How are Spanish names given?

Spanish names typically consist of a given name (simple or composite) followed by two surnames. Historically, the first surname was the father’s first surname, and the second the mother’s first surname. In these cases, it is even common to use only the second surname, as in “Lorca”, “Picasso” or “Zapatero”.

Why do Spaniards have two last names?

In this case, quite a lot. The tradition in Spain is for a child to take on the surname of their father and mother, hence why most Spanish people always have two surnames.

What are typical Spanish names?

While our grandparents are called Francisco, Antonio, José, or Manuel and María, Ana, Carmen, or Dolores, the most common names throughout Spain in 2017 according to the National Institute of Statistics were Lucía, Sofía, María, Martina, and Paula for girls and Lucas, Hugo, Martín, Daniel, and Pablo for boys.

What are some Spanish first names?

A few of our favorite names with religious references are:

Mateo – meaning gift of god.
Sofia – meaning wisdom.
Alejandro – meaning defender of the people.
Isabella – meaning pledged to god.
Santiago – meaning Saint James, the patron saint of Spain.
Valentina – meaning health and strength.

What are some unique Spanish names?

These names are hot in Spain, but haven’t become too common in the United States yet. Alba Alma (there are those A names again) Carmen Eulalia Gael Laia Triana Vega Vera

What are the most popular Spanish first names?

The figures also revealed the most common names in Spain across all ages. For women, the most common name is Maria Carmen , followed by Maria, Carmen, Josefa and Isabel. For men, Antonio is the most common name, followed by Jose, Manuel, Francisco and Juan.

Do Spanish have middle names?

No one has a middle name in Spain, but it’s fairly common to have multiple first names, e.g. Juan Carlos , María José, Luis Miguel, etc. Sometimes these are contracted to names like Majo or Luismi, and some people have two first names but only use one. When a Spaniard becomes famous, it is quite common,…

What is an example of a Spanish name?

For example, Bosque [forest] becomes del Bosque, Peña [rock] is de la Peña, Viña [vine] is de la Viña. In Spanish indexes of surnames, it is important to note that the prefixes in such names as de la Torre may be ignored in alphabetization. Be sure to search under both parts of a name.

How are Spanish names given? Spanish names typically consist of a given name (simple or composite) followed by two surnames. Historically, the first surname was the father’s first surname, and the second the mother’s first surname. In these cases, it is even common to use only the second surname, as in “Lorca”, “Picasso” or “Zapatero”.…