Spanish naming customs: Difference between revisions

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In many Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries (also in Catalan-speaking regions), everybody has two surnames, one inherited from the father, one from the mother. Parents pass on to their children the name they have inherited from their father.

In Spanish-speaking countries, the name of the father is put before the name of the mother; these are then known as the apellido paterno ("paternal surname") and the apellido materno or segundo apellido (maternal or second surname). When a woman marries, she customarily drops her own maternal surname, and adopts her husband's paternal surname, with "de" ("of") inserted between. Thus if "Ángela López Sáenz" marries "Tomás Portillo Blanco", she becomes "Ángela López de Portillo". If, as is very common in Spanish-speaking families, they chose to perpetuate their forenames into the next generation, their children would be "Tomás Portillo López" and "Ángela Portillo López".

In countries where Portuguese is spoken, the maternal surname is placed before the paternal surname.

Catalan has very similar conventions to Spanish, except that (1) a woman's name does not change after marriage and (2) a person's two surnames are separated by "i" ("and"). A real-world example would be the current (as of 2004) president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pasqual Maragall i Mira. Others are more commonly known only by a single last name; his predecessor is generally referred to simply as "Jordi Pujol," but is more properly "Jordi Pujol i Soley."

The prevalence of this custom of using two surnames varies. For example, Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country, but most Argentinians use only their paternal surname. Thus, one would almost never hear Jorge Luis Borges referred to as "Borges Acevedo", although a native Spanish speaker would certainly understand that usage.

Often, one specifies for brevity only one of the two surnames, usually the one inherited from one's father. Thus, if one were to shorten the name of Gabriel García Márquez, it should be "García", not "Márquez" (although in his case it is more likely to be his nickname "Gabo"). Occasionally, a person with a common paternal surname and an uncommon maternal surname becomes widely known by the maternal surname, as with Federico García Lorca, sometimes known simply as "Lorca".

In Spanish, most surnames ending in "-ez" have originated as patronymics. Thus "López" originally meant "son of Lope," "Fernández" meant "son of Fernando," etc. Other common examples of this are "Hernández" (from "Hernando"), "Rodríguez" (from "Rodrigo"), "Sánchez" (from "Sancho"), "Martínez" (from "Martín"), and "Álvarez" (from "Álvaro").

See also: Name

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 In countries where Portuguese is spoken, the maternal surname is placed before the paternal surname.
-Catalan, has very similar conventions to Spanish, except for the names after marriage. A married couple have an identical pair of surnames, with the man's paternal surname first, and the woman's paternal surname second, separated by ''"i"'' ("and"). Thus if "Elena Tallet Carnicer" marries "Marc Godoy Puig," they become "Elena Godoy i Tallet" and "Marc Godoy i Tallet", respectively. A real-world example would be the current ([[as of 2004]]) president of the [[Generalitat de Catalunya]], [[Pasqual Maragall i Mira]]. Others are more commonly known only by a single last name; his predecessor is generally referred to simply as "[[Jordi Pujol]]," but is more properly "Jordi Pujol i Soley."
+Catalan has very similar conventions to Spanish, except that (1) a woman's name does not change after marriage and (2) a person's two surnames are separated by ''"i"'' ("and"). A real-world example would be the current ([[as of 2004]]) president of the [[Generalitat de Catalunya]], [[Pasqual Maragall i Mira]]. Others are more commonly known only by a single last name; his predecessor is generally referred to simply as "[[Jordi Pujol]]," but is more properly "Jordi Pujol i Soley."
-The prevalence of this custom varies. For example, [[Argentina]] is a Spanish-speaking country, but most Argentinians use only their paternal surname. Thus, one would almost never hear [[Jorge Luis Borges]] referred to as "Borges Acevedo", although a native Spanish speaker would certainly understand that usage.
+The prevalence of this custom of using two surnames varies. For example, [[Argentina]] is a Spanish-speaking country, but most Argentinians use only their paternal surname. Thus, one would almost never hear [[Jorge Luis Borges]] referred to as "Borges Acevedo", although a native Spanish speaker would certainly understand that usage.
 Often, one specifies for brevity only one of the two surnames, usually the one inherited from one's father. Thus, if one were to shorten the name of [[Gabriel García Márquez]], it should be "García", not "Márquez" (although in his case it is more likely to be his nickname "Gabo"). Occasionally, a person with a common paternal surname and an uncommon maternal surname becomes widely known by the maternal surname, as with [[Federico García Lorca]], sometimes known simply as "Lorca".