García, González, Díaz, Rodríguez, Fernández, López… most people living in Spain know someone with this surname, as it is one of the most common surnames in this country.

However, there are a large number of surnames that are not so common, some of them being strange to most of the population. Next we show you some of them, concretely 70 rare or curious surnames in Spanish .

Odd surnames in Spanish

A person’s surname can have very old origins, some of them starting from words known even today. Some surnames originated from the profession of their first bearers , the product of said profession or different qualities, states, nicknames or adjectives used in antiquity to define a person. Below you can see about sixty of them.

1. Zuzunaga

This is one of the surnames that apparently has less owners in this country, having at the moment very few people with this surname.

2. Sorní

A very rare surname, most of those who have it are originally from Catalonia or Valencia.

3. Heron

The owners of this unusual surname, which comes from the name of a bird, are spread all over Spain, especially in Zaragoza.

4. Sandemetry

Probably originating from the martyr Saint Demetrius, the owners of this surname have a great presence in the Valencian community.

5. Urriaga

Here we have one of the rare surnames of Basque origin, where at present most of those who carry it live in Valencia.

6. Bonachera

Those who bear this surname are scattered throughout the peninsula , being somewhat more frequent in Barcelona and Almeria

7. Vital

Although we all know the meaning of vital as “energetic, full of life”, the existence of this word as a surname is not so well known.

8. You ask

This surname derives from the verb to hawk, to announce something publicly. It possibly originates from the office of one of its first bearers.

9. Seasoning

The word seasoning implies the idea of maturity, immediacy or opportunity.

10. Deaf

The origin of this surname is probably a nickname given to a person with some kind of disability or hearing difficulty .

11. In love

In the case of the surname Enamorado, this derives from the concept of falling in love, that is to say, from the quality of being affectionately and romantically linked to others.

12. Cacharro

Although the word “jalopy” as we use it today refers to something in poor condition, unusable and worthless, it also refers to a type of vessel used in the kitchen, which is probably the origin of this curious surname.

13. Snake

It is not uncommon to find surnames based on the names of various animals. One not too frequent is the surname Viper.

14. Bed

This surname can have two possible origins. One can be the adoption of a nickname in individuals who make beds. The other derives from the Catalan term for leg, being likely that the presence of a malformation gave rise to a nickname that ended up becoming a surname.

15. Pieldelobo

Another rare surname, may be due to the hunting and tanning of these animals’ skins .

16. Flat feet

This surname is probably the product of a nickname received by a person who had this anatomical condition.

17. Fork

This surname refers to the kitchen utensil that most of us know. It could have originated as a surname in people who made them or to the occurrence of some kind of anecdote that ended up generating a nickname.

18. Dolphin

This rare name, although it may seem to be derived from the animal, has its origin in the santoral. Specifically from San Delfin. It is also a derivation of the name of the city of Delphi.

19. Open chest

Some surnames refer to specific parts of the human anatomy. This is the case of Pechoabierto, which is very rare.

20. Alcoholic

A name that is difficult to find at present, this surname of Malaga origin seems to refer to the consumption of spirits.

21. Executioner

The word executioner refers to a person who executes the death sentences issued by the governing or judicial bodies. By extension, it also means a person who harms others by displaying a high level of cruelty. Its use as a surname may be due to the office of one of the first to carry it.

22. Ugly

While it is disputed whether the origin of this surname is Portuguese or Spanish, is based on the nickname imposed on the son of Gil Anes de Ataide due to the consideration that he was physically unattractive.

23. Llagaria

A rare surname, it is located especially in Valencia.

24. Cidoncha

Unusual surname that has holders especially in Extremadura.

25. Anacleto

The origin of this word can be found in the one who was a pope during the first century, St. Anacletus. The word itself is derived from the Greek anakletos which implies the idea of being sought after or needed.

26. Parraverde

The origins of this surname, found especially in Zaragoza, are discussed. They can be found in the union of the Parra and Verde lineages, or in the addition of the adjective green to the surname for some reason.

27. Nuts

This surname is born from the masculinized term that designates the couple of the offspring (we say masculinized because while daughter-in-law exists, the word son-in-law is not accepted but the term to speak of the man who is the couple of the offspring is son-in-law).

28. Nomdedeu

Weird name that means name of God, in Catalan.

29. New leg

This surname is probably due to the adoption of a nickname for someone with malformations. This surname has been present in territories like the Canary Islands.

30. Perfume

The origin of this surname goes back a long way in time, having records of people with it since the eleventh century . It probably derives from the occupation of some of its first bearers.

31. Ariztimuño

Of Basque origin, most of those who own it live in Guipúzcoa or Navarra

32. Arrubal

This surname was born from the toponym of the city of the same name, in La Rioja.

