Mexican Last Names Starting With C

These are the more common Mexican last names beginning with C, ranked by how often they’re used in Mexico today.

Cruz has an overall rank of 11th most popular name in Mexico. Castillo is 23rd, and Chávez is 32nd. Castro is just four ranks below Chávez.

There are 105 names listed below. Each shows their rank in Mexico beside where they rank in the 2010 U.S. census. We also give the origins and meanings of the most common ones.

The rankings come from a database of over 1.25 million workers published by Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education.

List Of Mexican Last Names Starting With C

Let’s start with the alphabetical list of names from Caamal to Calzada.

Cabrera is the most common name in this section, ranking 70th in Mexico. It comes from the Spanish word for a goat, Cabra. Early bearers of the name likely raised goats or were goatherds.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Caamal	504	49,636
Caballero	183	1,224
Cabello	696	6,358
Cabrera	70	376
Cadena	400	3,117
Calderon	113	421
Calixto	567	7,472
Callejas	726	8,665
Calva	719	23,300
Calvillo	613	3,557
Calvo	542	5,086
Calzada	662	6,724

Mexican Names from Camacho to Canul

Campos is the most common name in this section, while Camacho is also in the top one hundred Mexican names.

The meaning comes from the Latin word for a field or plains, campus. Early bearers likely lived on or near farmlands or cultivated land.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Camacho	75	493
Camarena	676	3,237
Camargo	438	3,689
Camarillo	431	3,261
Campos	68	323
Campuzano	726	7,035
Canales	548	1,462
Canche	449	35,489
Cancino	582	10,268
Cano	125	931
Canseco	681	13,690
Canto	562	15,303
Cantu	259	704
Canul	320	30,946

Mexican Names from Carbajal to Carvajal

Carrillo in this section ranks 57th in Mexico, while Cardenas is just within the top one hundred.

The noble House of Carrillo was a prominent family in medieval Castille in Spain. Scholars give several meanings for the early origins. One comes from the Spanish word for cheeks. This suggests that early bearers had full cheeks, perhaps notable for being well-fed.

The other meaning connects it to the Spanish word for a small wagon or cart. This suggests it was conferred on people who provided transport for people or goods with a donkey and cart.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Carbajal	254	1,646
Carballo	623	6,971
Cardenas	93	418
Cardona	375	1,071
Cardoso	644	3,197
Carlos	761	2,357
Carmona	176	1,310
Caro	845	3,545
Carpio	894	4,693
Carranza	271	1,235
Carrasco	234	1,110
Carreon	331	2,789
Carrera	286	2,203
Carrillo	57	340
Carrizales	818	5,114
Carvajal	606	3,999

Mexican Names from Casanova to Castro

Castillo ranks #23 in Mexico, with Castro at #36. These are highly widespread names in Mexico.

The meaning derives from the Spanish word for castle. In early times, that would have been a fortified building. Early bearers would have lived or worked within the buildings. Later bearers may simply have come from places named Castillo or Castilla.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Casanova	744	3,851
Casarrubias	681	19,348
Casas	371	1,813
Casillas	344	1,579
Castaneda	305	464
Castañeda	154	464
Castañeda	772	464
Castañeda	894	464
Castañon	799	4,623
Castelan	594	9,048
Castellanos	163	1,138
Castillejos	513	51,723
Castillo	23	93
Castrejon	424	5,624
Castro	36	138

Mexican Names from Catalan to Carvera

Cervantes is the most popular Mexican name in this section, ranking 62nd.

Scholars provide several early meanings. The older origin is to the word “servant”. A later link is to the Spanish word ciervo, which means a stag or deer.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Catalan	478	5,076
Cauich	562	77,522
Cavazos	662	2,084
Cazares	333	2,254
Ceballos	286	2,350
Cedillo	373	3,392
Ceja	739	2,078
Celis	633	6,170
Centeno	544	2,488
Cepeda	509	3,112
Cerda	475	2,035
Ceron	297	6,746
Cervantes	62	387
Cervera	882	13,142

Mexican Names from Chable to Cisneros

Chavez is the most common name in this section. The meaning comes from the Latin word for a key, clavis. Early bearers may have been gatekeepers or even locksmiths.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Chable	531	59,470
Chacon	339	1,255
Chapa	884	2,297
Chaparro	710	5,718
Chavarria	365	1,953
Chavez	32	83
Chavira	797	4,135
Cid	709	10,731
Cisneros	158	670

Mexican Names from Cobos to Covarrubias

Cortes is the most common name in this section with Contreras just a few ranks below.

There are several meanings for Cortes. One derives from the Spanish word for courteous (cortes). Another derives from the Latin word cortis, which refers to a royal court or a noble family.

Of course, the name Cortez is also a variant.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Cobos	687	6,773
Colin	341	4,270
Conde	580	3,423
Contreras	46	229
Cordero	311	1,164
Cordoba	741	7,054
Cordova	174	762
Cornejo	506	2,045
Corona	144	832
Coronado	257	1,274
Coronel	488	4,582
Corral	442	2,158
Corrales	672	3,184
Correa	324	905
Cortes	43	751
Cortez	215	310
Cota	280	3,120
Covarrubias	274	1,985

Mexican Names from Crespo to Curiel

Cruz is just outside the top 10 in Mexico at position 11. It’s actually within the top ten in the U.S. 2010 census.

The meaning comes from the Spanish word for a cross. It held religious significance for early bearers.

Last Name	Mexico Rank	U.S. Rank
Crespo	587	2,042
Cristobal	744	9,074
Cruz	11	57
Cuellar	352	1,609
Cuenca	894	9,611
Cuevas	115	790
Curiel	574	3,571

Notes About Our List

The data comes from an open database of 1,256,438 federal education workers published by Mexico’s Secretaría de Educación Pública. The processed data is published on GitHub as mexican-names.

The Mexico Rank column shows how common the surname is in Mexico. The lower the number, the more common the name. The U.S. Rank column is the name’s position in the 2010 United States census.

People in Mexico carry two surnames, the father’s followed by the mother’s. Our ranking uses the father’s surname, which is the one a person is normally known by.

Related lists

For surnames common among Hispanic Americans, see our list of Hispanic last names starting with C .

You can also use our surname ranking tool to check how a name ranked in the 2000 and 2010 U.S. censuses.