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THE HISTORY OF SPANISH NAMES
In
medieval times, a patronymic
system similar to the one still
used in Iceland emerged for
family names in Spain. For
example, Álvaro, son of Rodrigo,
would be named Álvaro Rodríguez.
His son, Juan, would not
be named Juan Rodríguez, rather
Juan Álvarez. Over time, many
of these patronymic names became
family names and are some of the
most common names in the
Spanish-speaking world. Other
sources of surnames refer to a
person’s physical appearance
or habit: Delgado (thin),
Moreno (dark); occupations:
Molina (miller), Guerrero
(warrior); geographic
location or ethnicity:
Alemán (German).
In
Spain and in some Latin American
countries (former Spanish
colonies), each person has
two family or last names
(although in some situations
only the first one is used):
the first last name is
the paternal family name
(the father’s): the second
last name is the first last name
of the mother, or the
maternal last name.
Depending on the country, these
may or may not be linked by the
conjunction “y” (and) or “de”
(of). Today this may even be a
hyphen if both last names
are displayed. However, in many
South American countries people
have now adopted the Anglo way
and use only a single family
name.
Presently in the
Spanish-speaking world, women
traditionally keep their two
maiden family names intact upon
marrying. In certain
situations, the wife may be
addressed as if her maternal
surname were substituted with
her husband’s paternal surname
often linked with “de”.
An
example:
Mr. José Manuel Álvarez y
Ramírez.
Álvarez = Paternal family last
name
Ramírez = Maternal family last
name
José marries Miss María Elena
González y Pineda
González = Paternal family last
name
Pineda = Maternal family last
name
Her name now can be: María
Elena González y Pineda de
Alvarez
“de” indicates marriage to Mr.
Alvarez
She more than likely would
still call herself, María
Elena González y Pineda, wife
(or even widow) of Alvarez.
If
they have a child, Juan
Miguel, his name comes from
the paternal name of
both his parents: Juan
Miguel Alvarez y González.
A
daughter’s name would be
constructed in the same way as
the son’s.
Please remember that there are
exceptions to every rule and a
name can and will often change
on a whim of its owner.
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