La cultura: Family Life and the Spanish Naming System

1. Los nombres hispanos (Hispanic Names)

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Spanish speakers typically have two last names. Traditionally, the first last name (apellido) has been the father’s last name (apellido paterno), and the second last name has been the mother’s last name (apellido materno). However, things are changing in the Hispanic world since families are more diverse now. Single parents give both their last names to their children, whereas different couples may negotiate the order of their children’s last names in a more organic way. Some countries have laws that require all siblings to have the same last name order, and others allow children to use the mother’s last name first. Still, most parents do not break tradition upon naming their children; regardless of the surnames the mother uses, the child typically uses the father’s first surname followed by the mother’s first surname.

When a woman marries in a Spanish-speaking country where two last names are used, she legally retains her two original surnames. So, there is no need to ask about someone’s "maiden name" as we sometimes do in the United States. Adopting a husband’s last name for social purposes, though widespread, is only legally recognized in Ecuador and Peru. In Spain, women rarely take their husband’s names.

did you know

Apellidos began to be widely used in Europe in the Middle Ages, and many refer to the person’s profession, title, or place of origin. You can see this in common American last names such as Baker and Miller (professions), or Carlson (son of Carl). Hispanic names have similar roots, such as Sastre, Zapatero, and Herrero (professions); Hernández and Rodríguez (the suffix –ez denotes "son of"); Hidalgo and Conde (titles); and Aragón and Castillo (places). The convention of using two last names (doble apellido) is a European tradition that Spaniards brought to the Americas. It continues to be practiced in many countries, including Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In Argentina, however, the prevailing custom is for children to inherit only the father’s last name.

While forms in the U.S. typically provide just one space for a last name, a Spanish speaker’s full name includes two last names (although they may also consider their apellido to be their paternal last name only). In some cases, the conjunctions de or y are used to connect the two.

EXAMPLE

In the name Ernesto Flores de Canseco, Flores is the paternal surname (el apellido paterno), and Canseco is the maternal surname (el apellido materno); de simply links the two.

In informal settings, it is common to drop the second last name. It is also possible to have the same maternal and paternal surnames.

EXAMPLE

Federico Pérez Pérez

Many Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. choose to write a hyphen between their two surnames. This is done to clarify that both names are their surnames and one is not a middle name. Giving a child a separate "middle name" is not a custom in Spanish-speaking countries, but a person’s first name may include two parts (like José Manuel below).

This chart shows an example of a full Spanish name.

try it

Using this naming structure, what would your full name be? Remember to say it in this order: first name, middle name, father’s last name, mother’s maiden name.

1a. Compound Names

Many Spanish speakers have a compound name, which is a name composed of multiple parts. For instance, there are women with a compound name that includes María plus another given name. When this is the case, they tend to go by the other given name or by a blend of both names.

EXAMPLE

Women named María del Carmen may go by Carmen, Mari-Carmen, Mamen, or Carmela, but they don’t typically go by María. Women named Carmen María would tend to go by Carmen rather than María.

Men who receive two given names may go by their compound name, by one of the names (typically the first one), or by a blend.

EXAMPLE

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A man named José Manuel may go by José Manuel, Josema, José, or Chema.

1b. Hypocorisms

Many Spanish speakers use hypocorisms, which are shortened versions or derived forms of names. Some common hypocoristics for Spanish names are presented in the following chart.

Some hypocorisms just consist of changing the stressed syllable of the full name.

EXAMPLE

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Jose (for José), Jesus (for Jesús), Manuel (for Manuel), Miguel (for Miguel)

The stressed syllables are in bold. Also notice that in most of the hypocorisms above, the stress tends to fall on the first syllable, especially if the word has two syllables.

EXAMPLE

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Ignacio → Nacho, Consuelo → Chelo, Mercedes → Merche, Pilar → Pili

term to know

Hypocorism

A shortened version or derived form of a name, typically used as a nickname or term of endearment.

1c. Asking for Someone’s Full Name

Now it’s time to learn some questions normally asked in the Spanish-speaking world to clarify someone's name. The most common one is ¿Cuál es su nombre (completo)? which means “What is your (full) name?” This will get you all of the components of the name the person is using in the correct order.

The chart below provides questions you can use with Spanish speakers when getting their name to register for school, employment, appointments, etc. Due to the nature of the Spanish naming system, it is important to ask specific questions.

2. La familia (The Family)

We’ll now discuss the role of family in Hispanic culture. To start, here is some additional vocabulary related to family:

Audio	Spanish (English)	Picture
	la casa / la familia (household)
	el / la cabeza de familia (head of household)
	la familia extendida (extended family)
	el cuidado de los niños / el cuidado infantil (childcare)
	los ancianos / los mayores (senior adults)
	las reuniones familiares (family gatherings)
	los jóvenes (young adults)
	los padres / los papás (parents)
	los padres / los papás (fathers / dads)
	las madres / las mamás (mothers / moms)
	la estructura familiar (family structure)
	el divorcio (divorce)
	el matrimonio homosexual / gay (same-sex marriage)
	las parejas de hecho (unmarried couples)
	el permiso de maternidad / paternidad la licencia de maternidad / paternidad (maternity / paternity leave)

2a. Family Life

Like in many other cultures, family is very important in Hispanic culture. This is obvious in many aspects of daily life, and it is possible to see multi-generational families or related families living together under one roof in some households.

With that said, the use of family terms varies from country to country and according to the formality or informality of the communicative situation.

• Terms like mami / papi and nana / tata would rarely be used by an adult to talk about their relatives. They are used primarily in direct address.
• It is possible to use abuelito / abuelita to talk about one’s grandparents, but only in a very informal situation or an intimate setting.
• Similarly, the active vocabulary terms mamá and papá can be used to speak about one’s parent.

