When doing research on relatives and families with Spanish surnames, genealogists and historians may come across naming standards, traditions, and rituals that are distinct from those used by English-speaking families. This article focuses on two of the most prevalent disparities that researchers may run across when doing their investigations, despite the fact that there are variations in terms of families, historical periods, and geographical places.
What are the two most common hispanic surnames
The quantity of different surnames is one of the most significant differences that researchers find. Every individual in Spain and other Spanish American nations, with the exception of Argentines, has two surnames. According to the custom, the first surname is known as the paternal name and derives from the father, while the second surname is known as the maternal name and derives from the mother. In recent years, several nations have begun allowing parents to change the order of their children’s surnames, however when looking at historical records, it is common to see that the surnames of the father come before those of the mother. Although it varies depending on the historical period, it is possible that some of the Spanish documents in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Texas have two surnames.
An outstanding illustration of this is the death certificate for Esperanza Hernández Rivera, which was issued in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. This document makes use of the Spanish term “apellido,” which translates to “surname,” “family name,” or “last name” in English. Esperanza received the surname Hernández from her father, and she received the surname Rivera from her mother. Her paternal surname is Hernández, and her maternal surname is Rivera. There is a possibility that the terminology used in records would differ; for example, researchers could see “paternal/maternal surname” or “first/second surname” or simply “apellidos” in the plural form.
In Esperanza’s death certificate, her father’s name is listed as Juan Hernández Gara, while her mother’s name is listed as Amalia Rivera Espinoza. This document also validates the surnames of both Esperanza’s paternal and maternal families. Researchers who are attempting to trace this family back another generation will find that the fact that her parents also had both surnames documented provides vital insights. The researcher is aware of the surnames of Esperanza’s grandparents since Juan got the Hernández family name from his father and the Garca family name from his mother. Because “Juan Hernández” is such a popular name, this information may be put to use in the search for Juan’s authentic birth certificate, which can be a challenge. Researchers won’t make the mistake of thinking Esperanza’s father is another Juan Hernández if they know that Juan’s maternal surname is Garca and that another Juan Hernández is Juan’s father. When you see the word “finado” in parentheses, it indicates that the person has passed away.
On Esperanza’s death certificate, almost every person named, from witnesses to the government official who certified it, had two surnames stated. These surnames include Esperanza’s maiden name and her married name. In ordinary life, however, only a paternal surname is often used, despite the fact that this is the convention for official documents, legal paperwork, and birth and death certificates. For instance, the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz often omits her maternal surname of Sánchez, while the Mexican soccer star Rafael Márquez does not have his maternal surname of lvarez displayed on the shirt he wears for his team.
The practice of women not changing their surnames after marriage is another significant aspect of the naming culture in Spanish-speaking countries. Even though the document indicates that Esperanza was “casada” (married) and Rodolfo Ontiveros Mata was her “cónyuge,” (husband), she has continued to use the name of her maiden name, Hernández. This can be seen in our case. It is useful for women to preserve their maiden names in order to facilitate the process of sifting through documents such as census records in which couples have the same names as current neighbors.