These are the most common Mexican last names beginning with T, ranked by how many people in Mexico have the name today.
Aside from the many names with Spanish origins, some names here are Germanic. There are also two clearly recognisable sets of indigenous names. Those that start with “Tl” are Nahuatl, while the “Tz” names are Yucatec Maya. I’ll give the meanings in the relevant sections.
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 T
Let’s start with the alphabetical list of names from Tabares to Tavira.
The name Tapia in this section is just outside the top hundred, ranking at #102.
The meaning is a direct Spanish translation for a mode (adobe) wall. The earlier origins may be Arabic, from the word ṭābiya meaning “to enclose”. Early bearers likely built or lived by such walls.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tabares | 1,646 | 10,215 |
| Taboada | 1,231 | 14,409 |
| Tacuba | 1,832 | 103,655 |
| Tadeo | 971 | 11,970 |
| Tafoya | 1,692 | 3,532 |
| Tagle | 1,940 | 15,763 |
| Talamantes | 1,044 | 6,692 |
| Talavera | 976 | 4,559 |
| Tamay | 1,424 | 36,900 |
| Tamayo | 525 | 2,210 |
| Tamez | 1,086 | 4,492 |
| Tapia | 102 | 647 |
| Tavera | 1,168 | 9,455 |
| Tavira | 1,504 | 34,465 |
Mexican Names From Tec to Tenorio
Tellez is the most common name in this section. The literal translation is “son of Trello”, with Trello deriving from the Visigothic name Theudelagius. So, the origins are Germanic.
Tec is a Yuacatec Maya surname. The meaning likely derives from the word te’ek, which refers to a young warrior.
Tecpa may seem similar but it’s actually a Nahuatl name. Scholars generally translate it as a royal house.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tec | 1,304 | 76,533 |
| Tecpa | 2,015 | |
| Tejada | 1,224 | 2,432 |
| Tejeda | 387 | 2,541 |
| Tejero | 1,629 | 55,255 |
| Telesforo | 2,062 | |
| Tellez | 181 | 1,595 |
| Tello | 495 | 3,136 |
| Tena | 2,095 | 9,865 |
| Tenango | 2,314 | |
| Tenorio | 442 | 4,111 |
Mexican Names From Teran to Tlatempa
Teran is the most common name in this section. It’s a habitational name, meaning early bearers likely came from a place of the same name. In this case, Terán is in Northern Spain.
There are three names in this list that start with “Tl”, which indicates Nahuatl origin. Tlapale is generally translated as dye or paint. Early bearers may have been scribes or painters.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Teran | 353 | 4,139 |
| Terrazas | 613 | 3,378 |
| Terrones | 976 | 7,490 |
| Tiburcio | 1,039 | 18,457 |
| Tijerina | 1,504 | 4,114 |
| Tinajero | 899 | 6,825 |
| Tinoco | 595 | 3,670 |
| Tirado | 527 | 2,685 |
| Tiznado | 1,766 | 37,341 |
| Tlapale | 1,794 | |
| Tlatelpa | 1,999 | 29,334 |
| Tlatempa | 2,165 |
Mexican Names From Toala to Torrez
Torres is in the top twenty surnames in Mexico, while also being in the top fifty surnames in the United States. The origins are Portuguese as well as Spanish.
The direct translation is “towers”. Early bearers likely lived or worked near church tower or a fortified tower.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Toala | 1,677 | 61,436 |
| Tobon | 1,093 | 15,043 |
| Toledano | 1,237 | 24,222 |
| Toledo | 148 | 1,841 |
| Tomas | 1,178 | 4,623 |
| Topete | 1,126 | 7,446 |
| Toral | 971 | 22,131 |
| Toribio | 1,279 | 7,148 |
| Toriz | 1,646 | 48,256 |
| Torreblanca | 1,133 | 39,419 |
| Torres | 18 | 37 |
| Torrez | 1,521 | 2,160 |
Mexican Names From Toscano to Tristan
Trejo is in the top hundred surnames in Mexico. There are several places of that name in Spain.
The origins of Trinidad are perhaps more varied. It can also be a habitational name, with many places called La Trinidad.
But with the meaning coming from the Spanish word for “Trinity”, the personal name was often conferred on children born on the feast of the Holy Trinity (a changing date after Easter). Some children of those children took the name as a surname.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Toscano | 832 | 3,807 |
| Tovar | 173 | 1,070 |
| Tovias | 2,015 | 52,619 |
| Tovilla | 1,279 | |
| Trejo | 85 | 843 |
| Treviño | 396 | 562 |
| Trevizo | 2,032 | 8,736 |
| Triana | 1,400 | 8,259 |
| Trigueros | 1,854 | 15,477 |
| Trinidad | 411 | 2,677 |
| Tristan | 1,141 | 7,199 |
Mexican Names From Troncoso to Tzuc
Trujillo is the most common name in this section. It’s another habitational name, with early bearers coming from the town of the same name in Cáceres in western Spain.
The three names in this section starting with “Tz” are Yucatec Maya surnames. Tzab translates as the rattle of a rattlesnake.
| Last Name | Mexico Rank | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Troncoso | 1,817 | 10,822 |
| Trueba | 2,314 | 39,352 |
| Trujano | 1,880 | 89,403 |
| Trujeque | 1,854 | 55,841 |
| Trujillo | 136 | 448 |
| Turriza | 2,062 | |
| Turrubiates | 1,556 | 30,250 |
| Tuyub | 2,369 | |
| Tzab | 1,752 | |
| Tzec | 1,794 | |
| Tzuc | 2,062 |
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.
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 T.
You can also use our surname ranking tool to check how a name ranked in the 2000 and 2010 U.S. censuses.
