Nerja Today

Spanish Names

The Spanish usually have one Christian name (nombre) and two surnames (apellidos).

In many cases, the Christian name is double-barrelled, such as María José or the popular Juan Carlos.

Unlike many countries, the Spanish possess two surnames. This is because when a girl marries, she does not give up her surname but keeps it and just adds it to that of her husband. The two surnames are then passed on to the children.

Spain is a Roman Catholic country, and a lot of importance has always been placed on a persons Saint Day or Name Day. In the past, they were more important than birthdays and babies names in Spanish often reflected this fact. Gifts and cards used to be given to a person on this day, although this practice is gradually dying out and the birthday is becoming the more important celebration.

As with other Christian countries, many names in use today originate from the Bible. The practice of giving children the name of a famous saint or martyr has always been strongly encouraged by the Church. Some of these saints appear in the New Testament, where the names are generally either Hebrew (for example Juan and María) or Greek (such as Lucas or Pedro). Old Testament names, predominantly Hebrew in origin, include Adán (Adam), Eva (Eve) and Rut (Ruth).

Being a Roman Catholic country, there is also a class of feminine names which are given in honour of the Virgin Mary. Dolores and Mercedes are taken from the titles of Mary, whilst others such as Concepción, Inmaculada and Anunciación refer to events in her life.

Germanic tribes once ruled much of Spain and their influence on names still remains. Carlos, Luís and Matilda are Spanish equivalents of names adopted from the Germanic tribes.

A long period of Muslim rule also left its legacy as far as names are concerned. The female name Almudena (as in the Cathedral of Almudena, Madrid) is derived from the Arabic al-madinat, meaning the city.

Times are slowly changing and many present day Spaniards are adopting some of the more modern names used in other countries, including those of pop, film or sports stars.