Spanish female names and their meanings. Spanish First and Last Names: Taj Mahal Sanchez and Hitler Eufemio Mayora

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Spain, 2014

SELECT YEAR 2014 2013 2008–2010

State in southwestern Europe. Located on the Iberian Peninsula. It borders Portugal, the British possession of Gibraltar, Morocco in northern Africa, France and Andorra. The capital is Madrid. Population – 47,370,542 (2013). The indigenous population is Spaniards (Castilians), Catalans, Basques, Galicians. official languages– Castilian (Spanish); in the autonomous regions, along with it, there are other languages ​​(Catalan-Valencian-Balearic, Basque, Galician, Aranese). 95% of believers are Catholics.

The website of the Institute of National Statistics (El Instituto Nacional de Estadística) has a section with data on the 100 most common first names of newborns in Spain (based on birth records) for each year since 2002. The most recent data is for 2014. Leader the male name was a name Daniel. For girls, the most common was Lucia. The statistics on the Institute’s website are presented in such a way that you can find out popular names both nationwide and for each administrative community of the country plus two autonomous cities. Also of interest are data on the top 10 names of people from different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

There is a lot of other things on the Institute’s website interesting material on the history of choosing names in Spain and on modern system names So, there is a list of names that appear at least 20 times. As of January 1, 2014, there were 24,853 men and 24,781 women. One can imagine the amount of work facing Spanish linguists if they set themselves the task of compiling an etymological dictionary including all these names. I'm not even talking about the task of covering names with lower frequency (less than 20) with such a dictionary. However, the number of different, unique names is somewhat smaller, since Spanish statistics consider not only single names, but also combinations of names like Maria Carmen as independent names.

As of January 1, 2014 in Spain, the most common male name was Antonio(727,164 people). Next in descending frequency are the names Jose, Manuel, Francisco, Juan, David, Jose Antonio, Jose Luis, Javier, Francisco Javier. The most common name for women is Maria Carmen(672,523 speakers). Further - Maria, Carmen, Josefa, Isabel, Ana Maria, Maria Pilar, Maria Dolores, Maria Teresa, Ana.

The Institute’s materials also show how anthroponymic preferences changed over the decades (lists of the 50 most common names, distributed by date of birth).

Those men born before 1930, in the 30s and 40s, most often have a masculine name Jose. Those born in the 50s and 60s most often have the name Antonio. The most common among those born in the 70s and 80s is David. In the 90s and after 2000, the name was most often given Alejandro. As you can see, the name usually stays among the leaders for two decades.

As for female names, the number of leading names here is poorer than among male ones. Until the 30s, in the 30s the name was in the lead Maria. In the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, a double name was most often given Maria Carmen. In the 80s the leader was the name Laura. In the 90s and after 2000 - again Maria.

I will give you 25 of the most common male and female names born in 2014. Links to pages with data for some more early years are in the drop-down list to the right of the title before the text (see Select year). More full picture every visitor to this page can find it on the website of El Instituto Nacional de Estadística (link at the end of the page).

Boys names

In brackets - Russian spelling

Place	Name	Number of adverbs
1	Hugo	5 121
2	Daniel (Daniel)	4 859
3	Pablo (Pablo)	4 494
4	Alejandro (Alejandro)	4 116
5	Alvaro (Alvaro)	3 670
6	Adrian (Adrian)	3 463
7	David	3 376
8	Martin	3 181
9	Mario	3 067
10	Diego	3 000
11	Javier	2 531
12	Manuel	2 475
13	Lucas	2 446
14	Nicolas (Nicholas)	2 319
15	Marcos (Marcos)	2 244
16	Leo (Leo)	2 162
17	Sergio (Sergio)	2 138
18	Mateo (Mateo)	2 107
19	Izan (Isan)	1 947
20	Alex (Alex)	1 935
21	Iker (Iker)	1 917
22	Marc (Mark)	1 902
23	Jorge	1 873
24	Carlos (Carlos)	1 772
25	Miguel (Miguel)	1 713

Girls names

In brackets - Russian spelling

Place	Name	Number of adverbs
1	Lucia (Lucia)	5 161
2	Maria (Maria)	4 951
3	Martina (Martina)	4 380
4	Paula (Paula)	4 210
5	Daniela (Daniela)	3 792
6	Sofia (Sofia)	3 568
7	Valeria (Valeria)	3 246
8	Carla (Carla)	3 138
9	Sara (Sarah)	3 116
10	Alba	3 111
11	Julia (Hulia)	3 107
12	Noa	2 744
13	Emma (Emma)	2 479
14	Claudia (Claudia)	2 456
15	Carmen	2 147
16	Marta (Martha)	1 998
17	Valentina (Valentina)	1 936
18	Irene	1 902
19	Adriana (Adriana)	1 881
20	Ana	1 797
21	Laura (Laura)	1 794
22	Elena (Elena)	1 781
23	Alejandra (Alejandra)	1 552
24	Ainhoa	1 485
25	Ines	1 410

Every name, male or female, has its own story. It is almost impossible to determine exactly where and under what circumstances children first began to be called by one name or another. Each has a history, dating back to ancient myths and legends. Most likely, most names simply indicate a character trait that they want to instill in a child.

But why do new names appear? There are different reasons: wars, geographical or scientific discoveries, emigration and immigration of the population.

