Behind every name, male or female, there is a story. It is almost impossible to determine exactly where and under what circumstances children were first called by one name or another. Each has a story, rooted in ancient myths and legends. Most likely, most names simply denote a character trait that they want to instill in a child.
But why do new names appear? The reasons are different: 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 there, 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 acceptable (approved) names by the church in unlimited quantities. As a rule, this is done like this:
- The eldest son receives the first name of the father, the second - the grandfather in 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 ( appellido): father ( appellido paterno or primer appellido) and mother ( apellido maternoorsegundo appellido).
The Spaniards are believing Catholics, they give great importance to the church in their lives, and therefore most of the names are rooted 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 rather unusual (for example, it was impossible to determine the gender of the carrier).
Many people associate Latin America with Spain, as in these territories Spanish is the official language, and when studying Spanish, the teacher can emphasize the differences between cultures and pronunciations. As for the names, there are also very big differences, despite the fact that Hispanics use Spanish names. The only difference is that they can name the child whatever they want. Children are called by English, American or even Russian names, if their parents like it, and this will not be punished by the state.
You can take a terrorist from Venezuela as an example. His name was Ilyich, and his brothers Lenin and Vladimir Ramirez Sanchez. A staunch communist father displayed his views on life through the names of his children.
But such exceptions are extremely rare, although there are no boundaries and stereotypes for modernity. In Spain, simple and classic names with complex meanings remain at the peak of popularity, 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: Erika, Motilda, Carolina, Louise, Frida.
- Biblical names: Miguel, Jose, Thomas, David, Daniel, Adan, Juan;
- Greek and Latin names: Sergio, Andres, Alejandro, Hector, Pablo, Nicholas;
- Germanic: Alonso, Alfonso, Luis, Carlos, Raymond, Fernando, Enrique, Ernesto, Raul, Rodrigue, Roberto.
Spanish female names and their meaning
- Agatha (Agata) - good
- Adelita (Adelita), Alicia (Alicia) Adela, Adela (Adela) - noble
- Adora - adorable
- Alondra - protector of mankind
- Alba (Alba) - dawn, dawn
- Alta (Alta) - high
- Angelina (Angelina), Angel (Ángel), Angelica (Angélica) - angel, angelic, messenger
- Anita (Anita) - diminutive of Ana (Ana) - benefit
- Ariadna (Ariadna) - perfect, pure, immaculate
- Arcelia (Arcelia) Araceli, Aracelis (Aracelis) - wanderer, traveler
- Benita (Benita) - blessed
- Bernardita - bear
- Blanca - pure, white
- Benita (Benita) - blessed
- Valencia (Valencia) - imperious
- Veronica - victorious
- Gertrudis, Gertrudis - the power of the spear
- Gracia - graceful, graceful
- Jesus (Jesusa) - saved
- Juana (Juana), Juanita (Juanita) - merciful
- Dorothea (Dorotea) - God's gift
- Elena (Elena) - moon, torch
- Josephine (Josefina) - retributor
- Ibbi, Isabel - an oath to God
- Ines (Inés) - innocent, chaste
- Candelaria - candle
- Carla (Carla), Carolina (Carolina) - human
- Carmela and Carmelita - a name in honor of Our Lady of Carmel
- Constance (Constancia) - constant
- Consuela - comforter, the name is given in honor of Our Lady of Comfort (Nuestra Señora del Consuelo)
- Conchita is a diminutive of Concepción, derived from the Latin concepto meaning "to conceive". The name is given in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (Inmaculada Concepción)
- Christina (Cristina) - Christian
- Cruz - cross, pectoral cross
- Camila (Camila) - servant of the gods, priestess
- Catalina - a pure soul
- Leticia - joyful, happy
- Laura (Laura) - laurel, ("crowned with laurel")
- Luis (Luisa), Luisita (Luisita) - warrior
- Marita (Marita) - diminutive of Maria (María) - desired, beloved
- Marta (Mistress of the House)
- Mercedes (Mercedes) - merciful, all-merciful (in honor of the Virgin - María de las Mercedes)
- Maribel - fierce
- Nina (Nina) - baby
- Ofelia (Ofelia) - assistant
- Pepita - God will give another son
- Pearl (Perla), Perlita (Perlita) - pearl
- Pilar (Pilar), Pili (Pili) - pillar, column
- Paloma (Paloma) - dove
- Ramona - wise protector
- Rebeca (Rebeca) - alluring in the network
- Reina (Reina) - queen, queen
- Renata - reborn
- Sarita (Sarita) diminutive of Sara (Sara) - a noble woman, mistress
- Sofia (Sofía) - wise
- Susana - water lily
- Trinidad - Trinity
- Francisco (Francisca) - free
- Chiquita is a diminutive name meaning little girl.
