Surname shows the origin of people from one ancestor, indicates the belonging of a group to a certain genus. The tradition of giving hereditary names appeared in the X-XI centuries, now they are used everywhere, with the exception of a narrow circle of countries. For example, in Iceland, surnames are prohibited by law. In most states, the name by gender is widely used and has its own peculiarities of formation and use. In this article, we will look at Spanish surnames.
The history of surnames in Spain
Like everywhere else, in Spain people first had only names. They were given to the child at baptism and then officially approved. As the population increased, there was not enough variety of names to avoid repetition. It became common to meet people with the same names, which caused confusion. Then a tradition was formed to give newborns a middle name, which turned into a surname in the process of development of the Spanish state.
Also, for convenience, a word could be added to the name that defines a specific person. This made the task much easier.identification of a person among the abundance of namesakes. The ways in which the middle name was formed, which later became the family surname, were similar to similar processes in other national groups.
By name of parents
The simplest thing that the Spaniards came up with is to add the name of one of his parents to a person's name. Example: "Jorge, son of Jose" (Jorge, el hijo de Jose). Subsequently, this form was reduced to a simple Jorge Jose (Jorge Jose), the second word was considered a surname. The preposition de has historically remained in some variants of generic names. But this does not indicate either the noble origin of the owner of the Spanish surname, or any features of his family, as many mistakenly think.
By place of birth or residence
In a similar way, words related to the territorial sign were added. For example, Maria from Valencia (Maria de Valencia). Over time, the preposition ceased to be pronounced, and the full name took on the form of Maria Valencia. The preposition de, as in the previous case, sometimes takes place, but it does not carry any semantic load.
By occupation
The second definitive word added to the name could denote a profession, rank, position. Using this method, such Spanish surnames were formed, such as, for example, Herrero (blacksmith), Escudero (creating shields), Zapatero (shoemaker) and many others.
Nicknamed
Nicknames, highlighting any bright feature in the appearance or character of a person, also served as a way to distinguish between people with the same name. The characteristic features of the ancestor brought to contemporaries such surnames as Barbudo (bearded man), Rubio (blond), Bueno (glorious), Franco (honest), etc.
Surnames beginning with -es
A common type of Spanish surname is the form with the suffix -es. Where these variations originated is not known for certain. But the fact remains - this is one of the most popular varieties of generic names. Most of these surnames come from the name of the father. So, from Gonzalo, Gonzalez was formed, from Rodrigo - Rodriguez, from Ramon - Ramones, etc.
Female and male Spanish surnames
In some languages, there is a difference in nominal forms based on gender. So, for example, in Russian this difference is traditionally expressed by the ending. Male and female Spanish surnames do not have differences in pronunciation and spelling. Another interesting feature is that women in this country do not take their husband's surname, although they can often add it after their own.
Second names began to be passed from father to son, becoming attached to the whole family. Due to the similarity of the signs by which the family received its surname from the ancestor, many of them turned out to be quite common. Therefore, it is not uncommon to meet Spaniards who share the same surname but are not related.
Common Spanish surnames
The most namesakes in Spanish-speaking countries have the following generic names:
- Fernandez.
- Rodriguez.
- Sanchez.
- Gomez.
- Garcia.
- Gonzalez.
- Lopez.
Rare Spanish surnames include those that are borrowed from other languages, denote some unique feature of a person, or come from the names of sparsely populated areas. So, for example, the famous 16th-century conquistador Alvar Nuunez Cabeza de Vaca, whose surname translates as “head of a cow,” received such a generic name from the name of a locality in the Spanish province. Another example is the surname Picasso, famous all over the world thanks to its talented owner. She was inherited by the artist from her mother, and it was the low prevalence of this surname that prompted Pablo Ruiz Picasso to choose her for an official presentation.
Modernity
The Spaniards are very fond of giving children several names. It is believed that then the child will have more guardian angels. Names are also inherited, especially among aristocrats. As already noted, male Spanish surnames do not differ from female ones. At birth, a person receives a double surname, consisting of the first surnames of the father and mother, and the number one is traditionally inherited from the father. For example, if Maria Lopez Gonzalez and Felipe Garcia Sanchez have a son named Jose, then his full name will be José Garcia Lopez. Thus, the family name is passed down from generation to generation through the male line.
When introducing and communicating in business, Spaniards usually use only the first surname, omitting the second. Exceptionsmay be at the discretion of the wearer, but this is traditionally the case.
As we can see, the origin of surnames in Spain is quite diverse, and their inheritance and use is very confusing, but this is the unique flavor inherent in this country.
