208 Latin Surnames for Boys and Girls

Latin surnames read like little maps of the ancient Roman world, tracing back to a trade, a hometown, a personal trait, or a family’s standing. Names you hear every day, from Barber to Carpenter to Morris, hide those Roman roots in plain sight.

This list gathers 208 Latin last names alongside what each one actually means, sorted so you can skim for the sound, the story, or the origin that fits. You will find surnames tied to occupations, places, faith, and old descriptions of character, many of which spread far beyond Italy and were reshaped as they traveled.

Whether you are chasing an ancestral thread or hunting for a name with real weight and history behind it, start scrolling and see which ones speak to you.

208 Latin Surnames and Their Meanings

From Acosta to Zino, these 208 surnames trace back to Latin roots that traveled through Spanish, Italian, French, and English. Each entry gives the origin and meaning, so you can find one with the history you want.

1. Abatangelo: Derived from Latin, this Italian surname means “abbot and priest.”
2. Acciai: Derived from the Latin “ascia,” meaning “axe” in Italian.
3. Acosta: A Spanish derivative of Latin, meaning “from the coast.”
4. Adriaans: A Dutch name meaning “son of Adriaan.”
5. Africani: Meaning “son of Africano,” this is the Italian form of the Latin name “Africanus.”
6. Agosti: A variant of “Augusto,” meaning “son of Agusto.”
7. Agua: The Spanish word for “water,” making it ideal for someone living near a lake or river.
8. Aguilar: A Spanish habitational name from the Latin “aquila,” meaning “eagle,” shared by several towns in Spain.
9. Alba: A Spanish name meaning “white” or “dawn,” from the Latin “albus.”
10. Albanesi: This Italian word describes a “person from Albania.”
11. Albero: Derived from the Latin “arbor,” meaning “woodcutter” or referring to someone living in the woods.
12. Alemagna: The classical Latin name for “Germany.”
13. Andonov: This Bulgarian name means “son of Andon.”
14. Antonini: An Italian name that means “son of Antonino.”
15. Antonio: Derived from the Roman name “Antonius,” meaning “worthy of praise.”
16. Augustine: From “Augustus,” meaning “dignified, holy, and great.”
17. Austin: Of Latin and English origin, meaning “ingenious, venerable, and magnificent.”
18. Babcock: Meaning “son of Bab,” this medieval English name is derived from Barbara.
19. Barber: From the Late Latin “barbarius,” an occupational name for a barber, ultimately from the Latin “barba,” meaning “beard.”
20. Battaglia: An Italian name meaning “battle,” from the Late Latin “battualia,” the fencing and combat drills of Roman soldiers.
21. Battle: An English habitational name for someone from a place where a notable battle was fought, such as Battle in East Sussex, near the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings.
22. Bayer: This Germanic and English surname means “Bavaria” or “cattle shed.”
23. Beaufort: A noble name of Latin and English origin, meaning “lovely fort.”
24. Beaulieu: Of French origin, meaning “beautiful place.”
25. Beaumont: Of French and Latin origin, meaning “fair or lovely hill.”
26. Belcher: A perfect name for cheerful and pleasant people, meaning “beautiful face” in Old French.
27. Bellamy: From the Old French language, meaning “beautiful friend.”
28. Belmont: An ideal French name for anyone from a beautiful hill.
29. Benetton: Derived from the Latin “Benedict,” meaning “blessed” in Italian.
30. Benitez: This Spanish surname means “son of Benito.”
31. Benn: One of the most classic Latin last names, meaning “son.”
32. Bennett: From the Latin name “Benedictus,” meaning “blessed.”
33. Benson: Of Latin and Engish origin, meaning “son of Ben.”
34. Beyer: This occupational Germanic last name means “to ring.”
35. Blaise: Derived from the Latin word “Blasius,” meaning “stutter or lisp.”
36. Bologna: From the Latin word “Bononia,” referring to a foundation and fortress.
37. Bonham: An Old French word derived from Latin, meaning “good man.”
38. Boon: An Old English word meaning “something pleasant or good.”
39. Boyce: Of Latin and Norman origin, meaning “wood grove.”
40. Brett: Derived from Breton in France, meaning “from Breton.”
41. Britton: An English term for someone from Britain or Brittany.
42. Bruno: An Italian name meaning “brown,” from the old Germanic root “brun”; it began as a nickname for someone with brown hair or a dark complexion and is now common across Italy.
