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Hispanic Names

If it seems that Hispanic people have longer names than their English speaking counterparts, it's because they usually do. One extreme example is Pablo Picasso. His full name is "Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso." Hispanic names tell a story. You can learn a lot about a Spanish-speaker from their full name.

Last Names (Surnames)

Hispanics usually have two last names or "apellidos." The first surname is usually their father's surname (known as the "apellido paterno"), and the second surname is usually their mother's maiden name (the "apellido materno"). Therefore Diego Garcia Reyes has a father whose surname is "Garcia" and a mother whose maiden name is "Reyes." Carla Rodriguez Calderón has a father whose surname name is "Rodriguez" and a mother whose maiden name is "Calderón." In some places a "y" is used to separate the last names (e.g. Carla Rodriguez y Calderón). In this way, the mother's maiden name is preserved a generation longer than in the traditional English custom. (Some English speakers are also adopting this concept by using the mother's maiden name as a middle name for a child.)

Examples of the full names of famous Latinos:

Many Hispanic last names are historical occupations (e.g. "Molinero" = miller, "Herrero" = blacksmith). Many are descriptions of what a person was like (e.g. "Delgado" = thin). And some are descriptions of where a person was from (e.g. "De La Vega" = "from the meadow"). Also, many Hispanic last names end in "-es" or "-ez" which is a way of signifying who a parent was (e.g. "Fernandez" = son of Fernando, "Ramirez" = son of Ramiro, etc.)

Some common Hispanic last names:

Marriage

When two people get married, there is a decision to be made about last names. In some countries a woman's name will not change at all, but in other places a woman will drop her second surname and replace it with her husband's first surname. Let's say that Diego and Carla from the above example meet, fall in love, and get married. Diego's name will not change, "Diego Garcia Reyes," but Carla's might change from "Carla Rodriguez Calderón" to "Carla Rodriguez Garcia." She may also include a "de" to indicate that her name is due to a marriage: "Carla Rodriguez de Garcia." Or she could even keep entire name and add "de Garcia" to the end: "Carla Rodriguez Calderón de Garcia." This idea is also appearing in the English-speaking world where a woman will hyphenate her maiden name with her new husband's last name.

Children

Now let's say that Diego and Carla have a son, Felipe. Felipe's complete name will be a combination of Diego's and Carla's last names: "Felipe Garcia Rodriguez." If they have a daughter, Gabriela, her complete name will be, "Gabriela Garcia Rodriguez."

Some Hispanics living in North America have begun hyphenating their last names to avoid confusion on forms and paperwork in a traditional English system. So that he doesn't inadvertently become "Felipe G. Rodriguez" on his first driver's license, Felipe may fill-out the paperwork as "Felipe Garcia-Rodriguez."

First Names

Spanish speakers also tend to have more "first names" than English speakers. This can be for a variety of reasons. Traditionally, many Hispanic children were named after saints, especially the patron saint of their birthday. More names were then added in honor of other saints (and therefore increase divine protection) or to honor other relatives. Many traditional names (like "Ana") are so popular that a second (or third) name is included to avoid any confusion (e.g. "Ana María," "Ana Lucía").

There is a huge variety of Spanish first names just as there is in English. Many names (especially Biblical ones) have English equivalents (José = Joseph, María = Mary, Juan = John, Miguel = Michael, Mateo = Matthew, etc.). Many names (especially indigenous ones) cannot be translated (e.g. Xochil, Ximena). Names that would be considered normal or popular in one country may not be used at all in another. And sometimes Hispanic people have names that just seem out of place, like "Jessica," "Giovanni," "Vladimir" or even "Lenin."

Now would be a good time to note that even if a Spanish name has an English equivalent, you shouldn't translate it: "José Reyes" does not become "Joseph Kings."

Here is a list of some popular Hispanic first names:

Middle Names

Spanish does not use a "middle name" per se, but rather the second first name ("segundo nombre") is considered the middle name when filling out paperwork.

Nicknames

Just as in English, many Spanish speakers receive nicknames (whether they want them or not). Some people are given nicknames (or "apodos") based on their ancestry (e.g. Chino = "Chinese guy," Ruso = "the Russian"), or because of personal characteristics (e.g. Gusano = "the worm," Maquina = "the machine," Clavo = "nail"). In Sandra Cisneros' book, Caramelo, a character is nicknamed "Reloj" because one arm is longer than the other.

Some nicknames are just variations or abbreviations of given names. Some common nicknames: