Hispanic and Southwest Genealogy Tips and Strategies, Part 3

Studio portrait of Magdalena Córdova, daughter of Juan Bautista Córdova, and his wife, María Quirina Sánches. Magdalena wears a long dress with leg of mutton sleeves, and velvet trim. Her hair is curled and pulled back. She stands beside her father who is seated in a chair; he wears a suit and bow tie, his hair is receding and he is clean shaven. His wife, María wears a dark silk dress with slightly puffed sleeves and a crocheted bertha collar.

Juan Bautista Córdova and family. Image courtesy of Auraria Library.

[between 1890 and 1895?]

Maiden Names (Usually) Do Not Change

A cultural difference that makes Hispanic naming conventions unique is that women usually do not take on their husband’s surname. While there are some exceptions, most women use their maiden names for their entire lives. For women who do adopt their husband’s surname, some add “de” between names or use “viuda,” which is Spanish for widow, after he has died.

An Albuquerque Journal obituary of Bárbara Chávez de Sánchez who died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 16, 1917. Note how the writer of the obituary used her three surnames interchangeably, which may complicate research.

When researching women, the use of maiden names can make it easier to find them on census records, church records, and legal documents in Spanish-speaking countries. However, when women move to or live in English-speaking countries, whether or not they keep their maiden name is fluid. Sometimes the decision isn’t theirs, such as when census takers automatically used the husband’s surname for family listings in census records, without regard to traditional naming customs. Genealogists and researchers should take note of these practices.

In the 1860 U.S. Census, Jesús Carrasco and her children were listed under her husband’s surname Grijalva when they lived in Los Ángeles, California. These situations can be sorted out by researchers who are aware of different naming customs.

Consider the difference in researching families who share common first and last names, for example John Smith and Mary Smith in 1930 U.S. census records and Juan García and María Montoya in 1930 Mexico census records. If the couples had no children, it may be hard to distinguish between multiple couples named John and Mary Smith living in the same area, while María Montoya keeping her maiden name helps distinguish her from other women named María married to men named Juan García.

A 1930 Mexican census entry showing the family of Rosendo Gómez and Justa Salazar living in Durango. Note how Justa Salazar is listed by her maiden name while Rocendo and the children are named Gómez.

There are exceptions, of course, and women change their names for different reasons. For example, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, a former first lady and president of Argentina, has added her late husband Néstor Kirchner’s surname to her own. For those women who chose to use their husband’s surname after he has died, they may be addressed as viuda instead of señora. For example, Sra. Bárbara Chávez de Sánchez would be addressed as Vda. Bárbara Chávez de Sánchez or Vda. Bárbara Sánchez.

This series is designed to help customers deepen their research skills while learning about Hispanic cultural traditions and customs they may encounter in family history and genealogy records.

Parts 1 and 2 of this series were published as part of the Western History and Genealogy Newsletter. You can sign up for the monthly newsletter in the box to the right.

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