IN CONTEXT

The concept of la familia in Spanish-speaking countries is somewhat more inclusive than it is in English. When people say la familia, the majority of them are referring to their extended family. Extended families, if they do not live in the same dwelling, tend to live in closer geographical proximity in Latin America than they do in the U.S. and Canada.

Additionally, it is not uncommon throughout the Spanish-speaking world to have grandparents living with one of their adult children and their families for extended periods or even permanently. Retired grandparents may also offer free childcare for their grandchildren, so many Hispanic children get to enjoy their grandparents’ company every day.

However, according to a 2016 report by the Inter-American Development Bank, it is less and less common for senior adults in Latin America and the Caribbean to live with their extended family and more common for them to live alone or with their spouse.

While it is important to live close to family, this is sometimes not possible because of work. Still, Hispanics return to their families for vacations as well as regular gatherings with extended family. These large family gatherings are commonplace to celebrate together or just to enjoy each other’s company. Constantly supporting and being there for one another is a wonderful part of the culture. At the gatherings, there is always a happy vibe and often lots of food and music to enjoy.

In Spanish-speaking countries, family and society place very little pressure on young adults to live on their own, and children often live with their parents well into their thirties. As family is an important source of support for Hispanics, it is common for college students and young adults to live at their parents’ houses until they find their first job, or to return to their parents’ house in between jobs as adults.

did you know

About 60% of Spaniards under 34 years of age live at home with their parents. This delay in moving out is both cultural and economic—lack of job security or low wages coupled with a high cost of living may make it impractical for young adults to live independently before they marry.

Although worldwide population trends show a decrease in the average family size, households in many Spanish-speaking countries are still larger than their U.S. counterparts. Below are the figures that reflect the average household size from some Spanish-speaking countries and the U.S. for comparison (Bauer, 2023):

• Mexico: 3.6 people per household
• Guatemala: 4.5 people per household
• Panama: 3.7 people per household
• Colombia: 3.1 people per household
• Dominican Republic: 3.2 people per household
• Puerto Rico: 2.8 people per household
• Argentina: 3.1 people per household
• Spain: 2.5 people per household
• United States: 2.6 people per household

2b. Family Structure

Like in other parts of the world, the structure of the family is also changing in many Spanish-speaking countries, especially in urban areas. Divorce is legal in every Spanish-speaking country. Same-sex unions are legal in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia; other countries, including Venezuela and Cuba, are currently working on legalizing same-sex unions.

Even in countries where same-sex unions are not yet legalized, the traditional family structure is changing. The level of acceptance of same-sex marriages is 58% in the Hispanic community, which is very close to the 62% acceptance among the white population (Funk and Lopez, 2022). This has created a more fluid understanding of Hispanic traditional families. Here is some vocabulary for referring to same-sex parents:

• las familias reconstituidas
• los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo
• unión civil
• pareja de hecho

did you know

Every Spanish-speaking country has paid maternity leave laws that allow mothers to stay home to care for their infant children. However, only in countries like Spain do longer paid leaves extend to both parents, suggesting that equality in childcare responsibilities is still not a reality in every Spanish-speaking country.

2c. Hispanic Families in the U.S.

Despite the great diversity that can be found in all aspects related to the Hispanic community in the United States, there are some trends in Hispanic households that are worth mentioning.

One relevant characteristic is the importance of solidarity between family members and the search for the common good over the individual good. On the one hand, many Latinos continue to worry about the economic needs of those they left behind in their countries of origin by sending remittances (Ratha, 2019). In fact, for some Central American countries, remittances are a significant percentage of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) (Plaza, 2022). On the other hand, the leading role played by the elderly in many Hispanic families is notable, as we already mentioned earlier. Grandparents, and especially grandmothers, are often responsible for the care of and upbringing of grandchildren in complicated family situations. This has a positive effect on the family economy, as well as on the transmission of culture between different generations.

The Latino population is the youngest in the U.S.; their average age is 30.0 years compared to 41.1 years for the general population. However, this percentage is falling, as it is in the rest of the world and in all American ethnic groups. Hispanic women are having fewer children for several reasons, and today, most Latinas are not immigrants and instead are born in this country. They attend college in greater numbers, so they postpone getting married or having children (Peña et al., 2022).

Another factor that influenced the decline in birth rates in the Hispanic community was the economic recession that the U.S. experienced starting in 2008. More recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains to be seen.

term to know

Remittance

A sum of money sent, especially by mail, in payment for goods or services or as a gift.

REFERENCES:

Bauer, M. (2023). Average Household Size in Mexico. Arcgis.com. https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=07e2578aa1304ae0b1292ca96f8f96f9#:~:text=Description-,This%20map%20shows%20the%20average%20household%20size%20in%20Mexico%20in,household%20population%20by%20total%20households.

Duryea, S. (2016, Oct 28). ¿Cómo son las nuevas familias en América Latina y el Caribe? elpais.com/elpais/2016/10/27/mamas_papas/1477559693_883867.html

Funk, C., & Lopez, M. H. (2022, June 14). A brief statistical portrait of U.S. hispanics. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/06/14/a-brief-statistical-portrait-of-u-s-hispanics/

Peña, J., Álvarez Figueroa, M., Rios-Vargas, M., & Marks, R. (2023, May 26). One in every four children in the United States were of Hispanic origin in 2020. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/hispanic-population-younger-but-aging-faster.html

Plaza, S. (2022, July 20). Remittances to Latin America still growing. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/peoplemove/remittances-latin-america-still-growing

Ratha, D. (2019, February 5). Remittances: Funds for the Folks Back Home. IMF. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/Series/Back-to-Basics/Remittances