Hispanic Names

Video Transcription

[MUSIC PLAYING] There is actually one cultural reason for filing errors with Hispanics. They have two surnames, what we would call last names, or family names. This can be tricky as far as filing them correctly in the computer. Here's an example.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

That's her full name. Maria Teresa were the names that were picked out for her by her parents at birth, and then Alvarez is her paternal surname, the name that came from her dad's side, so his surname. And then González came from her mom's side. That's her maternal surname.

Both are considered last names, both are surnames, or family names, that are passed down. And the only difference, here, would be that González is the equivalent of a maiden name, so rather her mother's maiden name. So imagine, if you're a woman, what your name was before you were married, and then tack on your mom's maiden name at the end of that, and that's essentially what your Spanish equivalent name would be.

And if you're a guy, take your existing name, and then add, again, your mother's maiden name to the end of that. So it's just carrying that maternal surname one generation further. Here's a little chart illustrating that.

Now the paternal surname, the one that you see in blue, Alvarez, this surname [SPANISH], this is the one that everything is filed under for her. She could be listed under "A" for Alvarez in the phone book. She'll be listed in the hospital system under Alvarez, and should be listed in any court system that has documents on her as Alvarez, under "A." This is her most important of her surnames, is the one that comes from her dad's side. And the one that will always be a part of her name. Whereas González can be dropped once married, so that is one that does not stick around as long traditionally.

Although, nowadays there is even a new tradition of tacking on the husband's last name and having three surnames, which is a bit much to have to us. But anyway, Alvarez remains her most important name even if she gets married.

So the problem lies in this scenario. When Maria Teresa comes to the US and fills out her paperwork, she sees one spot for last name. So which one should she give us? Well, what we want is the most important one that things are already file by, Alvarez. But Maria has never called that her last name. She calls both of her surnames her [SPANISH].

A new English speaker, a new speaker of English who's just now learning the language, would interpret the word "last" as last in sequence. Oh, so they must want the name González. So she would most likely write "Maria Teresa González," even though she goes by Alvarez. So this can cause problems for people in the medical profession, and the legal profession, because now they have a name that, if they were to go back into her documentation to try to line up that name with what she goes by, would not necessarily match.

So the best way that you can remedy this, and make sure that you have all components of her name, are to ask: [SPANISH] What is your full name? [SPANISH]

There could also be a Maria Teresa Alvarez González and a different person, Maria Teresa González Alvarez. So again, it's important to get the [SPANISH], because when she gives you her names in this order, you'll know which one is her [SPANISH], or paternal last name.

So let's see what happens if she gets married. So now she meets Juan Carlos Montalvo Garzón. She will take-- traditionally, and this is the traditional manner of naming-- she'll take his paternal last name or surname, which is Montalvo, this one. And she will use it to replace her maternal surname, [SPANISH], González, according to tradition. So the González would fall off and be replaced with Montalvo, but the Alvarez would remain. Maria Teresa Alvarez Montalvo, and his name would remain the same.

So the name they have in common, Montalvo, is not in the same spot for each of them. It's in first position for him, and in second position for her. So she's still filed under "A" for Alvarez.

So if they decide to have a family. Let's give them a little girl, Isabel Carolina Montalvo Alvarez would be her name. She would get her paternal name, her paternal surname, [SPANISH], from her father's paternal surname, and her maternal surname from her mother's paternal surname. So notice there is always the paternal names of each that get passed down. So the ones that are in first position, the dad's first and then the mom's.

Now this can cause another problem in entering school, because if this family has interpreted "last name" to mean last in sequence, and if you just look at their last names Montalvo Garzón Alvarez, they don't even look like a family unit. It looks like people who are not related at all. But they do have a family name in common, Montalvo, but it's just not in the last position for each of them. So again, the paternal surname, the [SPANISH], which is in the first spot of the two surnames, is the most important. But [SPANISH] will help you the most.

So let's try these again. Now this is an interactive portion. You're going to repeat these after me. I won't hear you, no one else will hear you, so don't be nervous about pronunciation, but if you don't practice now on your own then when will you, right? So go ahead and say this out loud after me as you look at them.

What is your full name? [SPANISH]

Write it down, please. [SPANISH]

What name do you go by? [SPANISH]

What are your last names? This gets both surnames. [SPANISH]

Is your name spelled correctly here? [SPANISH] Or, if you prefer more of a Castilian pronunciation, [SPANISH]

Is this how you like your name to appear? [SPANISH] Again, [SPANISH] [SPANISH]

And then the easiest one to remember, is it correct? Is it correct? [SPANISH]

And if you can't trill your "r's" that's OK. If you can't do [SPANISH]. Imagine that those "r's" are two "d's" as in "dog," because the way we pronounce the "d" in the middle of a word in English, like "ladder, ladder," or "daddy", but think of "ladder, ladder." The way that we pronounce the "d" is the way they pronounce the "r." At least, is the same location of the sound, so [SPANISH]. Again, imagine two "d's" right there. [SPANISH]. So even if you can't trill, "cor-dect-o" is better than correcto. If you can trill, [SPANISH] is better. But at least "cor-dect-o" would be understood whereas correcto might cause some delay in understanding.

So just to go over this one more time, here's a new name. If your patients complete name as given to you by her is Elena Teresa Camarillo Ochoa. How would you file in the system if your system files by first letter of the last name?

She would be filed under "c" for Camarillo, because it's her father's name her paternal last name, [SPANISH]. So hopefully that help to explain a bit, and to really emphasize why [SPANISH] is by far the most important question you can ask when it comes to getting names.

[MUSIC PLAYING]