Lopez: Name Meaning and Origin

Lopez is a patronymical surname meaning "son of Lope." Lope comes from the Spanish form of Lupus, a Latin personal name meaning "wolf." The Lopes variation of this surname often originates from Portugal.

Lopez is the 21st most popular surname in the United States and the 4th most common Hispanic surname. It is also among the top five most common last names in Argentina.

Surname Origin: Spanish

Alternate Surname Spellings: Lopes, Lopaz, Lopas

Famous People with the Surname Lopez

• Jennifer Lopez - American actress and pop singer
• George Lopez - comedian
• Mario Lopez - American actor
• José López Portillo y Pacheco - former President of Mexico
• Francisco Solano López - former President of Paraguay
• Nancy Lopez - popular LPGA American golfer

Genealogy Resources for the Surname Lopez

100 Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?

Common Hispanic Surnames & Their Meanings
Learn about the origins of Hispanic last names, and the meanings of many of the most common Spanish surnames.

Lopez Family Tree Website
A Web site for all descendants of Basilio López and Sabina Jalandoni from the Basilio Lopez Family Association.

Lopez Group DNA Project
The Lopez Family Project at FamilyTreeDNA seeks to find common heritage through sharing of information and DNA testing. Any variant spellings of the Lopez surname, including Lopes, are welcome.

Lopez Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Lopez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Lopez query.

FamilySearch - LOPEZ Genealogy
Find records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Lopez surname and its variations.

LOPEZ Surname & Family Mailing Lists
RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Lopez surname.

DistantCousin.com - LOPEZ Genealogy & Family History
Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Lopez.

References: Surname Meanings & Origins

• Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.
• Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.
• Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.
• Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.
• Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.