If you look at the document of a Spanish citizen, you can see no more than 2 names and 2 surnames, despite the fact that in most European countries their number is unlimited. This is due to the fact that the state takes this issue seriously enough to avoid numerous confusions. When baptizing babies, you can assign any names allowed (approved) by the church in unlimited quantities. Typically this is done like this:

• The eldest son receives the first name of his father, the second - his grandfather on the male line;
• The eldest daughter first takes the name of her mother, and then the name of her maternal grandmother.

In general, a Spanish name consists of three main elements: a personal name ( nombre) and two surnames ( apellido): father ( apellido paterno or primer apellido) and mother ( apellido maternoorsegundo apellido).

The Spaniards are practicing Catholics; they attach great importance to the church in their lives, and therefore most of the names have their roots in Catholic saints. Spaniards do not like unusual and extravagant names and do not accept them in their lives. There are cases when the state refused to receive foreigners due to the fact that their names were quite unusual (for example, it is impossible to determine the gender of the bearer).

Many people associate Latin American countries with Spain, since in these territories Spanish is the official language, and when studying Spanish, the teacher can emphasize the differences between cultures and pronunciations. When it comes to names, there are also very big differences, despite the fact that Latinos use Spanish names. The only difference is that they can name the child whatever they want. Children are called English, American or even Russian names if the parents like it, and this will not be punishable by the state.

We can take the terrorist from Venezuela as an example. His name was Ilyich, and his brothers were Lenin and Vladimir Ramirez Sanchez. The staunch communist father reflected his views on life through the names of his children.

But such exceptions are extremely rare, although modernity has no boundaries or stereotypes. In Spain, simple and classic names with complex meanings, for example, Juan, Juanita, Julio, Julia, Maria, Diego, etc.

Separately, I would like to highlight the names and their origin (female):

• Biblical names: Anna, Mary, Martha, Magdalena, Isabel;
• Latin and greek names: Barbora, Veronica, Elena, Paola;
• Germanic: Erica, Motilda, Caroline, Louise, Frida.

• Biblical names: Miguel, Jose, Thomas, David, Daniel, Adan, Juan;
• Greek and Latin names: Sergio, Andres, Alejandro, Hector, Pablo, Nicholas;
• German: Alonso, Alfonso, Luis, Carlos, Raymond, Fernando, Enrique, Ernesto, Raul, Rodrigue, Roberto.

Spanish female names and their meanings

• Agata – good
• Adelita (Adelita), Alicia (Alicia) Adela, Adelia (Adela) – noble
• Adora - adored
• Alondra – protector of humanity
• Alba – dawn, dawn
• Alta - high
• Angelina, Angel, Angelica - angel, angelic, messenger
• Anita – diminutive of Ana – benefit
• Ariadna – perfect, pure, immaculate
• Arcelia (Arcelia) Araceli, Aracelis (Aracelis) – wanderer, traveler
• Benita – blessed
• Bernardita – bear
• Blanca – clean, white
• Benita – blessed
• Valencia – domineering
• Veronica – victorious
• Gertrudis, Gertrudis – spear strength
• Gracia – graceful, graceful
• Jesusa - saved
• Juana, Juanita – merciful
• Dorotea – God's gift
• Elena – moon, torch
• Josefina - rewarder
• Ibby, Isabel (Isabel) – oath to God
• Inés – innocent, chaste
• Candelaria – candle
• Carla, Carolina – human
• Carmela and Carmelita - name in honor of Our Lady of Carmel
• Constancia – constant
• Consuela – consoler, the name is given in honor of Our Lady of Consolation (Nuestra Señora del Consuelo)
• Conchita - diminutive of Concepción - derived from the Latin concepto - “to become pregnant, to conceive.” The name is given in honor Immaculate Conception Virgin Mary (Inmaculada Concepción)
• Cristina – Christian
• Cruz - cross, pectoral cross
• Camila - servant of the gods, priestess
• Catalina – pure soul
• Leticia – joyful, happy
• Laura – laurel, (“crowned with laurel”)
• Luisa, Luisita – warrior
• Marita – diminutive of Maria – desired, beloved
• Marta – mistress of the house
• Mercedes - merciful, all-merciful (in honor of the Virgin Mary - María de las Mercedes)
• Maribel – fierce
• Nina – baby
• Ophelia - assistant
• Pepita – God will give another son
• Perla, Perlita – pearl
• Pilar, Pili – pillar, column
• Paloma - dove
• Ramona – wise protector
• Rebeca – alluring on the net
• Reina – queen, queen
• Renata – reborn
• Sarita (diminutive of Sara) - noble woman, mistress
• Sofia - wise
• Susana – water lily
• Trinidad – Trinity
• Francisca - free
• Chiquita is a diminutive name meaning little girl.
• Abigaíl – joy for father
• Evita – diminutive of Eva – lively, lively
• Elvira – friendly
• Esmeralda - emerald
• Estela, derived from Estrella - star