43. Caballero: Of Spanish origin, meaning “knight” or “horseman,” from the Late Latin “caballarius,” a rider of the “caballus,” or workhorse.
44. Calvin: A Latinized word derived from “Chauvin,” meaning “little bald one.”
45. Capitani: From the Latin “Caput,” meaning “captain” in Italian.
46. Carlisle: Named after the English city the Romans called “Lugavalium,” meaning “stronghold of Lugas.”
47. Carpenter: From the Latin “carpentarius,” an occupational name for someone working with wood.
48. Carstensen: This Danish name means “son of Carsten.”
49. Case: Derived from the Latin word “capsa” for someone who makes boxes.
50. Cash: This English surname is a variant of Case and shares the same meaning.
51. Castell: A popular Catalan word for a “castle.”
52. Castle: The English version of Castell, holding the exact same meaning.
53. Cecil: Of Latin and Old Welsh origin, meaning “sixth” or “blind.”
54. Chadwick: Means “settlement belonging to Chad” in Old English.
55. Chaplin: Of Russian, English, and French origin, meaning “clergyman or servant.”
56. Charron: In Old French, Charron means “wheelwright or cart.”
57. Cheshire: From a place in England and serving as an Anglo-Saxon family name.
58. Chester: A city in northern England the Romans built as a stronghold, from the Latin “castra,” meaning “camp” or “fortress.”
59. Christensen: Derived from Latin for a “follower of Christ,” this Danish name means “son of Christen.”
60. Clark or Clarke: An occupational name for a clerk or bookkeeper, stemming from the Latin “clericus.”
61. Clement: Of Latin origin, meaning “merciful.”
62. Colman: An occupational Gaelic name for a charcoal burner, also meaning “little dove.”
63. Constantin: Derived from the Latin “Constantinus,” meaning “steadfast and constant.”
64. Cook or Cooke: An English occupational name for someone who sells cooked food or keeps a cookhouse.
65. Copperfield: Meaning “handsome, innovative, and warrior,” popularized by the famous Dickens novel.
66. Cortez: A Spanish name meaning “courteous” or “court-dweller,” from the Old Spanish “cortes.”
67. Cross: From the Latin “crux,” describing someone living near a cross or crossroad.
68. Cruz: Of Spanish and Portuguese origin, from the Latin “crux,” meaning “cross,” often given to a family living near a roadside cross. In the 2010 census, Cruz ranked as the 57th most common surname in the United States, held by 334,201 people, a 45% jump from its 2000 count, according to the U.S. Census Bureau ⁽¹⁾.
69. Curtis: Latin family names starting with C, like Curtis, carry admirable meanings like “polite and courteous.”
70. D’Angelo: Derived from the Greek and Latin meaning “messenger,” D’Angelo means “from the angel.”
71. De Clerc: This Dutch occupational name means “clerk.”
72. Deforest: Of Old French origin, meaning “from the forest.”
73. Delaney: Of Old French and Irish origin, meaning “from the alder grove.”
74. De Palma: An Italian name meaning “from the palm tree,” often habitational for a family living where palms grew, or a nod to Palm Sunday.
