Gender: Masculine
Origin: Mapuche
Meaning: “speedy Southern Caracara.”

The name is a hispanifization of the Mapuche name Lef-Traru, a double name composed of the Mapudungan words, lef (speedy; fast) and traru (the word for the Southern Caracara, a type of bird indigenous to Chile).

The name was borne by a famous Mapuche military leader who led an uprising against the Spanish in Chile (1535-1557).

In Chile, Lautaro is seen as the first Chilean military hero and he is often viewed as a symbol of patriotism. However, the name is extremely popular in Argentina and not in Chile.

Lautaro is currently 4th most popular male name in Argentina, (2009). Its popularity in Argentina may be more due to the associations of the Logia Lautaro, an 19th century Revolutionary Latin American society that was formed by patriots against the Spanish royalists.

Either way, whether in Argentina or Chile the name represents strong patriotic sentiments whether the bearers be of European or Indigenous ancestry.

It is also the name of a volcano in Chile.

It is currently borne by Argentine footballer, Lautaro Acosta (b.1988)


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