I’m Kayla Sox. I write, I research, and I love names. Last month, I needed Cuban last names for a short story and for a small family search for a friend. So I tested a few tools and a little paperback name guide I picked up in Little Havana. You know what? It was fun and also a bit messy.
Here’s the thing: Cuban last names carry history. You can feel it. Spain, Africa, China, Ireland, the Canaries—so many threads. I wanted names that felt true, not just common.
What I used, like, for real
- FamilySearch and Forebears for rankings and hints
- A slim Spanish-language booklet on Cuban surnames from a Miami shop
- Old baseball rosters and news clippings for real-life usage
- A Cuban genealogy Facebook group for quick checks
If you’re craving deeper, primary-source material, the seminal Historia de Familias Cubanas and the University of Miami Libraries’ comprehensive Cuban Genealogy Research Guide map out archives, surname etymologies, and family lines in far greater detail.
Not fancy tools. But they worked.
Quick primer (so we’re on the same page)
Most Cuban folks use two last names—first the dad’s, then the mom’s. Example: José Martí Pérez. Sometimes it’s hyphenated (like García-Montes). Since 2019, parents in Cuba can choose the order. Accents matter a lot: Pérez isn’t Perez. And yes, you’ll see roots from many places.
What clicked for me
- Clear links to regions: Spain (Galicia, Basque Country, Canary Islands), plus Irish, Chinese, and Levantine lines
- Real examples in the wild—on plaques, in bios, on player lists
- Short notes on meaning or origin, which helps stories feel grounded
A tiny detail I loved: seeing names with mom’s side kept in full, like Castro Ruz, not just Castro. That second surname tells a story.
What bugged me
- Some lists skipped Afro-Cuban history, which felt off
- A few entries lost accents (Gonzalez instead of González)
- Stats were a bit dated in one source, which can throw you off
Still, I got what I needed. I just had to cross-check.
Real examples I used (and why)
I mixed very common names with iconic and less common ones. Short notes help the vibe.
- García, Rodríguez, Pérez, González, Hernández, Fernández, Díaz, López, Martínez, Sánchez, Álvarez, Ruiz
- Valdés, Cabrera, Domínguez, Torres, Morales, Reyes, Ramos, Vega, Blanco, Delgado
- Castro Ruz (Fidel’s full two-surname form)
- Martí Pérez (José Martí—poet and hero)
- Céspedes Quesada (Carlos Manuel de Céspedes—key figure)
- Maceo Grajales (Antonio Maceo—Afro-Cuban general; mother’s name matters here)
- Prío Socarrás (as in Carlos Prío Socarrás—see the two-part style)
- O’Farrill and O’Reilly (Irish roots seen in Cuban records)
- Echevarría, Arango, Urrutia, Ibarra (Basque flavor)
- Marrero, Batista (Canary Islands roots show up a lot)
- Zayas, Varona, Hevia, Fajardo, Ferrer, Portuondo, Lecuona, Bofill (names you’ll spot in arts and history)
- Chang, Chong, Chiu, Tam, Lim (Chinese-Cuban lines; you’ll see them in Havana records)
- Khoury, Chediak, Sabbagh (Levantine families in Cuba)
- Jean, Pierre (seen with Haitian migration)
A few combos I wrote down for my story’s family tree:
- Daniela Valdés Cabrera
- Orlando García López
- Yanelis Herrera Reyes
- Miguel Echevarría Marrero
- Lidia Chong Fernández
- Tomás O’Farrill Valdés
- Maritza Maceo Delgado
- Raúl Portuondo Pérez
Do these sound real in a Havana bakery line? Yes. That’s my test.
Little tips that saved me time
- Keep the accents: Valdés, Pérez, González. It looks right and reads right.
- Use both last names in formal bits, like records or news. Drop the second in casual speech only if it fits.
- For older public figures, search the two surnames together. You’ll find more.
- Canary names pop up often (Marrero, Batista). Basque ones too (Echevarría).
- If you write about a family, pick mom’s surname with care. It shapes the rhythm—Cabrera vs. Quesada feels different.
Who should try these resources
- Writers who want names that breathe
- Teachers building real-world examples
- Folks tracing abuelos with a box of photos and a strong cafecito
- Game devs who care about character sheets looking legit
For some researchers, meeting Cuban locals face-to-face—or even sparking a flirty chat—can unlock stories and idioms that never show up in dusty records. If that sounds like your style, you could hop onto Meet and Fuck, a fast, adults-only platform that matches you with nearby singles so you can trade cultural insights, practice street-level slang, and maybe enjoy a no-pressure hookup between archive dives.
Likewise, travelers or stateside researchers who find themselves near South Carolina’s growing Cuban diaspora might enjoy a more curated in-person encounter; browsing the bios of local Simpsonville escorts can connect you with bilingual companions whose profiles display authentic two-surname formats—handy real-world examples that can inspire fresh character names while you unwind over cafecito.
Bonus inspo: I played La Charada de la Bolita in Cuba—my honest take dives into Cuba’s beloved numbers game—perfect if you want cultural symbols to sprinkle into your story.
If you want a broader sense of Cuba’s living culture—and fresh context for these surnames—take two minutes to scroll through Lovely Cuba; the photos and local insights kept me anchored while I wrote. Need street-level lingo? Check out Cuban slang—I used it for real, here’s my take for a quick dive into the words you’ll actually hear.
One small tangent, because it matters
Afro-Cuban stories sit inside these names, even when the surname looks plain. Maceo Grajales shows it clear as day. But many lists skip that layer. I wish more guides named the roots and the courage behind them.
My take, plain and simple
This mix of tools and that small booklet got the job done. I found names with texture and truth. I needed to double-check accents and history notes, but that’s normal.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Would I use this approach again? Yep. Next time I’ll add a local paper archive and an old yearbook. Names live in those pages. And they sing.