75. Devine: Meaning either “divine” or “ox” in Old French and Gaelic.
76. De Vito: This Italian name derives from the Latin “devitus,” meaning “life-giver.”
77. Diaz: A powerful and popular Spanish name meaning “son of Diego.”
78. Dufort: A habitational French name describing someone “from Le Fort.”
79. Duke: Of Latin origins, this English name means “leader.”
80. Duval: This French name translates as “of the valley.”
81. Ecclestone: Derived from the Latin “ecclesia,” meaning “church,” and the English “tun,” meaning “town.”
82. Espinosa: A Spanish habitational name from the Latin “spinosus,” meaning “thorny” or “a place full of thorn bushes.”
83. Fabbri: From the Latin “faber,” meaning “craftsman,” this Italian occupational name marks a family of blacksmiths.
84. Falco: An Italian occupational name for someone who kept or used falcons.
85. Faulkner: A Middle English name for a keeper of falcons.
86. Fay: From the Latin “fagus,” this Old French name means “fairy.”
87. Ferrari: From the Latin “ferrarius” (from “ferrum,” iron), this Italian occupational name for a blacksmith is one of the country’s most widespread surnames.
88. Ferrero: One of Turin’s most popular Latin surnames, meaning “metal or blacksmith.”
89. Fitzpatrick: An Anglo-Norman Latin derivative, meaning “son of Patrick.”
90. Fontaine: An Old French name from the Latin “fontana,” meaning “spring” or “fountain,” given to a family living near a natural water source.
91. Forester: An occupational English name for one in charge of a forest.
92. Fortune: This Middle English name meaning “lucky and fortunate” stems from the Latin “fortuna.”
93. Foster: An English variation of Forester with the exact same meaning.
94. Fournier: A French occupational name from the Old French “fournier,” a baker who ran the communal oven, or “four,” from the Latin “furnus.”
95. Fuentes: A habitational name for people from Fuentes, meaning “fountain” in Spanish.
96. Giles: A mixture of Latin and French, this English name means “young goat.”
97. Granger: An Anglo-Norman French word meaning “farmer or farm bailiff.”
98. Granville: A strong French surname meaning “large town.”
99. Hardwick: A place name in England, meaning “herd town” or “courageous man’s settlement.”
100. Herrero: Similar to Ferrari, this Spanish version also means “smith.”
101. Iglesias: This pretty Spanish surname means “church” or “dweller near a church.”
102. Jordan: An English, French, and German name meaning “to go down.”
103. Kaiser: This powerful name means “emperor” and is the German form of “Caesar.”
104. Keifer: Derived from Old German, this unique name means “barrel maker.”
105. Kitchen: Sometimes Latin surnames are self-explanatory, and this one describes someone working in a kitchen.
106. Kristensen: An original Norse name meaning “son of Kristen.”
107. Kurzmann: A classic German name meaning “short man.”
108. Lacroix: The perfect French name for someone living near a cross.
109. Langley: This Old English name means “long wood or long meadow.”
110. Lawrence: Derived from the Latin name “Laurentius,” meaning “laurel.”
111. Leclerc: A classic French name meaning “the clerk.”
112. Lemoine: A typical French nickname for someone who worked in a monastery, meaning “the monk.”
113. Leon: From the Latin “leo,” meaning “lion,” also linked to the Spanish region and city of Leon.
114. Leroux: Pronounced la-ROO, this French name means “red-haired one.”
115. Lombardi: From the Late Latin “Longobardus” (long-beard), the Germanic people who settled northern Italy and gave their name to the Lombardy region.
116. Lorenzen: A Danish and Germanic surname meaning “from Laurentum.”
117. Lowell: Derived from Old French, meaning “young wolf.”
118. Luna: From the Latin “luna,” meaning “moon,” also the name of the Roman goddess of the moon.
119. Lyon: From Middle English and French, meaning “lion.”
120. Magnusson: A common Swedish surname meaning “son of Magnus.”
121. Mancini: The prettiest Latin surnames are typically Italian, like Mancini, meaning “left-handed.”
122. Marcos: Of Latin origin, this short and sweet surname means “dedicated to Mars.”
123. Marques: A Spanish form of the Latin male name Mark, meaning “dedicated to Mars.”
124. Martin: Taken from the Roman Martinus, meaning “warlike.” The 2010 census counted 702,625 people with the surname, ranking it among the nation’s most common, according to the U.S. Census Bureau ⁽²⁾.