- Abigail - joy for the father
- Evita (Evita) - diminutive of Eva (Eva) - lively, lively
- Elvira - benevolent
- Esmeralda (Esmeralda) - emerald
- Estela (Estela), derived from Estrella (Estrella) - a star
Male Spanish names and their meaning
- Agustin (Agustin) - great
- Alberto (Alberto), Alonso (Alonso), Alfonso (Alfonso) - noble
- Alfredo (Alfredo) - elf
- Amado (Amado) - beloved
- Andres (Andrés) - warrior
- Antonio (Antonio) - flower
- Armando - strong, brave
- Aurelio - gold
- Basilio - regal
- Benito - blessed
- Berenguer (Berenguer), Bernardino (Bernardino), Bernardo (Bernardo) - the strength and courage of the bear
- Valentine (Valentin) - healthy, strong
- Victor (Víctor), Victorino (Victorino), Vincente - winner and conqueror,
- Gaspar - teacher, master
- Gustavo - staff, support
- Horatio (Goracio) - excellent vision
- Damian (Damián) - to tame, 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 (Leandro) - a man-lion
- Lucio (Lucio) - light
- Mario - male
- Marcos (Marcos), Marcelino (Marcelino), Marcelo (Marcelo), Marcial (Marcial), Martin (Martín) - names derived from the name of the Roman God of war - Mars, warlike
- Mateo (Mateo) - a gift from Yahweh
- Mauricio (Mauricio) - dark-skinned, Moor
- Modesto (Modesto) - modest, moderate, sober
- Maximino (Maximino), Maximo (Máximo) - great
- Nicholas (Nicolás) - victory of the people
- Osvaldo (Osvaldo) - owning, having power
- Pablo (Pablo) - baby
- Paco - free
- Pasqual (Pasqual) - child of Easter
- Pastor - shepherd
- Patricio (Patricio) - noble, noble origin
- Pio (Pío) - pious, virtuous
- Rafael - divine healing
- Ricardo (Ricardo), Rico (Rico) - strong, persistent
- Rodolfo (Rodolfo), Raul (Raúl) - wolf
- Rodrigo (Rodrigo) - ruler, leader
- Rolando - famous land
- Reinaldo - sage - ruler
- Sal (Sal), diminutive of Salvador (Salvador) - savior
- Sancho, Santos (Saint)
- Severino (Severino), North (Severo) - strict, harsh
- Sergio (Servant)
- Silvestre, Silvio - forest
- Salomon - peaceful
- Tadeo - grateful
- Teobaldo (Teobaldo) - a brave man
- Thomas (Tomás) - twin
- Tristan (Tristán) - rebel, rebel
- Fabricio (Fabricio) - artisan
- Fausto (Fausto) - a lucky guy
- Felipe - horse lover
- Fernando (Fernando) - bold, courageous
- Fidel (Fidel) - the most devoted, faithful
- Flavio (Flavio) - golden-haired
- Francisco (Francisco) - free
- Juan (Juan), Juanito (Juanito) - good God
- Julian (Julián), Julio (Julio) - curly
- Edmundo - prosperous, protector
- Emilio - rival
- Enrique (Enrique) - a powerful ruler
- Ernesto (Ernesto) - diligent, diligent
- Esteban (Esteban) - the name means - the crown
- Usebio, Usebio - devout
The most popular names among the adult population:
- Jose (Jose)
- Antonio (Antonio)
- Juan (Juan)
- Manuel
- Francisco (Francisco)
Among newborns:
- Daniel
- Alejandro (Alejandro)
- Pablo (Pablo)
- David (David)
- Adrian (Adrian)
If we return to female names, then names are now popular among women:
- Maria (Maria)
- Carmen
- Ana (Ana)
- Isabel (Isabel)
- Dolores (Dolores)
And among girls, that is, recently born children:
- Lucia (Lucia)
- Maria (Maria)
- Paula (Paula)
- Sarah
- Carla (Carla)
As you have noticed, it is very important for Spaniards that their names are easily perceived, refusing rare and unusual variants, which significantly affects the reduction of the language barrier with foreign citizens.