Spanish male names and their meanings

• Agustin - great
• Alberto, Alonso, Alfonso - noble
• Alfredo – elf
• Amado – favorite
• Andrés – warrior
• Antonio (Antonio) – flower
• Armando – strong, brave
• Aurelio – golden
• Basilio – regal
• Benito - blessed
• Berenguer, Bernardino, Bernardo – the strength and courage of a bear
• Valentin – healthy, strong
• Victor, Victorino, Vincente – winner and conqueror,
• Gaspar – teacher, master
• Gustavo - staff, support
• Horatio – excellent eyesight
• Damian - to tame, to subdue
• Desi - desired
• Herman (German) – brother
• Gilberto – light
• Diego – doctrine, teaching
• Jesus (Jesús) - named after Jesus, diminutives: Chucho, Chuy, Chuza, Chuchi, Chus, Chuso and others.
• Ignacio – fire
• Yousef - God will give another son
• Carlos – man, husband
• Christian (Cristian) – Christian
• Leandro – lion man
• Lucio - light
• Mario (Mario) – man
• Marcos, Marcelino, Marcelo, Marcial, Martin - names derived from the name of the Roman God of War - Mars, warlike
• Mateo – gift from Yahweh
• Mauricio – dark-skinned, Moor
• Modesto - modest, moderate, sober
• Maximino (Maximino), Maximo (Máximo) – great
• Nicholas (Nicolás) – victory of the people
• Osvaldo (Osvaldo) – owning, having power
• Pablo – baby
• Paco – free
• Pasqual – child of Easter
• Pastor – shepherd
• Patricio – noble, noble origin
• Pio (Pío) – pious, virtuous
• Rafael – divine healing
• Ricardo, Rico – strong, persistent
• Rodolfo, Raul – wolf
• Rodrigo – ruler, leader
• Rolando - famous land
• Raynaldo - sage - ruler
• Sal, diminutive of Salvador - savior
• Sancho, Santos – saint
• Severino, Severo – strict, stern
• Sergio – servant
• Silvestre, Silvio – forest
• Salomón – peaceful
• Tadeo – grateful
• Teobaldo - a brave man
• Thomas (Tomás) – twin
• Tristan – rebel, rebel
• Fabricio – artisan
• Fausto – lucky guy
• Felipe – horse lover
• Fernando – brave, courageous
• Fidel - the most devoted, faithful
• Flavio – golden-haired
• Francisco (Francisco) - free
• Juan, Juanito – good God
• Julian, Julio - curly
• Edmundo – prosperous, protector
• Emilio – rival
• Enrique – powerful ruler
• Ernesto – diligent, diligent
• Esteban - name means crown
• Yusbayo, Yusebio - devout

The most popular names among adults:

• Jose (José)
• Antonio
• Juan
• Manuel
• Francisco

Among newborn babies:

• Daniel
• Alejandro
• Pablo
• David
• Adrian

If we return to female names, the following names are now popular among women:

• Maria
• Carmen
• Ana
• Isabel (Isabel)
• Dolores

And among girls, that is, recently born children:

• Lucia
• Maria
• Paula
• Sarah (Zara)
• Carla

As you noticed, it is very important for Spaniards that their names are easily understood, abandoning rare and unusual options, which significantly affects the reduction of the language barrier with foreign citizens.

Sometimes the connection between a full and a diminutive name is almost impossible to determine by ear: for example, at home little Francisco can be called Paco, Pancho and even Curro, Alfonso - Honcho, Eduardo - Lalo, Jesus - Chucho, Chuy or Chus, Anunciación - Chon or Chonita. In the same way, it is difficult for foreigners to understand why we call Alexander Shurik :)

Almost all Spanish names are simple but beautiful. We hope that getting to know them will make it easier for you to communicate with native Spanish speakers, because now you know a little more about the Spaniards!

In Spain, when baptizing, it is customary to give several names, although according to the law, it is allowed to enter no more than two names and two surnames into documents. When choosing, they are most often guided by the calendar of Catholic saints, which is strictly controlled even at the legislative level. A person with an unusual name may not be accepted into the state at all. But the classic ones, like Maria, Camilla and Carmen, constantly top the Spanish lists of popular names.

Roots of Spanish names

Typically, a Spanish woman has one given name and two surnames (father and mother). In noble families, children are given several surnames, which is why many famous Spaniards have very long names. The eldest daughter is named after her mother and grandmother. Often girls are called by the names with which their godparents or priest christened them. In everyday life they use one or two names.

Since Spaniards often take names from the Bible, many of them have Hebrew and Aramaic roots. The names Eva (from Eve) and Maria (from the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ) are very popular. Popular biblical names: Ana, Magdalena, Isabel, Martha. Historians have found that Spanish names are also borrowed from Greek, Germanic, Roman and Arabic. From Greece and Rome the Spaniards took Helena, Catalina, Veronica, Paulina and Barbara. Spanish names with Germanic roots: Erika, Matilda, Luisa, Carolina and Frida.

Spanish names and their meaning in Catholicism

The Spaniards love epithets and the same surnames. For example, the name Mercedes means “mercy” and Dolores “angel”. Some surnames are derived from various titles. So Dona, Señorita and Señora mean “your grace.”

Both in Orthodox Christianity and in Catholic Christianity, it is customary to baptize children and give the name of the saint who is revered on this day. And since Spain is a Catholic country, this tradition is strictly adhered to. Often girls are named after icons and statues, but one of the most revered is the Mother of God. Also revered is the statue of the Virgin Mary of Montserrat, after whom the famous opera singer Montserrat Caballe was named.

Abbreviation of Spanish names

Since Spanish names are often very long, people have learned to skillfully shorten them. The most popular and in a simple way adding or subtracting suffixes is considered to form a shortened form. Guadalupe will become Lupita, and the woman Teresa will be called Tere. There are also completely incomprehensible abbreviations: Jesus can be called Chucho, and Francis can be called Paquita, Kika or Curra. However, such confusion also occurs in other countries. For example, it is difficult to associate the names Robert and Bob or Alexander and Shurik.