125. Mercer: An uncommon Latin-derived French surname meaning “storekeeper.”
126. Meyer: A common Jewish name, this Germanic derivative means “mayor.”
127. Milford: An Old English surname denoting a “mill by a water crossing or ford.”
128. Miranda: From the Latin “mirandus,” meaning “admirable” or “worthy of wonder,” used as both a place name and a surname in Spain and Portugal.
129. Molina: From the Latin “molinum,” meaning “mill,” this Spanish habitational name marks a family that lived or worked by a mill.
130. Monk: Originally described individuals from the religious order living in monasteries.
131. Montague: Meaning “pointed hill or mountain” in Old French, Montague functions as a highly noble name.
132. Montes: From Spanish and Portuguese, meaning “mountain dweller.”
133. Montgomery: A classic English and Scottish regal name, meaning “Gomeric’s hill.”
134. Moore: Meaning “swarthy or dark-skinned,” this habitational name also refers to a “bog and swamp.”
135. Morales: A Spanish surname for someone living near a mulberry bush or tree.
136. Moreno: A Spanish and Portuguese name from the Latin “maurus,” describing someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
137. Moretti: This Jewish and Italian name means “dark hair.”
138. Morrison: From the Latin Mauritius, this Scottish and English name means “son of Morris.”
139. Moulin: This French word for “mill” derives from the Latin “molina.”
140. Mullins: An occupational name derived from the French word “moulin,” meaning “mill or miller.”
141. Natale: Meaning “birthday and Christmas,” this Spanish and French name is perfect for a December baby.
142. Neri: This biblical name meaning “light of God” sounds beautifully short and sweet.
143. Neville: A French placename meaning “new town.”
144. Newport: Meaning “new borough,” this name derives from the Latin “novo bargus.”
145. Notaro: From the Latin “notarius,” meaning “scribe or clerk” in Italian.
146. Pain: A variant of the Latin word “paine,” meaning “rustic, peasant, villager, or countryman.”
147. Palleson: This Danish name stems from the Latin “paulus,” meaning “the little.”
148. Palmer: A variation on the Latin name Palma, meaning “palm tree.”
149. Pascal: In Latin, “Pasca” means Easter, so Pascal literally means “relating to Easter.”
150. Paul: Derived from the Latin “paulus,” meaning “small and humble.”
151. Paulson: Of English and Scottish origin, possibly meaning “small” or “son of Paul.”
152. Pavlov: This Czech, Russian, and Bulgarian name means “son of Paul.”
153. Pellegrino: An original Italian name meaning “pilgrim.”
154. Perry: A diminutive of the Latin “peregrine,” meaning “pear tree” in English and Welsh.
155. Pilgrim: The perfect name for a deeply religious and devoted traveler.
156. Poggio: Meaning “low hill knoll,” this Italian name works perfectly if you live near a hill.
157. Porter: From the Latin “portarius,” a doorkeeper or gatekeeper (from “porta,” a gate); it also served as an occupational name for a carrier of loads, from “portare,” to carry.
158. Quincy: The Latin and Roman word for “fifth” is “quintus,” which led to this popular name.
159. Quintana: A long form of Quincy, meaning “fifth born daughter in the fifth month.”
160. Rey: The Spanish word for “king,” from the Latin “rex.”
161. Riva: This English and Hebrew word means “riverbank or shore.”
162. Rivers: An uncommon name today, Rivers reached peak popularity during the Middle Ages.
163. Romagna: Originates from the Latin “romania,” meaning “land inhabited by Romans.”
164. Romero: A Spanish and Italian name from the Latin “Romaeus,” originally a nickname for a pilgrim who had traveled to Rome.
