Dos Apellidos: When Families Have Two Surnames

Comments

Permalink

Pleased to read this article, after sourcing the "Descendants of Lorenzo Velasco and Josefa de Palavis" document for Family History research; It was written and compiled by
LaDeane, Miller, April 2002, submitted as part of your "Families of Mexico" Digital Collections. Certainly will share this most helpful information.

Permalink

Thank you, Nicolás, for this clear explanation, including variant possibilities we may encounter in our research. So helpful!

Permalink

If my son has both my husband’s last name and my last name, when he gets married does his wife gets both last names?

Permalink

Traditionally, the paternal surname was the one passed along. That doesn't mean maternal surnames weren't - they were - but usually by nobility that or because it was unique, special or foreign.

But nowadays naming conventions are much more fluid and families are free to choose what's right for them, especially in the United States.

Permalink

Going thru documents figuring out my real name. Alma Vega Morales ( Vega ) middle name but Moms last name. Continued variations DMV, S.S Birth Cert & employee badge, ect. Will make name official Alma (fathers last) Morales (mother) Vega.

In New Mexico it is tradtional among some families to give a child their mother's maiden name as a middle name so the maiden name isn't lost. It's a little confusing and more akin to the Portuguese tradition of surnames where they have two surnames but the order is different from the Spanish tradition. In the Spanish tradition it's the father's last name followed by the mother's last name, but in the Portuguese tradition it's the mother's last name follwoed by the father's last name.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.