Diminutive forms are also formed from suffixes. So Gabriel turns into Gabrielita, and Juana into Juanita. In Spain, another problem is that different names can have the same diminutive forms. Those with the names Acheles and Consuelo can be called Chelo. Also pet names are created from two: Maria and Luis form Marisa, and the combination of Lucia and Fernanda sounds like a wild Lucifer, which is known to be the name of the devil.

In Spain, it is very important that a person’s gender can be determined by their passport name, so permission to include abbreviated and diminutive forms in documents is a recent development.

Among Spanish names, as in other countries, there are genderless names. These are Amparo, Sol, Socorro, Consuelo, Pilar. But the big problem is the sound and endings. For Russians, it is difficult to perceive a female name with a masculine ending. So, for example, Rosario, quite a feminine name with the diminutive Charito.

The most popular Spanish names:

1. Maria
2. Carmen
3. Isabel
4. Dolores
5. Pilar
6. Joseph
7. Teresa
8. Antonia
9. Lucia
10. Paula
11. Carla
12. Caludia
13. Laura
14. Martha
15. Alba
16. Valeria
17. Ximena
18. Maria Guadalupe
19. Daniela
20. Mariana
21. Andrey
22. Maria Josa
23. Sofia

Most Spanish names sound strange to us. AND main feature is that many names consist of two. In famous Spanish TV series you could hear about Maria Lourdes or Maria Magdalena. The tradition did not originate empty space. The first name corresponds to the patron, and the second is given to choose from in order to characterize the owner. It is the second name that a person is usually called in everyday life, but the official one remains on paper.

Names by character

• good Agatha and Agotha;
• consoling Consuela;
• strong Adriana;
• good Benigna;
• noble Adeline and Adelaide;
• graceful Aina;
• militant Louise;
• noble Alicia;
• Princess Zerita;
• pure Blanca and Ariadne;
• regal Marcela;
• devoted Fidelia;
• beloved Adoración;
• assistant Ophelia;
• invaluable Antonia;
• protector Aleyandra;
• brave Bernardita;
• victorious Veronica;
• pleasant Grekila;
• listening to Jimena;
• light Luz;
• famous Clarice;
• blessed Macerena;
• Lady Martha;
• Martyr Martirayo;
• merciful Piedad;
• heavenly Melestina;
• the admiring Mareia;
• flawless Imaculeda;
• chaste Ines;
• free Paka;
• guardian of Custodia;
• friendly Novia;
• stalwart Consuela;
• wonderful Milegros;
• cardiac Corazon;
• prosperous Cressincia;
• rich Odelis;
• Esperanza, who embodies hope;
• Mutual Cruzita
• guardian Camila;
• bright Leocadia;
• advisor Monica;
• true Elvira;
• thin Erkilia;
• desired Loida;
• pleasant Nochema;
• courteous Olalla and Eufemia;
• constant Pippi;
• stone Petrona;
• struggling Ernesta;
• devout Pia;
• stalwart Pilar;
• crowned Estefania;
• old-fashioned Priscilla;
• wise Raymunda;
• treacherous Rebecca;
• girl Nina;
• Saint Sens;
• homemade Enricueta;
• lonely Soledad;
• lucky Felicidad;
• devoted Fedilia;
• comforted Chelo;
• live Evita;
• cautious Prudencia.

Meaning from words:

• Kamela (vineyard);
• Alba (dawn);
• Rosario (rosary);
• Belen (house of bread);
• Domina (belongs to the master);
• Lolita (sadness);
• Elvira (from a foreign country);
• Renata (resurrection);
• Almudena (city);
• Idoya (reservoir);
• Paloma (dove);
• Rosita (rose);
• Justina (hyacinth flower);
• Areseli (altar of heaven);
• Berengaria (bear spear);
• Debord (bee);
• Susana (lily);
• Deiphilia (daughter of God);
• Dulce (candy);
• Angelita (little angel);
• Pearl (pearl);
• Candelaria (candle);
• Niv (snow);
• Reina (queen);
• Charo (rosary);
• Esmeralda (emerald).

What they wish for the child:

• high position Alte;
• Beatrice's travels;
• the authorities of Valencia;
• Leticia's happiness;
• love to Marita and Amédé;
• faith Manuela;
• Rebecca's attractiveness;
• Blessings Benita;
• sweet life of Adonsia;
• Bibiene's cheerfulness;
• royal life of Basilia;
• Have a bright journey to Elena;
• gold of Nubia;
• salvation of Jesus;
• health Salute.

Spanish law states that every citizen has the right to officially own no more than two given names and surnames. At baptism, they can give the child several names, it all depends on the wishes of the parents. Typically, the eldest daughter is named after her mother, and the second daughter is named after her maternal grandmother. The main and main source of names in Spain are the Catholic Saints. There are very few unusual names among these people, since Spanish registration legislation very strictly controls this process. Those with unusual names have zero chance of obtaining citizenship in Spain. In the Spanish-language hit parade of names, the first places are almost annually headed by such classic names as Carmen, Camila, Maria...

Simple name Maria

The name Maria is considered a fairly common name in Spain. It is given not only to girls, but also to boys, as a makeweight: Jose Maria, for example. At the same time, most Spanish and Latin American Marias are listed in documents in a completely different way, for example, as Maria de los Mercedes, Maria de los Dolores, but in everyday life girls are called Dolores, Mercedes. Such names come from various titles of Our Lady, for example, Maria de los Mercedes means "Mary of Mercies" and Maria de los Dolores "Mary of Sorrows".