33. Cheap

The origin of this surname is very debatable, being the most probable that we are before a variant of the French Barat surname. In its most remote origins they start from the Celtic term barad.

34. Old good

One of the most uncommon surnames is probably due to a nickname given to someone, either positively or as a joke.

35. Fallen

Although the word cayado refers to a stick with a curved end , this surname is derived from the toponym of the Asturian town of Cayado.

36. Quiet

It arises from the adjective with which some individuals were nicknamed as being of silent and not very talkative nature. However, it tends to be considered but in general it is a derivation of the previous mentioned surname. This form is more frequent.

37. Hunter

Derived from the trade that gives it its name, this surname is now rare.

38. Caymans

One of the rare surnames arising from the toponym of a Colombian population.

39. Without

This surname is very rare, being also one of the shortest.

40. Zas

This surname of Gipuzkoa origin, although not very frequent, has been part of several families.

41. Cracked

The origin of this surname may be due to the presence of wounds and scars that led to the creation of a nickname.

42. Chinchurreta

This surname of Basque origin is present not only in Spain, but it has also been exported to Latin American lands, being Mexico the country where it is more prevalent.

43. Sewing

There are records of this surname during the Reconquest, specifically during the conquest of the Balearic Islands. Its origin is found in the village of Cossío, in Cantabria, although it is of Italian origin.

44. Fermonsel

This is another uncommon surname, possibly of French origin . It may be related to the word fermosura, an ancient term used to define beauty (currently beauty).

45. Gandul

The word lazy refers to the property of being lazy and lazy. It probably originated in adoption as a last name to a nickname.

46. Piernabierta

The presence of injuries and war wounds are also a frequent element in the formation of nicknames and surnames, as is the case here.

47. Guarnido

Scattered throughout Spain and in other countries, mainly Spanish-speaking ones, this surname is not too common within our borders. The word garnido currently refers to being supplied (regardless of the type of supply we are talking about).

48. Physics

It is not very common to find surnames referring to scientific disciplines. In this case, it probably refers to some kind of medical professional, called a physicist in ancient times.

49. Sacamoccus

A not very common surname whose most likely origin is a nickname assigned to someone.

50. Lucid

With about twenty people bearing this surname, we are faced with another of the strangest surnames. Although it may refer to lucidity or clarity of thought, it seems that this surname has Italian origins.

51. God

This surname exists, and although it may not seem too common, the truth is that there are more than three thousand people with this surname.

52. Parahoy

The Parahoy surname does not currently have many people carrying it. However, it is possible to find them in Spain, Latin America and the United States. Although it is a legend, it is said that this surname originated from the answer given by a tailor when asked when he would have an order ready.

53. Triumph

Without a doubt, one of the weirdest names to motivate. In addition to its positive connotations , it is only carried by about eighteen people.

54. Of the Cock

This unusual name is also one of the least common. Of Italian origin. In our country it may also be due to a nickname derived from physiological elements or from animal husbandry.

55. Hergueta

It is generally considered a variant of the Elgueta surname. It comes from the Basque word elgeta, which means “a multitude of cultivated fields”.

56. Gross

More frequent in Catalonia and Valencia, this surname comes from the word bru, a Catalan term that means brown/brunet/brown.

57. Raga

The origin of this surname is discussed, proposing that it could have French origin and finding references to this surname in the battle of Lepanto. Although not very frequent, at the present time many of their carriers are original of Valencia.

58. Cuñat

Rarely, this Catalan surname comes from the term cunyat (brother-in-law in Catalan), which designates the brother of one of the components of a couple.

59. Pruñonosa

The origin of this surname is in the town of Prunyonosa, which receives its name from the presence of sloes in the area (prunyoners in Catalan).

60. Fonollar

This curious surname is a rare form of another , Fenollar. The latter comes from the word fonoll, a Catalan term for fennel.

61. Lujan

Surname coming from the area of Aragon and Castilla la Mancha.

62. Fajardo

A very old surname from Galicia and Asturias. Its meaning is not clear.

63. Cossack

A surname coming from the area of Sobrarbe, in Aragon.

64. Funes

A surname of French origin with a presence in Spain.

65. Mantilla

Rare name with origins in Cantabria.

66. Gallur

Surname of very rare toponymic origin. Its origins are in Aragon.

67. Melgar

The meaning of this rare Castilian surname refers to the melgas, furrows made in the earth to cultivate.

68. Longan

It is a rare surname in Spain, with origins in France, although it has been adapted to the Spanish phonetics.

69. Ibars

Relatively rare Catalan surname in Spain.

70. Cedeno

Surname of little diffusion, it appears in shields of the campaign of the Spanish reconquest.