Sometimes it is almost impossible to determine by ear the connection between the full and diminutive names: for example, the houses of little Francisco can be called Paco, Pancho and even Curro, Alfonso - Honcho, Eduardo - Lalo, Jesus - Chucho, Chuy or Chus, Anunciasion - 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!
Did you read The Daughter of Montezuma, or The Mines of King Solomon, or The Hearts of Three as a child? And after that, the soul ached, and the imagination was foggy with pictures of the virgin selva and endless savannahs, mountain landscapes, harsh Indians and ancient treasures ... And it seemed: it’s a pity, now all this is gone, everything has already been mastered, conquered, collected and plundered, otherwise I would tomorrow morning I packed my bag and left home to conquer the lands of the Aztecs and the Mayans. Haven't you asked yourself the question: where did all the greatness of those eras go, who live on that land, in whose veins the blood of Montezuma's relatives flows?
My nephew, without any hesitation, told me: of course, in the USA! Oh, you, you should have watched From Dusk Till Dawn, everything is shown there!
And yet I will disappoint my nephew, as well as those whose knowledge of the history of those places is limited to the film "From Dusk Till Dawn." This article will focus on the amazing history of Mexico, which is reflected in its culture, language and, like a drop of water, in Mexican surnames.
On the territory of modern Mexico, from time immemorial, the Indian civilizations of the Maya (in the south) and the Aztecs (in the central part and in the north) existed. In turn, the Aztec state assimilated with the even more ancient culture of the Toltecs, who lived there before the Aztecs came to these lands. The native language of the Aztecs is Nahuatl (nahua group), which is still preserved as the main language of the branch of the Uto-Aztec languages (it is spoken by about one and a half million people). It is interesting that the self-name of the Aztecs - Mexica (from the Nahuatl word "mexica") - it gave the name to the modern country of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City. Actually, the capital in this place has always been: only in the time of the Aztecs, of course, it was not a metropolis, and was called Tenochtitlan (the city of Tenocha). Modern Mexicans do not abandon their glorious pre-colonial past, on the contrary, they are proud of it: the legend of the Aztecs that they founded Mexico City on the site of the prophecy, where they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus and eating a snake, is imprinted on the national flag of Mexico. Yes, and ethnically Indian blood has not gone away over these centuries: in modern Mexico, 60% of mestizos, 30% of Indians, 9% of whites, and 1% of visitors belonging to other races and ethnic groups live.
On the contrary, it amuses the Mexicans greatly when one of the Europeans forgets and asks to say something in Mexican. There is no Mexican language as such. The already mentioned Nahuatl is used in Indian communities scattered from the north of Mexico to El Salvador. In the state of Mexico itself, Spanish is de facto adopted as the official language: 92.7% of the population speaks it, and another 5.7% are bilingual - they speak both Spanish and one of the Indian dialects equally well. The remaining 0.8% speak only the language of the local Indian tribes.
The first landing of the conquistadors took place on Mexican lands as early as 1518, already in 1522 Cortes was proclaimed the first governor of New Spain. In 1821, after 3 centuries, when a merger of cultures took place on Mexican territory (however, Indian culture and language were almost completely suppressed by the Spanish, and the social structure of the Aztecs was completely replaced by a feudal model planted by the Spaniards), this new state defeated Spain in the war for independence.