A short list of names derived from the titles of the Mother of God:

Maria del Amparo - Mary the Patroness, Mary the Protector

Maria de la Anunciación - Mary of the Blessed

Maria de la Luz - Bright Maria

Maria de los Milagros - Mary the Miraculous

Maria de la Piedad - Mary the Honored

Maria del Socorro - Mary the Helper

Maria de la Cruz - Mary of the Cross

Maria del Consuelo - Mary the Comforter

Maria de la Salud - Maria of Health

Maria del Pilar - Pillar Maria

In real life, girls with such pious names are called Amparo, Luz, Anunciación, Milagros, Socorro, Piedad, Consuelo, Cruz, Salud and Pilar.

A short list of Spanish girl names:

What do Spanish names mean: interpretation and history of origin

The formation of the Spanish national language, which belongs to the Romance group of Indo-European, dates back to the 15th century, that is, to the period of the unification of the feudal states located on the Iberian Peninsula. language family. The history of the Spaniards in previous eras explains the presence in their language of Greek, Latin, Old High German, as well as Arabic words. The above fully applies to Spanish anthroponymy.

In the 15th-16th centuries, the Spanish colonization of America began. Spanish colonizers of the South, Central and Southern parts North America mixed with the aborigines - the local Indian population, as well as with blacks and gradually formed the ethnic core of virtually all modern Latin American nations - Argentines, Venezuelans, Colombians, Cubans, Chileans. During the era of colonial expansion and the rise of Spain, the Spanish language spread in Central and South America except Brazil.

Features of the anthroponymic model

In the Spanish anthroponymic model, we can conditionally highlight the following most typical cases:

1. a simple binary model, that is, a personal name, nombre de pila, and a family name, nombre de apellido, for example Mario Saenz;

2. three-member model, that is, two personal names and one family name, for example Juan Romulo Fernandez;

3. polynomial model:

a) one or more personal names and two family names, where surname number one can be patronymic in nature, and surname number two comes from the name of the place of birth, residence, for example Carlos Sanchez Malaga;

b) one or more personal names and two or more family names, connected using the particles y, de or a combination of the article and the particle de (de la, de los, de las, del), for example: Gustavo Arboleda y Restrepo, fosefa Fernandez de Garay, Rosa Arciniega de la Torre, Maximo Farfan de las Godos,
Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros, Teresa Alvarez del Castillo;

c) one or more personal names and one (two or more) family names attached to them in various ways (by combination of particles and combinations of the article with the particle de), for example: Oscar Quesada in de la Guerra, Teodoro Caballero in Martinez del Camp.

Roots of origin of names

Spanish male and female personal names in origin go back to Greek (Nicomedes, Medea), Roman (Romulo, Cesar), Arabic (Farida, Neguib), Germanic (Amelberga, Ricardo) and Hebrew (Uriel, Maria) sources. Most Spaniards are Catholics, and according to the canons of the Roman Catholic Church, the choice of personal names for baptism is limited to the names of saints from church calendar. The child is given one, two, or (less common) several personal names. Long time there was a tradition of naming the first child after the paternal grandfather, and the second - after the maternal one or the name of some outstanding ancestor of the family. Some previously used in Spain and Latin America biblical (Lamec, Bezabel), mythological (Polux, Clitemnestra), historical (Neron) names have disappeared, others belonging to the same categories (Daniel, Lucas, Martin, Bartolome, Saul; Hector, Delia; Anibal, Napoleon) are still used to this day.

Since the 30s of the 20th century in Spain, and then in other countries, names have become widespread among people of Spanish origin, the bases of which relate to the following lexical fields, using the example of female names: abstract (symbolic) names (Encarnacion “incarnation”, Concepcion “knowledge”, Libertad “freedom”), names of flowers (Rosa “rose”, Violeta “violet”, Camelia “camellia”, Flora “vegetation”), names of precious stones (Diamante “diamond”, Perlas “pearl”) , as well as the names of literary heroes (Ofelia, Graciela).
The Spanish name list currently includes foreign names, which entered the Spanish language as a result of a wide variety of contacts and connections with speakers of other languages, primarily Romance: for example, english names- Milton, Uladis, French - Josette, Yvonne, Italian - Italo, Menotti.

The formation of Spanish personal names is based on derivation and suppletivism. By means of derivation, caresses and diminutives names; the most common suffixes are -ito(-ita), -ico(-ica); -illo(-illa). So, for example, from the names Juan, Ana, Ines, the pet names will be Juanito, Anita, Inesita, respectively. If the personal name ends in -s, then this ending is added to the suffix of the diminutive form: Carlos - Carlitos, Dolores - Dolor esitos. Often, when forming derivative forms of personal names, the phenomenon of suppletivism occurs, as, for example, for male names - Rappo and Re-re, Francisco and Jose, or, respectively, for female names - Pancha for the name Francisca, and Pepita for the name Josefa. Instead of the female name Dolores, the diminutive name Lola is often used, instead of Concepcion - Concha, and instead of the male name Refugio - Sisa. For the biblical name Jesus, which is widespread in Spain, the diminutive form Chucho is often found. Sometimes derivative pet names are formed by various truncations, for example Sunta from the feminine name Asuncion.

