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Influences on Spanish Names


(bold indicates the name has its own page)


Latin (and Greek and Hebrew) Borrowings
The Spanish languages is a derivation of Latin, so most of its words and names are derived from that Roman language. In addition, Spain is and has been for centuries, a Roman Catholic country.

As a result, the vast majority of Spanish names are derived from the names of early saints, most of whom spoke Latin. In addition, the Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew names of saints were often translated into Latin, which made borrowing the names into Spanish all easier. Latin names typically ended in “us” or “ius” for men and “a” or “ia” for women. In the Spanish language, these “name endings” became “o” and “io” for men and stayed “a” and “ia” for women.

Spanish Names of Biblical Origin (Hebrew, Aramaic, Egyptian, Phoenician, Persian, etc.)
Abrahán - Abraham
Adán - Adam
Aña (saint), Anita - Hannah
Angel
Angela (saint)
Angelo
Baltasar - Balthasar
Bartolomé - Bartholomew
Benjamín - Benjamin
Bernabé - Barnabas
David
Diego - Used as contracton of Santiago
Efraín - Ephraim
Eliseo (saint) - Elisha, Eliseus
Ester - Esther
Eva, Evita - Eve
Gabriel (saint)
Gabriela - Feminine of Gabriel.
Gaspar - Jasper
Iago - Jacob
Isabel (saint) - Elizabeth, Elisheba
Ismael - Ishmael
Jaime (saint) - James, Jacob
Jesús - Joshua, Jesus
Joaquin (saint) - Joachim
José (saint) - Joseph
Josefa - Feminine of José
Josefina - Feminine of José
Juan (saint) - John
Juana, Juanita - Feminine of Juan.
Lazaro (saint) - Lazarus, Eleazar
Magdalena (saint) - Magdalene, Madeline
Manuela - Feminine of Manuel
Manuel (saint) - Emmanuel, Immanuel
María (saint) - Miriam, Mariam, Mary
Marta (saint) - Martha
Mateo - Matthew
Micaela - Feminine of Miguel
Miguel (saint) - Michael
Nazario (saint) - Nazarius, Nazareth
Noemi - Naomi
Noe - Noah
Pepa, Pepita - Diminutive of Josefa
Pepe, Pepito - Diminutive of José
Rafael (saint)
Raquel - Rachel
Rébecca
Ruben - Reuben
Rut - Ruth
Santiago (saint) - Jacob, James
Simón

Greek Borrowings
Agata (saint)- Agatha
Águeda (saint)- Agatha
Alejandra - (saint) - Alexandra
Alejandro (saint) - Alexandros, Alexander
Alondra - Diminutive of Alejandra
Aniceto (saint)- Anicetus, Aniketos
Aquiles - Achilles
Andres (saint) - Andrew
Antonia - Feminine of Antonio.
Antonio (saint) - Antony
Basilio (saint) - Basilius, Basil
Beatriz (saint) - Beatrice
Beltrán - Bertram
Bernicia - Bernice
Berta (saint) - Bertha
Casandra - Cassandra
Catalina (saint) - Katherine
Cesaro (saint) - Caesar, Casesarius
Ciriaco (saint) - Kyriakos
Cirilo (saint) - Cyril
Cristobál (saint) - Christophoros, Christopher
Delfina (saint)- Delphinia
Demetrio (saint) - Demetrios
Diana
Dorotea (saint) - Dorothea, Dorothy
Doroteo (saint) - Dorotheos
Elena (saint) - Helena, Helen
Eliana (saint)
Elpidio (saint) - Epidios
Engracia (saint) - Encratia, Enkrates
Erasmo (saint) - Erasmus
Espiridion (saint) - Spiridion
Esteban (saint) - Stephen
Estebana - Feminine of Esteban
Estevan (saint) - Stephen
Eufemia (saint) - Euphemia
Eusebio (saint) - Eusbios
Eustaquio (saint) - Eustace, Eustatius
Eutropio (saint) - Eutropios
Evarosto (saint) - Euarestos
Felipe (saint) - Philippos, Philp
Filander - Philander
Galeno - Galen
Gregorio - Gregorios, Gregory
Hipolito (saint) - Hippolytus
Inez (saint) - Hagne, Agnes
Isidoro (saint) - Isidore
Jacinto (saint) - Hyakinthos
Jacinta (saint) - Hyacintha,
Jerónimo (saint) - Jerome
Jomar - Homer
Jomer - Homer
Jorge (saint) - Georgios, George
Licerio (saint) - Lycerios
Lidia (saint) - Lydia
Macario (saint) - Makarios
Margarita (saint) - Margaret
Narciso (saint) - Narcissus, Narkissos
Nicanor (sain) - Nikander
Nicasio (saint) - Nicasius
Nicolás (saint) - Nicholas
Nicolasa - Feminine of Nicolás
Olalla (saint) - Eulalia
Pedro (saint) - Petros, Peter
Pelaya (saint) - Pelagia
Pelayo (saint) - Pelagios
Perico - Diminutive of Pedro
Porfirio (saint) - Porphyrios
Rita - Diminutive for Margarita
Sebastián (saint)
Sofia
Tadeo (saint) - Thaddeus
Teodoro (saint) - Theodore
Teodosia (saint) - Theodosia
Teodosio (saint) - Theodosios
Teofila - Feminine of Teofilo
Teofilo (saint) - Theophilus
Teresa (saint) - Theresa
Tomas (saint) - Thomas
Cenobia (saint) - Zenobia
Cenobio (saint) - Zenobius