Therefore, at the moment, when we talk about Mexican surnames, we need to take into account these two huge cultural layers. Given that the vast majority of Mexicans are Hispanic, they also have Spanish surnames. The personal name of a Mexican consists of two standard names (very rarely one), or two names and a preposition: José Maria, Juan de Dios, etc., and the Mexicans themselves perceive such a complex of names as a whole. If you ask a question, they will clarify: of course, I have only one name - this is (for example) "Jose de Jesus" ...
Mexicans also have two surnames: a child inherits the surname of his father's father and his mother's father. So, for example, the child of Diego Alvaro Alba Coronado and Leticia Maria Vargas Ortega will have the surname Alba Vargas. However, in everyday life, Mexicans use only the first surname.
When married, women do not take their husband's surname, but in business documents they can add it through the preposition of ownership "de": for example, Angela González Rodriguez de Torres.
The origin of most Spanish-style Mexican surnames is the same as that of the Spanish surnames themselves. So, the ending -ez means "son", and the surname was made from the name or nickname of the ancestor: Gonzalez - "son of Gonzalo", Fernandez - "son of Fernando", Chavez - "son of Chava (diminutive of Salvador)". In addition to -ez in Castilian and Spanish surnames, -az, -oz, -is played exactly the same role. Most of the most common Mexican surnames arose from this pattern: Fernandez, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Perez, Lopez, Cortez, Martinez, Sanchez, Gomez, Diez (Diaz), Cruz, Alvarez, Dominguez, Ramirez .... There is also a large layer of Mexican surnames formed according to the same model, but using Portuguese derivational suffixes with the same meaning: -es, -as, -is, -os: Vargas, Morelos, Torres.
Other models for the formation of Hispanic surnames: from geographical names (de Lujo, Calatayud, Loyola), from the name of the profession (Zapato - "shoe", Guerrero - "warrior", Escudero - "shield maker"), simply from Spanish words (Frio - " cold") or features of the ancestor (Delgado - "thin").
However, Mexico differs from the rest of Latin America in that the blood and traditions of the Indians are stronger than anywhere else in it. Some of the inhabitants managed to save even the original Aztec surnames, such as, for example, the great historian Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl (in fairness, it should be noted that this famous person lived back in the 17th century).
Many Mexican surnames are derived from Native American names, nicknames, or just words. So, for example, there is the surname Kuatemok (in honor of the Aztec hero), Ake (Ah Ke - “deer-man” in Maya), Pech (“tick” in Maya), Coyotl (“coyote” in Nahuatl), Atl (“water ").
So, if you have acquaintances in Mexico, be sure to ask them about their surnames and their ancestors - and, perhaps, as in the old days, pictures of the life of ancient civilizations will come to life again before your eyes. And, even if you don’t have any acquaintances in Mexico, when you read some news about the next goal of Hugo Sanchez, the world tour of Carlos Santana, the new role of Salma Hayek, or when you meet an old photograph of Veronica Castro in a magazine, you will remember this story about Mexico, its history and her surnames, and you will feel that they have become closer and more understandable to you.
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Each name in Spain has its own history of origin, the country is located in the South-West of Europe and is a sovereign state. Until 1528, Mexico was considered a colony of New Spain, gradually the population of Spain migrated to Central and South America, Argentina, Mexico, and Europe. Therefore, today Spanish female names, as well as male ones, are very common in the world, and only 20% of them are in modern Spain.
Each name (nombre - Spanish) has its own history, Spanish female names and their meanings can be attributed to Greek, Roman, Arabic, Germanic, English, Argentinean roots. Today, most of the population of the country by religion are Catholics, according to the faith of the church, the child at baptism chooses a name from the calendar with the names of Catholic saints. A child may be called by one or multiple personal names.
Since the coup years (30s of the last century) in Spain, and then in other Spanish-speaking countries, rare symbolic names began to be used, For example:
- Libertad - freedom.
- Encarnacion - incarnation.
- Paka - free.
After the end of the war, girls were given names borrowed from the names of plants: Rosa - a rose; Camelia - camellia, etc.
Spanish female names and their meanings currently include many foreign names that entered the Spanish language as a result of the interweaving of native speakers with representatives of other countries, for example, English names are widely used (Milton - Milton, Gladis - Gledis), French (Yvonne - Yvonne , Josette - Josette), Italian (Halo - Halo) and others.