The most common male names are Alfonso, Andres, Benito, Carlos, Diego, Enrique, Felipe, Fernando, Francisco, Geronimo, Joaquin, Jose, Juan, Manuel, Miguel, Pedro, Ramon, Vicente; and female ones Ana, Catalina, Elena, Enriqueta, Francisca, Ines, Isabel, Josefa, Juana, Manuela, Maria. But along with them there are also rare names that were arbitrarily created and do not have a clear etymology, such as Anilu, Chamito, Maruchi, Coquis.

Traditions in the use of names

Under the influence of the French language, the particle de appeared in the Spanish anthroponymic model, attaching a personal name to a geographical name, from which the surname was subsequently formed. But in the French language, as is known, the presence of this particle in the surname was a sign of noble origin, high social status; in Spanish surnames it has a purely official meaning, for example: Ferdinandez de Cordoba, that is, Ferdinand from Cordoba.

When addressing close friends, relatives and children in Spanish, the 2nd person personal pronoun tu “you” is used. The usual form of polite address Vuestra merced "Your Grace", most often abbreviated in oral form - Usted (plural - Ustedes), and in writing expressed even more briefly - V, Vd for the singular and Vs, Vv, Vds for the plural.

Forms of polite address to strangers are Don (in writing - Dn, D), Senor (abbreviation - Sr) and Excelencia (in writing - Exca) - in relation to men and Dona (in writing - Dn, Da), Senora (in letter - Sra) - in relation to women. A young girl is addressed using the word senorita (written as Srita, Sta), and a young man is addressed as senorito. Each of these words has the meaning of “lord” or “madam” respectively.

The most ancient of all the given words used for polite address is Don, the etymology of which goes back to the Latin dominus “lord”, “master”. Initially, this word was used in the sense of a royal title, and then began to indicate aristocratic origin. Currently, such an address is used to express respect and politeness, and in combination only with a personal, and not with a family name (Don Pedro); this also applies to the corresponding feminine form. The word senor comes from the Latin word senior (from the Latin senex "old man"). The addresses senor, senora can be combined with both the full name and only the surname, but are never used with only the personal name. The meaning of “sir” also includes the word caballero, which originally meant “horseman”, “knight”. When using forms of polite address, it matters whether the address is direct (Senor Varas) or indirect, since in the latter case the definite article is required - El Senor Varas.
If the surname follows the title, then the title is preceded by the definite article - El General Weyler.

The change in the social system of Cuba has affected the forms of address of Cubans to each other: the words Senor, Don are no longer used. In Cuba, forms of polite address such as Sotrapego “comrade” are widely used, in relation to a woman - Sotrapega. These appeals stand in preposition to individual name or to the surname, or even before the title.

The Spanish language contains many Latin, Greek, and Arabic words. Consequently, this is reflected in Spanish names.

Thus, most male and female Spanish names were borrowed from Latin, Greek, Germanic, Arabic and Hebrew sources. The Rimskaya also played an important role Catholic Church, because According to Catholic canons, the choice of name is made from the names of saints from the church calendar.

Since the 30s of the 20th century, the practice of naming names associated with symbolic images (feminine names: Concepcion “knowledge”, Libertad “freedom”), with the names of precious stones (Diamante “diamond”, Perlas “pearl”) has become widespread among the Spanish peoples "), flowers (Rosa "rose", Flora "vegetation"), names of literary heroes.

Currently, the list of Spanish names includes primarily names of Romance languages: English (Milton, Gladis), French (Josette, Yvonne), Italian (Italo, Menotti), etc.

The most common male names are: Alfonso, Andres, Benito, Carlos, Diego, Enrique, Felipe, Fernando, Francisco, Geronimo, Joaquin, Jose, Juan, Manuel, Miguel, Pedro, Ramon, Vicente; and among female names, such names as Ana, Catalina, Elena, Enriqueta, Francisca, Ines, Isabel, Josefa, Juana, Manuela, Maria. But there are also rare names, such as Anilu, Chamito, Maruchi, Coquis, etc.

Unfortunately, I don’t know any rare and beautiful ones, but I’ll list those that I remember, maybe they will come in handy...
Aurelia, Soledad, Esperanza, Dolores, Felicidad, Gracia, Maria Luisa, Paquita, Xiomara, Yesenia, Carmen, Pilar, Charo, Veronica, Aurora, Eva...
And the men... Angel, Alejandro, Francisco, Rodrigo, Julio, Carlos, Miguel Angel, Javier, Jesus, Luis, Diego, Blas, Vicente...

Natalia Krasnova

Paula (Spanish: Paula)
Veronica (Spanish Verónica) - Veronica
Barbara (Spanish: Barbara) - Barbara
Catalina (Spanish: Catalina) - Catherine
Daniel (Spanish Daniel) - Daniel.
Thomas (Spanish Tomás) - Thomas.
Adan (Spanish Adán) - Adam.
Jaime (Spanish Jaime) - Jacob.
Elias (Spanish Elías) - Ilya.
Spanish names and surnames.