165. Romilly: With deep roots in Latin, this lyrical name means “wanderer.”
166. Rose: Derived from the Latin word “rosa,” which translates to “famous type” in German.
167. Rubio: This pretty Spanish surname means “fair and blonde.”
168. Russell: Latin last names often describe physical attributes, just like this Old Norse word meaning “red hair.”
169. Sanchez: A Spanish patronymic meaning “son of Sancho,” a name rooted in the Latin “sanctus,” meaning “holy” or “saintly.”
170. Santiago: The Spanish derivative of the Latin for St. James, meaning “supplanter.”
171. Santini: Another derivative of the Latin “sanctus,” this Tuscan name means “change, enthusiasm, and reliability.”
172. Sargent: A classic Latin name meaning “to serve.”
173. Savage: An Old English and French name from the Latin “salvaticus,” meaning “untamed.”
174. Schuster: This High German name derives from the Latin “sutor,” meaning “cobbler or shoemaker.”
175. Scott: The Latin “Scoti” means “Gaelic speaker,” and Scott describes someone “from Scotland.”
176. Scriven: An Anglo-Norman name of Latin origin, meaning “a scribe or record keeper.”
177. Seymour: Of Latin origin, this Old English name derives from the French translation for “Saint-Maur.”
178. Sidney: Possibly meaning “wide water meadow” or referring to the French place name “from Saint-Denis.”
179. Silva: Of Portuguese and Latin origin, from “silva,” meaning “woodland” or “forest”; it ranks among the most common surnames in Portugal and Brazil.
180. Sorenson: From the Latin “severinus,” meaning “strict,” this Danish name translates to “son of Soren.”
181. Strange: From the Old French word “estrange,” meaning “foreigner.”
182. Strudwick: Possibly meaning “dweller of the bushy place” or “dairy farm in a marshy place.”
183. Summers: An Old English occupational name for someone who drove horses or mules.
184. Terrell: This unisex Latin surname is an Old English derivative meaning “thunder ruler.”
185. Torres: A habitational name from the Latin “turris,” meaning “tower,” common in Spain and Portugal for families living near a fortified tower.
186. Tosetti: Meaning “passionate, sensitive, and intelligence,” this Italian surname ranks among the rarest.
187. Travers: An Old French surname meaning “to cross” or “crossing.”
188. Tuft: An Anglo-Saxon habitational name for people living in specific farmsteads and villages.
189. Turnbull: Of Anglo-Saxon origin, this descriptive name refers to a herder of bulls.
190. Turner: A popular English surname for someone who works with wood, specifically a lathe worker.
191. Ungur: Derived from the German “ungarn,” meaning “someone from Hungary.”
192. Vale: From the Latin word “vallis,” this Middle English name means “valley.”
193. Valencia: Named after the famous Spanish city, this surname means “strength and power.”
194. Valentino: An Italian name from the Latin “Valentinus,” meaning “strong” and “healthy,” from the root “valens.”
195. Ventura: The short form of Buenaventura, this Spanish and Portuguese name means “good fortune.”
196. Verona: A habitational name for the Roman-occupied Italian city of Verona.
197. Victor: A Latin name meaning “conqueror” or “winner,” from the verb “vincere,” to conquer.
198. Vidal: From the Latin “vitalis,” meaning “of life” or “vital,” this surname appears across Spanish, Catalan, and Jewish families.
199. Vigo: Meaning “small village,” this Galician and Spanish name derives from the Latin “vicus.”
200. Vilar: An ancient Norman name derived from the family that lived near Villiers in France.
201. Villa: The Latin word “villa” means “town,” but this surname also describes a dweller of a large estate.
202. Villeneuve: The French translation means “new town,” but it also serves as a name for a dweller of a new farm.
203. Vincente: From the Latin “vincentius,” meaning “conquering.”
204. Vitale: Derived directly from the Latin word “vita,” meaning “life.”
205. Walton: An Old English place name describing a “walled town.”
206. Warwick: A habitational Old English name meaning “dwellings by the weir.”
207. Weimann: This German occupational surname describes a viticulturalist or wine merchant.
208. Zino: Meaning “gift of Zeus,” this name remains a highly unique Latin family name.

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