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Parent’s name

Martinez

Son of Martín (Martin) — Spanish patronymic.

Confidence
High
US frequency
Rank 10 · 1,039,848 people
Common variants
Martínez, Martines, Martins

The short story

Martinez is Spanish for "son of Martín." The given name Martín is the Iberian form of Martin, popular across Christian Europe after Saint Martin of Tours, and the -ez ending is the classic Castilian "son of" marker (compare Rodríguez, Hernández).

It is not a place-name and not a craft: it points to a father's or ancestor's personal name. Portuguese cousins often appear as Martins. In US Census tallies the unaccented Martinez spelling dominates, but the meaning is the same as Martínez with the accent.

Also seen as: Martínez, Martines, Martins

Sources used