Basta

Aaron - high mountain
Abraham - father of many
Abraham - father of many
Agustin - venerable
Agepeto - favorite
Agepito - favorite
Adan - wind
Adolfo - noble wolf
Adrian - from Hadria
Adelberto - bright nobility
Alberto - bright nobility
Alvaro - protection of all
Aleyo - defender
Aleyandro - defender of humanity
Alonso - noble and ready
Alfonso - noble and ready
Alfredo - elf meeting
Aleno - generous
Alerico - omnipotent, ruler of all
Amadis - loves God
Amado - favorite
Ambrosio - immortal
Amidayo - demigod
Amilcare - friend
Amenkayo ​​- love
Anbessa - lion
Andres - man, warrior
Anibal - grace
Anselmo - God's Defense
Antonio - invaluable
Anzleto - summoned
Anestas - recovery
Apolinar - destroyer
Armando is a brave, resilient man
Arsenio - mature
Arturo - from the legend of King Arthur
Asdrubel - helps
Atilio - Atilius
Augusto - venerable
Aureliano - golden
Aurelio - golden
Basilio is the king
Baldomero - famous
Balduino - brave friend
Bartholome - son of Talmay
Bautista - Baptist
Beltran - bright raven
Benigno - kind
Benito - blessed one
Berengar - bear's spear Abigail - father's joy
Agata is good
Agota is good
Agueda is good
Adelaide - noble look
Adeline - noble
Adelita - noble
Adonsia - sweet
Adora - adored
Adoria - adored
Adoración - adored
Adriana - from Hadria
Adeline - noble
Aina - benefit, grace
Aleyandra - protector of humanity
Alicia - noble look
Alita - noble
Allods - foreign wealth
Almudena - city
Alondra - defender of humanity
Alba - dawn
Alta - high
Ampero - protection, refuge
Ameda - beloved
Amerenta - permanent, non-disappearing
Ana - benefit, grace
Anankiekayon - announced
Angelita - little angel, messenger
Angela - angel, messenger
Angelica - angelic
Anita - benefit, grace
Antiya - invaluable
Antonita - invaluable
Antonia - invaluable
Areseli - altar of heaven
Ariedna - completely pure
Arcelia - altar of heaven
Areseli - altar of heaven
Areselis - altar of heaven
Asucena - Madonna Lily
Askenkayon - rise
Assampkayo - speculated
Asuncion - assumed
Beatrice - traveler
Belem - the house of bread
Benigna - kind
Benita - blessed one
Berengaria - bear spear
Bernardita - brave as a bear
Betenia - home of the fig tree
Bibiena - alive
Binvenida - welcome
Blanca - white
Bonita - quite
Brunilda - armored woman - warrior
Basilia is the queen
Valencia - power
Veronica - the bringer of victories
Visitacion - visited
Gertrudis - spear strength
Grekila - pleased, pleasant
Grakiena - pleased, pleasant
Gracia - pleased, pleasant
Deborah - bee
Deiphilia - daughter of God
Delfina - woman from Delphi
Jacinta - hyacinth flower
Jesusa - god - saved

Spanish names

According to Spanish law, a person can have no more than two names and two surnames recorded in his documents. In fact, at baptism you can give as many names as you like, depending on the wishes of the parents. Usually the eldest son is given the first name in honor of his father and the second in honor of his paternal grandfather, and the eldest daughter is given the name of her mother and the name of her maternal grandmother.

The main source of names in Spain is the Catholic calendar. There are few unusual names because Spanish registration laws are quite strict: not long ago, the Spanish authorities denied citizenship to a Colombian woman named Darling Velez on the grounds that her name was too unusual and it was impossible to determine the gender of its bearer.

In Latin America there are no such restrictions, and parents' imagination can work unhindered. Sometimes this fantasy gives rise to absolutely marvelous combinations, like Taj Mahal Sanchez, Elvis Presley Gomez Morillo and even Hitler Eufemio Mayor. And the famous Venezuelan terrorist Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez, nicknamed Carlos the Jackal, had two brothers whose names were... that's right, Vladimir and Lenin Ramirez Sanchez. No wonder: Papa Ramirez was a convinced communist and decided to perpetuate the name of his idol, so to speak, in triplicate. Another unlucky Venezuelan received the pompous name Mao Brezner Pino Delgado, and “Brezner” in this case turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to reproduce the surname Brezhnev. ( What's in a name? In Venezuela, just about anything)

However, these are all rare exceptions. In the Spanish-speaking world, the hit parade of names has been headed by familiar classic names for years: Juan, Diego, Carmen, Daniel, Camila, Alejandro and, of course, Maria.

Not just Maria

For obvious reasons, this name is one of the most common in Spain. It is given to both girls and boys (the latter as an addition to the male name: Jose Maria, Fernando Maria). However, many Spanish and Latin American Marias are not just Marias: their documents may include Maria de los Mercedes, Maria de los Angeles, Maria de los Dolores. In everyday life they are usually called Mercedes, Dolores, Angeles, which in literal translation sounds quite strange to our ears: “mercies” (that’s right, in the plural), “angels”, “sorrows”. In fact, these names come from various Catholic titles for Our Lady: Maria de las Mercedes(Mary the Merciful, lit. "Mary of Mercies"), Maria de los Dolores(Mary of Sorrows, lit. "Mary of Sorrows"), Maria la Reina de los Angeles(Mary is the queen of angels).

Here is a short list of similar names:

Maria del Amparo - Mary the Patroness, Mary the Protectress
Maria de la Anunciación - Mary of the Annunciation (from Spanish Anunciación - Annunciation)
Maria de la Luz - Light Maria (lit. "Mary of Light")
Maria de los Milagros - Mary the Wonderworker (lit. "Mary of Miracles")
Maria de la Piedad - Mary the Honored
Maria del Socorro - Maria the Helper
Maria de la Cruz - Mary of the Cross
Maria del Consuelo- Mary the Comforter
Maria de la Salud - letters "Mary of Health"
Maria del Pilar - lit. "Pillar Maria" (according to legend, when the Apostle James preached in Zaragoza, over a column standing on the banks of the Ebro River, he saw the image of the Virgin Mary. Subsequently, the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Pilar was built on this site).

