# Why do so many Hispanic last names end with z? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355 "2011-06-13T20:48:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/1 "2011-06-13T20:48:41Z")
Martinez Rodriguez Lopez Hernandez Perez Sanchez Gomez Ramirez Diaz Ortiz Cruz Why do so many Hispanic last names end with a Z? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/2 "2011-06-13T20:56:19Z")
-ez, -az, -is, -oz, and -es are common indicators of patronyms in Iberian languages. Thus: Martinez - son of Martin Rodriguez - son of Rodrigo Hernandez - son of Hernando etc. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/3 "2011-06-13T21:19:18Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > -ez, -az, -is, -oz, and -es are common indicators of patronyms in Iberian languages. > > Thus: > > Martinez - son of Martin > Rodriguez - son of Rodrigo > Hernandez - son of Hernando > > etc. Indeed, several generations of the early kings of Navarre were named, alternately, Ramiro and Sancho, and listed as Ramiro Sanchez and Sancho Ramirez. Like Martin, John’s son becoming Martin Johnson, the patronymic ‘fossilized’ into a family name. ---
**Author:** ![cconti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@cconti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cconti)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/4 "2011-06-13T21:28:54Z")
I was going to say something about Zorro, but I see your explanation is much better. Incidentally, my wife’s maiden name is “jacobsen” and her family name is closely related to :Jacobson" (they are of scandinavian origin) and they both have similar origin: son of Jacob. I am Italian, not in the sense most people in the US are “Italian”, but I was actually born and raised there (I have been in the US 30 years) and I have been trying to think of similar last names in the Italian language unsuccessfully. As I said, it has been 30 years (although I am still very fluent since I both read and converse in Italian regularly thanks to Skype and Italian media). I think in Italian it’s a lot more subtle. For instance, I know the family name “Esposito”, originally from the Naples area, meant “Found one” or “orphan”. Other last names imply the provenance from a family, such as “Dei medici” or “De’ Medici” meaning “coming from the Medici family” and therefore son of someone. But I cannot think of a last name that actually means “son of someone” when translated literally, it’s more like “part of that clan”. If I am wrong, please set me straight. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/5 "2011-06-13T21:34:57Z")
> [@cconti](#): > > I am Italian, not in the sense most people in the US are “Italian”, but I was actually born and raised there (I have been in the US 30 years) and I have been trying to think of similar last names in the Italian language unsuccessfully. There were two main ways Italian did patronymics. The first is to add di, so that Pietro’s son Marco becomes Marco di Petro. The second way, is to change the final o to i, so that he becomes Marco Petri. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/6 "2011-06-13T21:35:25Z")
I haven’t heard of any patronymics in Italian, and the [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patronymic) on patronymics doesn’t mention Italy either. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/7 "2011-06-13T21:36:46Z")
Just becauez. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/8 "2011-06-13T21:47:07Z")
Re: Italian, this site backs up the claim, which was news to me: [http://www.italyworldclub.com/genealogy/surnames/](http://www.italyworldclub.com/genealogy/surnames/) I thought all those were placename-related. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/9 "2011-06-13T21:57:27Z")
Since it’s bound to come up, we might as well get the Icelandic naming system into this thread. Still in use today, one adds -son or -dotir to the end of one’s father’s first name to get your last name (although not everyone still does this). It will be left as exercise for the reader to guess what “-dotir” means. 🙂 A can’t make the accent symbol, but “dotir” should have an accent on the “i”. ETA: In the OP, “Cruz” does not fit. It just means “cross” in spanish. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/10 "2011-06-13T22:38:22Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > -ez, -az, -is, -oz, and -es are common indicators of patronyms in Iberian languages. > > Thus: > > Martinez - son of Martin > Rodriguez - son of Rodrigo > Hernandez - son of Hernando > > etc. I seem to recall reading that this ending is of Germanic origin. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/11 "2011-06-13T22:41:56Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > I seem to recall reading that this ending is of Germanic origin. Possibly from the same source as -s names in English (a Germanic language)? e.g. Williams = son of William Andrews = son of Andrew Phillips = son of Phillip ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/12 "2011-06-13T22:46:05Z")
I know a lot of Hispanic names that are ES instead of EZ Like Martines not Martinez or Rodrigues not Rodriguez etc. Is this just a personal preference of spelling? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/13 "2011-06-13T22:48:28Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I know a lot of Hispanic names that are ES instead of EZ > > Like Martines not Martinez or Rodrigues not Rodriguez etc. > > Is this just a personal preference of spelling? -es names are usually Portuguese: Gomes, Lopes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/14 "2011-06-13T23:16:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > -es names are usually Portuguese: Gomes, Lopes, etc. Is that the convention in Galicia, too? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/15 "2011-06-13T23:27:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Is that the convention in Galicia, too? No idea on that one. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/16 "2011-06-14T00:00:48Z")
Minor note: _Cruz_ is “cross” in Spanish and Portuguese. It comes from the Latin _crux_. It is equivalent to _Croix_ in French, _Croce_ in Italian, and _Kreuz_ in German. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/17 "2011-06-14T00:58:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > A can’t make the accent symbol, but “dotir” should have an accent on the “i”. I believe it is “dóttir.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/18 "2011-06-14T01:12:27Z")
What is Perez? Is there a name like “Pere” in Spanish? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/19 "2011-06-14T01:33:10Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What is Perez? Is there a name like “Pere” in Spanish? Some of these patronymics get slightly condensed over time. “Perez” is “son of Pedro”, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355/20 "2011-06-14T02:36:28Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > I believe it is “dóttir.” My bad. And to further correct my original post, it’s really -sson and -sdottir that is added, with the first “s” being the possessive. Erik’s son =\> Eriksson. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-hispanic-last-names-end-with-z/585355.md?page=2)