Meaning of the surname Ortega
Ortega is a Spanish surname of the from a place type meaning "nettle field". It is one of the 50 most common surnames in Mexico. Forty-sixth in Mexico. Some link it to the bird ortega (sandgrouse).
Taken from a town, region, or landscape feature in Spain, or later in Mexico: Castillo (castle), Rivera (riverbank), Navarro (from Navarre), Ibarra (Basque valley).
In Mexico a person carries two surnames, the father's and then the mother's, so Ortega appears as either half of a pair: Ortega García, López Ortega. Read how the two-surname system works.