These are the most common Mexican last names beginning with S, ranked by how many people in Mexico have the name today.
Nearly a quarter of names in this list start with San or Sant. The origins are usual with an early saint’s name. Early bearers in Spain took the name to show their devotion.
These 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 S
Let’s start with the alphabetical list of names from Saavedra to Saldivar.
Salazar is the most common name in this section, ranking 40th. This is a habitational name, in that the early bearers came from places with that name in Basque regions.
The meaning comes from the Basque words for old (zahar) and a hall (sala). So, it translates as the old hall or old manor.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Saavedra | 303 | 1,910 |
| Sabido | 1,113 | 59,470 |
| Saenz | 377 | 1,029 |
| Sagahon | 1,579 | 146,201 |
| Sahagun | 1,485 | 9,501 |
| Sainz | 1,081 | 8,511 |
| Salado | 1,394 | 29,366 |
| Salas | 91 | 513 |
| Salazar | 40 | 179 |
| Salcedo | 666 | 1,967 |
| Salcido | 696 | 3,331 |
| Saldaña | 355 | 1,015 |
| Saldivar | 446 | 2,097 |
Mexican Names From Salgado to Sansores
Sanchez is the eighth most common name in the Mexico. It is also prevalent in the United States.
The name literally means “son of Sancho”, where Sancho comes from the Latin sanctus, meaning sanctified or holy.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Salgado | 89 | 759 |
| Salguero | 1,360 | 6,111 |
| Salinas | 110 | 393 |
| Salmeron | 465 | 4,899 |
| Salvador | 359 | 2,772 |
| Samaniego | 945 | 4,295 |
| Samano | 857 | 9,195 |
| Sampedro | 1,336 | 32,865 |
| San Juan | 1,093 | 7,825 |
| Sanabria | 1,093 | 3,945 |
| Sanchez | 8 | 26 |
| Sandoval | 67 | 233 |
| Sansores | 1,279 | 102,688 |
Mexican Names From Santa to Sauceda
I mentioned that so many names related to saints.
Santiago and Santos are in the top hundred names in Mexico. Santiago comes from the patron saint of Spain, Santiago Apóstol, or St James the Greater. The name Santos literally means “saints”.
Other references to saints in this section include Santoyo and Santibañez, both with origins related to St. John the Baptist.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Santa | 1,556 | 11,493 |
| Santacruz | 741 | 4,300 |
| Santamaria | 468 | 2,897 |
| Santana | 189 | 556 |
| Santander | 1,413 | 19,210 |
| Santes | 1,304 | 59,324 |
| Santiago | 44 | 248 |
| Santibañez | 1,462 | 8,512 |
| Santillan | 328 | 2,756 |
| Santiz | 264 | 74,826 |
| Santizo | 1,692 | 13,065 |
| Santos | 73 | 206 |
| Santoyo | 486 | 4,086 |
| Sarabia | 556 | 4,082 |
| Sarmiento | 409 | 2,631 |
| Saucedo | 212 | 1,157 |
Mexican Names From Secundino to Sevilla
Serrano is the only name in this section in the top hundred.
The origins are in the Spanish word for a mountain range (sierra). Early bearers likely came from mountainous territories.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Secundino | 1,629 | 30,701 |
| Sedano | 1,133 | 10,525 |
| Segovia | 457 | 2,733 |
| Segundo | 807 | 10,237 |
| Segura | 216 | 1,136 |
| Sepulveda | 638 | 1,810 |
| Serna | 322 | 1,390 |
| Serralde | 1,168 | 139,228 |
| Serrano | 96 | 429 |
| Serrato | 954 | 3,415 |
| Servin | 582 | 4,519 |
| Sevilla | 744 | 3,958 |
Mexican Names From Sibaja to Simental
Silva is the most common name in this section.
Interestingly, this is more of a Portuguese name, although it also appears in Spain and Italy. The name literally translates as a forest or wooded area. Early bearers likely lived in woodland territories.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Sibaja | 1,231 | 40,976 |
| Sierra | 223 | 973 |
| Sifuentes | 511 | 3,293 |
| Sillas | 1,703 | 28,049 |
| Silva | 55 | 163 |
| Silverio | 1,279 | 8,559 |
| Silvestre | 1,098 | 9,190 |
| Simbron | 1,616 | 152,628 |
| Simental | 1,314 | 8,380 |
Mexican Names From Soberanis to Suastegui
Two names tie for 58th ranking in this section: Solis and Soto.
The origins of Solis are in a place of that name in Asturias in northwest Spain. The meaning comes from the Latin word for the sun, sol.
Soto is also a habitational name, referring to a place. The Spanish word translates to a grove or wooded area.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Soberanis | 867 | 20,116 |
| Solano | 207 | 1,430 |
| Solares | 1,107 | 8,629 |
| Solis | 58 | 388 |
| Solorio | 854 | 2,663 |
| Solorzano | 438 | 2,412 |
| Soria | 491 | 2,495 |
| Soriano | 263 | 1,361 |
| Sosa | 99 | 650 |
| Sotelo | 267 | 1,679 |
| Soto | 58 | 191 |
| Suarez | 120 | 510 |
| Suastegui | 1,003 | 25,833 |
Notes About The 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 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 S.
You can also use our surname ranking tool to check how a name ranked in the 2000 and 2010 U.S. censuses.