Pet names in Spanish are formed using the suffixes -ito, -ita, -ico, -ica, for example: Carllito, Anita, Inesita and the like.
Spanish male names and surnames can be represented by one word or several words at once. The surname model often includes the surname of the father and mother, sometimes they can be attached to each other with the particle -y, for example, Gonzalez y Palayo.
The surnames of the population of Spain are also two - paternal and maternal. The father's name is placed in front, for example, the Spanish artist Salvador Dali, his father's surname is Dali, and his mother's name is Domenech. In an official conversation, only the first name is mentioned, we know this artist as Dali, and not as Domenech.
Sometimes there are exceptions to the rule, for example, the famous actor Antonio Banderas became famous under his mother's surname, his full name with his father's surname sounds like Jose Antonio Domingo Banderas. It’s just that Domingo in Spain is about the same as in Russia of the Petrovs, and Banderas is much less common.
In some areas of Spain, there is a tradition to add to the name also the name of the area where the ancestors or the bearer of the name were born. When married, Spanish women do not change their surname, but simply add their husband's surname to theirs.
As a rule, looking into the passport of a Spanish citizen, one can trace a certain pattern. The eldest boy in the family receives the first name of his father, the second - the name of his paternal grandfather. The eldest girl takes the first name of her mother, and then - the name of her grandmother in the female line.
The Spaniards do not like too unusual and overseas names, they prefer the names that were worn by their great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers.
Since Mexico was a colony of Spain for a long time, Mexican male names are very popular among the modern population, for example, commonly used names for men:
- Armando - strong, brave.
- Santiago - in honor of Saint Iago.
- Mateo - given by God.
- Diego - from the Latin "teaching, learning."
The most popular Mexican female names that are still used in Spain are:
- Chimene - heard by God.
- Valentina - creativity, talent.
- Fernanda - prepared for God.
- Camilla is the best, perfect in all endeavors.
Women's and men's Spanish nombre
Each name in Spain has its own meaning, most often it means something divine, because the Spaniards are a very religious nation, but sometimes the meaning of the name can convey the character of its owner, designate a flower or symbolize the history of Spain.
The most common beautiful Spanish female names have the following meanings:
- Agatha is good, kind.
- Abigail - bringing joy to the father.
- Adeline - nobility.
- Adonsia is sweet.
- Adora is adorable.
- Adeline is noble.
- Alicia is noble.
- Alba - dawn.
- Alta is high.
- Amade is beloved.
- Angel, Angelica is an angel.
- Ariadne - perfect, pure.
- Belen - bread.
- Bernardita is bolder than a bear.
- Bibiana is alive.
- Blanca is white.
- Bonita - that's enough, that's enough.
- Valeria is strong.
- Vanessa is a butterfly.
- Veronica - giving victory.
- Victoria is victorious.
- Viola - violet.
- Virginia is a virgin.
- Vito is life.
- Vicenta is the winner.
- Gabriela is a man of God.
- Gertrude is the power of the spear, beloved.
- Garcia is a bear.
- Grace - graceful, graceful.
- Dahlia is a dahlia.
- Daniela - God is my judge.
- Deborah is a bee.
- Demeter - dedicated to the goddess of fertility.
- Diana - God, deity.
- Dolores - on behalf of the grieving Mother of God.
- Donata - given as a gift.
- Dorothea is divine.
- Dulsita - soft, sweet, tender.
- Edita - war, battle.
- Elena - candle, torch.
- Zoe is life.
- Ibbi is a rewarder.
- Ida is diligent and hardworking.
- Ignacia - fiery.
- Imelda is all-encompassing.
- Irene - peace, tranquility.
- Iris is a rainbow.
- Irma is huge.
- Isaura - from the Roman Isaurus - "inhabitant of Isauria".
- Isidora is a gift.
- Yolanda is a violet.
- Camilla - consecrated, serving God.
- Candelaria is a candle.
- Candida is blindingly white.
- Karina is dear.
- Karla / Carlota - courageous.
- Carmela / Carmelita / Karemen - in honor of Our Lady of Carmel.
- Kasandra - radiant.
