lagunas (ponds), Peña ( relating to stone, or Penha in Portuguese) and Prado (pasture region).

If you’re familiar with the culture of Spanish-speaking countries, you’ve probably noticed that the most common surnames vary from country to country. This is due to factors related, for example, to migratory flows. Check out the most common surnames in some of these countries:

What is your last name? What is the most common in the region where you live? Do you know the origins of your last name? Do people speak or spell your last name correctly? Leave your comment.