One first name and one surname
Each result pairs a first name with a single surname, for example Santiago Rivera, Magdalena Aguilar, Juan Reyes or Victoria Martínez. There are 30 male first names, 30 female first names and 30 surnames, so you get 900 combinations per gender, or 1,800 if you leave gender open. All names are common in Spain and Latin America and keep their Spanish accents, as in José, María, Rodríguez and Sánchez.
The tool gives one surname, but most Spanish-speaking people have two. The first comes from the father and the second from the mother. Ricardo García López has a father whose first surname is García and a mother whose first surname is López, and his children will carry García plus their mother's first surname, not López. To build a full name from a result, take a second surname from another draw: Paula Ortiz becomes Paula Ortiz Navarro. In Spain parents can now agree on the order, and women traditionally keep their own surnames after marriage.
What the surnames in the list mean
| Origin | Surnames from the tool's list |
|---|---|
| Son of a given name (-ez, -az, -iz) | Rodríguez (Rodrigo), Martínez (Martín), González (Gonzalo), Hernández (Hernando), Pérez (Pedro), Sánchez (Sancho), Ramírez (Ramiro), Díaz (Diego), Álvarez (Álvaro), Jiménez (Jimeno), Gutiérrez (Gutierre) |
| Place or landscape | Navarro (Navarre), Castillo (castle), Torres (towers), Rivera (riverbank), Medina |
| Object, trait or trade | Flores (flowers), Cruz (cross), Guerrero (warrior) |
| Basque | Mendoza |
The patronymic ending was added to a father's name, so Fernández meant "son of Fernando". Because these are the most common surnames in the Spanish-speaking world, many results will sound familiar rather than distinctive. If you want a character to stand out, keep the surname plain and make the first name or nickname do the work. Nicknames are everywhere: Francisco becomes Paco, José becomes Pepe, and Dolores becomes Lola.
Fitting a name to a setting
The list is not tied to any one country. Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile have different popular names and mixes with Indigenous and immigrant surnames, and Galicia, Catalonia and the Basque Country have their own patterns. For a colonial setting, saints' names fit, since children were often named for the saint of their birth or baptism day. For modern stories, add a regional detail. Brazilian names are Portuguese-based, and Filipino names follow different rules, so do not mix them in without reason.
For neighboring traditions, try the Italian name generator or French name generator, and the knight name generator for an Old World background.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the -ez ending mean in Spanish surnames?
It is a patronymic suffix meaning son of. Pérez comes from Pedro, Fernández from Fernando, González from Gonzalo and Sánchez from Sancho. The pattern formed in medieval Iberia and covers many of the most common surnames today.
How do I make a full Spanish name from a result?
Add a second surname, which is the mother's first surname. For example, take Diego Pérez and add Jiménez to get Diego Pérez Jiménez. Their own children would carry Pérez plus their other parent's first surname.
Do the names include Spanish accents?
Yes. The tool writes names the way they are spelled in Spanish, such as José, María and Rodríguez. If you need plain letters for a username or a form that rejects accents, drop them (Jose, Maria, Rodriguez), which is a common simplification online.
Do Spanish women change their name when they marry?
Traditionally no. A woman keeps her own surnames, and her children receive the father's and mother's first surnames. Some use de plus the husband's surname socially, but this is a custom, not a legal rule in Spain.
What is a name day?
A name day, or santo, is the feast day of the saint a person is named after. In many Spanish-speaking regions it is celebrated with greetings and sometimes small gifts. A character named José may celebrate on March 19, the feast of Saint Joseph.
Are Spanish and Hispanic names the same thing?
No. Spanish names come from Spain, while Hispanic or Latin American names share a language and many surnames but also include Indigenous, African and immigrant influences. This tool's list is general, so match it to your setting yourself.
Can a man have María as a name?
Yes, as a second name, as in José María. It is a traditional compound and is not treated as a female marker. The tool itself uses María only as a female first name.