- Casilda - home.
- Catalina is pure.
- Quinta is the fifth.
- Kirina is a spear.
- Ladis (from "Vladislav") - to own, to have.
- Laura / Laurence - laurel.
- Lourdes - from the name fr. the city of Lourdes, one of the European pilgrimage centers.
- Lusina - light.
- Lucrezia - profit, benefit.
- Luisa - famous, loud.
- Macarena - the name came in honor of the Holy Virgin of Macarena.
- Macarius - blessed, happy.
- Magdalena - in honor of Mary Magdalene / Magdala - a village on the shores of Lake Galilea.
- Malvina - eyebrow.
- Manuela - God is with us.
- Marcella / Marcelina - originated from the male Marcello, and the name Marcello came from the name Marcus - dedicated to God.
- Margarita is a gem.
- Marianna is a combination of the names Maria and Anna.
- Marina - sea.
- Maria is bitter, serene.
- Matra - mistress, mistress of the house.
- Narcissus - sleep, numbness.
- Natalia - native, father.
- Noemi is nice.
- Norma / Normitta - rules, norm.
- Octavia is the eighth.
- Olympia is Olympic.
- Olivia is an olive tree.
- Ophelia - help.
- Pacifica - peaceful, calm.
- Palmyra is a pilgrim.
- Paloma is a dove.
- Pamela - song, chant.
- Patricia - from the noble Patrician.
- Paula / Paulina - modest, sweet.
- Penelope is a "teal", a type of wild duck.
- Pearl is a gem.
- Rafaela - God healed.
- Raymond - advice.
- Ramona - law, destiny.
- Raquel is a lamb.
- Rebecca is a trap.
- Reneta - reborn again.
- Sabrina - from the River Severn.
- Salvador is a savior.
- Samantha - God heard.
- Sancha is holy.
- Sarah is a noble woman.
- Saturina - on behalf of the god Saturn.
- Cecilia is blind.
- Celia is heaven.
- Cesaria is hairy.
- Theodora is divine.
- Teofilo - to love.
- Teresa - hunt.
- Timothy - read.
- Urbana is urban.
- Uriel - God is my light.
- Urraca/Urracita - tour. Ursula is a teddy bear.
- Eleanor is light.
- Elisabeth - my God is an oath.
- Eloise - healthy, unharmed.
- Elvira - supportive, benevolent.
Among the male names of the past Most often you can find such names (arranged in order of popularity):
In recent years, these names are losing ground somewhat. , new male names are gradually taking their place:
- Daniel - God is my judge.
- Pablo is humble.
- Alejandro is a defender, a man.
- David is beloved.
- Adrian is a resident of Adria.
- Hugo - soul, mind.
- Alvaro - supportive, benevolent.
- Diego - learning.
- Sentiago - Saint James.
The "Just Mary" Phenomenon
The most common Spanish name known in other countries is Maria. They can be called both a girl and a boy (for boys, this can be a middle name - Jose Maria, Alejandro Maria).
In documents, such a name can be written not in one word - Maria, but in more detail: Maria de los Angeles, Maria de los Consuela, Maria de los Milagres.
In life, they are usually called by their middle name Angeles, Dolores, Consuela, Milagres, etc. In fact, such names came from the exploits of the Mother of God: María la Reina de los Ángeles (Mary - Lady of the Angels), María del Consuelo (Mary - Comforter suffering), María de los Milagros (Mary of Miracles / Miraculous).
Attention, only TODAY!
Mexico is an amazing country with unique traditions and color. One of the best indicators of the cultural heritage of the state is naming. It is fair to say that Mexican names have adopted many features of the people who wear them. Let's take a closer look at their history.
Long before the settlement of immigrants from Europe, the civilization of the Indians, such as the Toltecs and, of course, the Maya, lived on the territory of this country. The nicknames of those people were formed from the names of birds and animals or any natural phenomena. Then, with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, the period of colonization of the continent began, resulting in the gradual borrowing of names from Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. Thus, the culture was mixed with the cultures of other states, and Mexican names were replenished with many new options.