In real life, the owners of these pious names are simply called Amparo, Anunciación, Luz, Milagros, Piedad, Socorro, Cruz, Consuelo, Salud and Pilar.

In addition, children are often given names in honor of revered icons or statues of the Mother of God. For example, the famous opera singer Montserrat Caballe (who, by the way, is actually not Spanish, but Catalan) is actually called Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe y Folk, and was named after Mary of Montserrat, revered in Catalonia - the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary from the monastery on Montserrat.

Pancho, Chucho and Conchita

The Spaniards are great masters at forming diminutive names. The easiest way is to add diminutive suffixes to the name: Gabriel - Gabrielito, Fidel - Fidelito, Juana - Juanita. If the name is too long, then the main part is “torn off” from it, and then the same suffix is ​​used: Concepcion - Conchita, Guadalupe - Lupita and Lupilla. Sometimes truncated forms of names are used: Gabriel - Gabi or Gabri, Teresa - Tere.

However, not everything is so simple. Sometimes it is completely impossible to recognize the connection between a diminutive and a full name by ear: for example, little Francisco at home may be called Pancho, Paco or Curro, Eduardo - Lalo, Alfonso - Honcho, Anunciación - Chon or Chonita, Jesus - Chucho, Chuy or Chus. The difference between the full and diminutive forms, as we see, is huge (however, foreigners also cannot understand why we call Alexander Shurik: in order to reproduce the series Alexander-Alexasha-Sasha-Sashura-Shura in your mind, you need to know the Russian language too well).

The situation is complicated by the fact that different names may have the same diminutives: Lencho - Florencio and Lorenzo, Chicho - Salvador and Narciso, Chelo - Angeles and Consuelo (female names), as well as Celio and Marcelo (male names).

Diminutive forms are formed not only from individual names, but also from double ones:

Jose Maria - Chema
Jose Angel - Chanhel
Juan Carlos - Juanca, Juancar, Juanqui
Maria Luisa - Marisa
Jesus Ramon - Jesusra, Hera, Herra, Chuimoncho, Chuimonchi

Sometimes such a merging of names gives a rather shocking result: for example, Lucia Fernanda can be called ... Lucifer ( Lucifer, in Spanish - Lucifer).

Diminutives are used quite rarely as passport names in Spain - primarily because until relatively recently this was prohibited by Spanish law. Now the only limitation is the “decent” sound of the diminutive form, as well as the ability to determine the gender of its bearer by name.

Boy or girl?

Once upon a time, at the dawn of the popularity of soap operas, the Venezuelan series “Cruel World” was broadcast on our television, the name main character which our viewers initially heard as Rosaria. A little later it turned out that her name is Rosari O , and the diminutive is Charita. Then, again, it turned out that it was not Charita, but Charito, but our viewers, who had already gotten used to Conchitas and Esthersites, continued to call her “in the feminine gender” - Charita. That’s what they said, retelling each other the next episode: “And Jose Manuel kissed Charita yesterday...”.

In fact, the soap character's name was really Rosario, not Rosaria. Word rosario in Spanish it is masculine and denotes the rosary with which a special prayer is read to the Virgin Mary, also called Rosario(in Russian - Rosary). Catholics even have a separate holiday of the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary (Spanish. Maria del Rosario).

In Spanish-speaking countries, the name Rosario is very popular, given to both girls and boys, but traditionally it is considered feminine. And this is not the only female name that is “hermaphrodite”: the names Amparo, Socorro, Pilar, Sol, Consuelo are derived from Spanish words amparo, socorro, pilar, sol, consuelo grammatically masculine. And, accordingly, the diminutive forms of these names are also formed in a “masculine” way: Charito, Charo, Coyo, Consuelito, Chelo (although there are also “feminine” forms: Consuelita, Pilarita).

Most Common Spanish Names

10 most common names in Spain (whole population, 2008)

The most popular names among newborns (Spain, 2008)

The most popular names among newborns (Mexico, 2009)

Señor Garcia or Señor Lorca?

And finally, let's talk a little about Spanish surnames. Spaniards have two surnames: paternal and maternal. Moreover, the father's surname ( apellido paterno) is placed before the mother ( apellido materno): Federico Garcia Lorca (father - Federico Garcia Rodriguez, mother - Vicenta Lorca Romero). When officially addressed, only the paternal surname is used: accordingly, the Spanish poet was called Senor Garcia by his contemporaries, and not Senor Lorca.

(However, there are exceptions to this rule: Pablo Picasso ( full name- Pablo Ruiz Picasso) became known not under his father's surname Ruiz, but under his mother's name - Picasso. The fact is that there are no fewer Ruizs in Spain than there are Ivanovs in Russia, but the surname Picasso is much less common and sounds much more “individual”).

By inheritance, only the father's main surname is usually passed on, but in some cases (usually in noble families, as well as among the Basques), the mother's surnames of the parents are also passed on to the children (in fact, the surnames of grandmothers on both sides).

In some localities, there is a tradition of adding to the surname the name of the locality where the bearer of this surname or his ancestors were born. For example, if a person’s name is Juan Antonio Gomez Gonzalez de San Jose, then in this case Gomez is the first, paternal surname, and Gonzalez de San Jose is the second, maternal surname. In this case, the particle "de" is not an indicator of noble origin, as in France, but simply means that the ancestors of the mother of our Juan Antonio came from a town or village called San José.