López

López is a Spanish patronymic surname meaning "son of Lope." The given name Lope is a medieval form derived from the Latin Lupus, meaning wolf. The -ez suffix signals "son of" in Iberian naming traditions, a pattern shared with other surnames formed from personal names.

The surname is among the most common in Spain and across the Spanish-speaking world. In Spain, López is especially frequent in Castile and Galicia. Through Spanish colonization and later migrations, the name spread to Latin America and the Philippines, where it remains very common. In the United States, López is a prevalent surname among Hispanic communities, and the Anglicized form Lopez is widely seen in English-language contexts.

Variants of the surname include Lopez, used without the accent in non-Spanish contexts. While related in origin to similar Iberian patronymics, Lopes is a Portuguese surname and is not a direct variant of López, though it shares a common root in the Latin lupus meaning wolf.

Notable individuals with the surname include Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has served as President of Mexico since 2018, and Jennifer López, an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. The surname appears across politics, sports, arts, and academia in many Spanish-speaking countries and among Hispanic communities worldwide.