25 Common Basque Last Names

Do you have a Basque last name? With so many people researching their ancestry these days, I'm sharing some common Basque surnames for reference. I hope these examples of common Basque last names help you in your search, and check out the links below for some extra resources on learning more about Basque surnames.

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[elaineen]

My coworker had the last name Zazueta. He stated he was Spanish Basque, living in California and every person he had met with the same surname was of his clan. I showed him an edition of Hispanic magazine which mentioned a Mexican businessman with the name Zazueta. He took the magazine and said he would research it. A few days later he said he spoke to his aunt. She indicated the Mexican gentleman was part of their clan which had settled in Mexico.

[jupitermoongauge]

I visited the Basque country on the French side of the Pyrenees a few years ago. It was the most beautiful place I've ever been

[sorayacatfriend]

Not Basque or from the Basque Diaspora, have never looked for Basque content, not looking for names. YouTube just randomly recommended this and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[kime]

Basque here, born, lived and raised in a small basque town, I've spoke Basque my whole live, and I'm going to explain each Last Name and give more examples, hope u like this:

1. Mendizabal --> Meaning "Mendi" (Mountain) and "Zabal" (Wide) its like "The wide Mountain".
2. Arriaga --> Is a small town located in Bizkaia
3. Aramburu --> Meaning "Aram" (Comes from "Aran" and it means Valley) and "Buru" (Its literally "head") so its like the part of a Valley where a house is located
4. Garai --> Its means "From Gara"
5. Ibarra --> Its an other small town but its located in Gipuzkoa
6. Irigoien --> Meaning "Iri" (Comes from "Hiria" and means "City") and "Goien" (Means "high") so its like the highest of the city (Refearing to the house that is located the highest in the city)
7. Etxe... --> She explained it really well ("Etxe" means "House"), so its like the oldest house (Etxezarreta) or from inside the house (Etxebarne)
8. Arana --> Meaning either "Valley" (Harana) or "Plum" (Arana without the H-)
9. Goñi --> Its another small Town located in Nafarroa
10. Urrutia --> Meaning "Far" (I would say like someone that lives far away or something like that)
11. Zabala --> Meaning "Wide"
12. Garmendia --> Im not really sure, "Garmendia" itself means Volcano, but it can also be something like "Mountain of fern"
13. Iriarte --> Meaning "Iri" (Comes from "Hiri" which means "City") and "Arte" (meaning in between), so i would be like someone in between two cities
14. Arregi --> Meaning "Arr" (Comes from "Harri" which means "Stone") and "-egi" (Which means "The place where") so its like the place where u take stones, better known as "Quarry"
15. Jauregi --> Easy, it means "Palace"
16. Otegi/Otegui --> Im not sure, i've asked some people and they told me its the plant named "Gorse", but i couldn't find it in any Basque Diccionaries so im not really sure
17. Aguirre (The last name i have) --> Its something like "Notoruious" or something like that, I'd better say its like "Appear", "Manifest" or "Dissplayed"
18. Bergara --> Its a Town
17. Bilbao --> The second bigest city in Euskadi, located in Bizkaia
18. Otxoa --> Meaning "Wolf"
19. Uharte --> Meaning "Island"
20. Goikoetxea --> Meaning "Goiko" (Upper) and "Etxea" (House), "The house located in the highest point of the city/town"
21. Goienetxea --> The same thing as Goikoetxea
22. Etxeberria --> Meaning "Etxe" (House) and "Berria" ("Berri", it means "New") so its like "The newest house".

[joepiacente]

Hello Hella Basque, My father's last name was Vasquez, in Iruna, Vasquez means son of a Basque man or it means that it comes from the Land of the sheepherders, He also spoke the language. He also told me that in Spain the B and the V are used like the same letter. If that is the case, if you remove the z from Vasquez, it spells Basque. Oh by the way, I inherited his Beret when he passed. Thank you very much, or should i say eskerrik asko.

[raeannuria]

My grandmother once told me that the Basque language is the only language the devil cannot speak. She was from Spain.