Currently, there are a large number of various naming options, which sufficiently simplifies the task of choosing a name for a child. Mexican female names are beautiful, melodic, with an alluring sound and a mysterious meaning. A girl named after becomes not only the bearer of this exotic culture, she is associated with centuries-old rituals and history.
Here are some of the most common Mexican male names:
- Agostino - venerable;
- Agepito - beloved;
- Alessandro - protector of humanity;
- Baldassare - protecting the king;
- Beniamino - the son of the southerners;
- Bertrando is a bright raven;
- Valentino - healthy, strong;
- Vico - conquering, winner;
- Gabriel is a strong man of god;
- Daniele - God is my judge;
- Callisto is the most beautiful;
- Leon is a lion;
- Marcello - warlike;
- Orlando is a famous land;
- Pankrasio - all power;
- Riccardo - strong and brave;
- Santino - saint;
- Tekito - mute, quiet;
- Feliciano is lucky.
Mexico is a culturally amazing country. It combined and coexisted with such different traditions that this in itself is comparable to a miracle. Of course, such a synthesis was reflected, among other things, in the names that local residents choose for their children. Here they will be discussed below.
Names in Mexico
It must be said right away that modern Mexico is a country where the main language of the population is Spanish. The colonial policy of European states and the mass migration of Europeans significantly influenced the cultural background of Mexico. Therefore, modern Mexican names are mostly of Spanish, and not of local - Indian - origin. This is due to the fact that naming is a religious ceremony. And since most of the population belongs to the Catholic Church, then the names take on those indicated in its calendar. Local, original names have lost their relevance along with the decline of the original, pagan beliefs. Therefore, Mexican names are actually derivatives of overseas prototypes and direct borrowings.
Feature names
The names that the Spaniards brought to these lands, as already mentioned, are Christian. Accordingly, many of them, although they underwent Spanish inculturation, have roots in Greek, Hebrew or Latin. And some also go back to ancient Germanic roots. It also needs to be said that the Mexican form of the Spanish language is somewhat different in sound from the European prototype. Therefore, you should not just identify all Spanish and Mexican names, because some Mexican variants may sound significantly different from their purely Spanish counterparts.
naming
Of course, like all peoples, Mexicans are inclined to believe that the name in one way or another affects the fate and character of its bearer. This makes choosing a name a particularly important procedure. Most often, options are used that are somehow based on religious tradition. Thus, children are often named after particularly revered saints or more abstract religious concepts. Sometimes Mexican names are chosen according to the personality traits that parents want to develop in their child.
Popular names
Below we list some of the more common names. I must say that the Mexicans are not very fond of inventing and showing originality and mainly use what is in trend. So, the most common Mexican names are male.
- Alejandro. A derivative of the name Alexander, which means "protector".
- Diego. A very popular name in Mexico, the meaning of which is "scientist".
- Leonardo. An old noble name. In Russian it means "brave as a lion"
- Manuel. A derivative of the Hebrew Emmanuel, meaning "God is with us."
- MATEO. A name that is one of the main ones in Mexico. It literally translates as "gift of God."
- Nestor. This is a Greek name. It can be translated into Russian with the word “returning home”, or more broadly - “wise wanderer”.
- Osvaldo. This option is translated as "the power of God."
- Pedro. Famous and popular name among Hispanics. It comes from Greek and means "stone".
- Sebastian. What is known in Russia as Sebastian. A name of Greek origin, meaning "highly revered".
- Jesus. A name that no one in Orthodoxy will ever call a child. In Catholicism, this is acceptable. Jesus is the Spanishized form of the name Jesus. From Hebrew it is translated as "salvation from God."
Now we list the top Mexican female names.
- Bonita. In Russian it means "beautiful".
- Dorothea. A very beautiful name, usually translated as "given by God."
- Isabelle. Derived from the Hebrew Jezebel. Means "dedicated to God."
- Camila. This name can be translated as "the best".
- Consuel. Translated into Russian, this name means "consolation".
- Pauline. Conveys the concept of modesty and insignificance.
- Pilar. Usually this name is translated as "column", that is, the base of something.
- Regina. Roman name meaning "queen".
- Esperanza. A name that is a direct translation of the Russian name "Nadezhda".