[danechristopher]

My sweetheart is a Mondra gon. Lots of them in New Mexico! Her family were forced into Catholicism and went to Mexico. They came North to what is now New Mexico 300 years ago with the first Conquistador to go there. A lot of former Jews in Northern NM.

[pimentoso]

Loved this video!!!... I'm not of Basque descent, but as a Latinamerican, we're so used to know people with Basque surnames and we're not even aware of that: Irizarri, Navarro, Urriola, Iturralde, Esturain, Indurain, Vengoechea, Azcárraga, Larrinaga, Aizpurúa, Balboa, Olazábal, Aristizábal, Urdaneta, Zubizarreta, Legorreta, Sarasqueta, etc... Many Baque names and words, along with Latin, Arabic and some Greek, Gypsy and Germanic elements, formed the Castilian (Spanish) language. We're all united in our diversity.
Greetings from Panama!!! 🇵🇦

[markstuckless]

A town in Newfoundland called Port Aux Basques is a very interesting Basque settlement from hundreds of years ago. Probably still contains some decently pure Basques lineages.

[danite]

Hi sister, I am definitely not Basque . However I grew up in the Sanwaquine Valley in California . From 1950 untill I turned 17years old and joined the Marine Corps . In the valley back then there were vast herds of sheep any where one looked almost . Graseing on barley and wheat stubble . Of course the sheep were shepherded by Basque Shepard's . To me as a child and even now that I am a 75 year old man, those memories are some of the most precious to me . I would love to spend my last year's hearing sheep . Thank you for your video .

[megdalenagonzalez-mounce]

My grandmother was Echevarría. 🙃 She was Basque and Raramuri from Chihuahua, Mexico. I only recently discovered my Basque heritage and it is super interesting.
Watching from Florida, USA. Thanks for the info.

[dew]

The Basques have to be the most interesting people in Europe.

[markthrasher]

Guire is said to be a French name with Basque origin. Prominent families of Guire's immigrated to England, Scotland and Ireland and had their name changed to McGuire, MacGuire or Maguire....

[ruthiebelle]

Hi, my Basque surname is Sarachaga (Saratxaga), from Guenes in Vizcaya. There was an accent over the middle "a" until my great=grandfather emigrated to Cuba, where they dropped the accent. The ayuntamiento in Guenes looks like a pink birthday cake with white frosting! Guenes is near Bilbao and is spelled with two dots over the "u" and a tilde over the "n". Sarachaga means, "from the place of the willows." I'm so glad I found your sites!!! Thanks for the good information! Thanks for all your work!!

[elektrikshoks]

love this! I am so happy to find new resources to celebrate basque heritage and love seeing everyone chime in with their last names and current countries! so neat, thank you!

[jonathanaldecoa]

My grandfather’s grandfather was Basque came to Mexico. Aldecoa was once spelled as Aldekoa. I have a lot of family in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

[micaelamaidana]

All of these last names are really really common in Argentina and lots of historical figures had them too! Had no idea they were basque

[mianaiz]

Youtube randomly showed this video even though I hadn't looked for any prior Basque content before, but I happen to be Basque, currently living in Southern California. Thank you for spreading our culture not only among the Basque-American diaspora but with the rest of the world. Ondo izan eta bai, nik ere abizen euskalduna dut... Izeta :-) Ikusi arte!

[carolynbookout]

I was doing genealogy. My mother’s heritage is French. They were early settlers to New France in Canada when King Louis the fourteenth was king. And moved to the very northern United States during my great grandfather’s time. My first ancestor to move to New France had the last name of DesBasque. It was common at the time for the French to use nicknames as last names…and I have not been able to trace back farther. But I’m guessing he was probably Basque

[nicholaschavarria]

Awesome!!! I happen to be a Chavarría - shortened from Echevarría a few generations back. My father came to the US from Costa Rica; lots of Basque names down there. I have been aware of my Basqueness since I was a kid, thanks to Dad. A few years back, I read a great book called A Basque History of the World, by Mark Kurlansky - not a Basque, but a great journalist. It really opened my 👀 eyes to the richness, and importance of Basque culture. I highly recommend it. Keep up the great work!