Latin Borrowings
Adrián (saint) - Adrianus
Adriana - Feminine of Adrián
Agustin (saint) - Augustinius, Augustine
Aliria (saint) - Hilary, Hilaria
Alirio (saint) - Hilary, Hilarius
Amado - Amadeus
Ambrosio (saint) - Ambrosius, Ambrose
Augusto (saint) - Augustus
Augustín (saint) - Augustinius, Augustine
Aurelia (saint)
Aurelio (saint) - Aurelius
Benedicta - Feminine of Benedicto
Benedicto (saint) - Benedictus, Benedict
Benita - Feminine of Benito
Benito (saint) - Benedictus
Blanca (saint) - Candida
Blas (saint) - Blase
Bonifacio (saint) - Boniface
Buinton (saint) - Quintus
Calista - Feminine of Calisto
Calisto (saint) - Callistus, Calixtus
Camila (saint) - Camilla
Camilo (saint) - Camillus
Cayetano (saint) - Caietanus
Cayo (saint) - Caius
Cebrián (saint) - Cyprianus
Ciceron - Cicero
Clara
Claudia (saint)
Claudio (saint) - Claudius
Colon - Columbus
Constanza - Constantia
Constantino - Constantinius, Constantine
Cristina - “Christian,” Christiana
Curcio - Curtius
Dominga (saint) - Dominicus
Domingo (saint) - Dominicus
Eligia - Feminine of Eligio.
Eligio (saint) - Eligius
Eloy (saint) - Eligius
Emeterio (saint) - Hemiterius, Emeterius
Emilio (saint) - Emilius
Fabio - Fabius, Fabian
Fermin (saint)- Firminus, Firmus
Gabino (saint) - Gabinus
Genaro (saint) - Januarius
Hilaria (saint) - Hilary, Hilaria
Hilario (saint) - Hilary. Hilarius
Ignacio (saint) - Ignatius
Jenaro (saint) - Januarius
Julia (saint)
Juliana - Feminine of Juliano
Juliano (saint) - Julianus
Julio (saint) - Julius, Jules
Laura (saint)
Laurenco (saint) - Laurentius, Laurence
Leocadia (saint)
Leocadio - Masculine of Leocadia.
Leoncio (saint) - Leontius
Ligia - Feminine of Ligio.
Ligio (saint) - Eligius
Lorencio (saint) - Laurentius, Laurence
Lorenzo (saint) - Laurentius, Laurence
Lucia (saint) -
Luciana - Feminine of Luciano
Luciano (saint) - Lucianus
Lucio (saint) - Lucius
Lupe (saint) - Lupus
Marcela (saint) - Marcella
Marcelo (saint) - Marcellus
Marcelino (saint) - Marcelinus
Mario (saint) - Marius
Martín (saint) - Martinus
Nacio, Nacho - Diminutives for Ignacio
Pabla - Feminine for Pablo.
Pablo (saint) - Paulus, Paul
Paulino - Paulinus
Patricio (saint) - Patricus
Pia - Feminine of Pio
Pio (saint) - Pius
Placido (saint) - Placidus
Poncio, Ponce (saint) - Pontius
Marcos (saint) - Marcus, Mark
Mariana - Feminine fo Mariano
Mariano (saint) - Marianus
Marina (saint)
Máximo (saint) - Maximus
Mauricio (saint) - Mauricius, Maurus
Maya (mythological) - Maia
Modesto (saint) - Modestus
Primitivo (saint) - Primitivus
Primo (saint) - Primus
Prosepero (saint) - Prosperus
Prudencio (saint) - Prudentius
Remigio (saint) - Remigius
Renata (saint)
Renato (saint) - Renatus
Rogelio (saint) - Rogellus
Román (saint) - Romanus
Rufino (saint) - Rufus, Rufinus
Sanchia - Sanctia
Sancho - Sanctius
Santos - “saints”
Saturnino (saint) - Saturninus
Serafina (saint) - Seraphina
Sergio (saint) - Sergius, Serge
Severo (saint) - Severus
Severino (saint) - Serverinus
Valentin (saint) - Valentinus, Valentine
Vicente (saint) - Vincentius

Germanic Borrowings
Besides Latin and Greek, many Spanish names are borrowed from Germanic cultures. The first to leave its mark were the Visigoths.

The Visigoths were a Germanic tribe (originally from Romania) which conquered parts of Gaul (France) and (more successfully) Spain in the 4th century. The Visigoths brought to Spanish several Germanic names like Adalfuns (Alfonso), Ferdinand (Fernando), Roderick (Rodrigo), and Raginmer (Ramiro).

Later Germanic borrowings (often taken via the French) were not altered nearly as much. These include Luis (from French Louis, from Germanic Ludwick), Guillermo (from French Guillaume, from Germanic Willahelm), Enrique (from Germanic Henrik), Ramón (from French Raymond, from Germanic Raginmund) and Raul (from French Raoul, from Radulf)

Germanic names borrowed even later, after the Middle Ages, like Alberto, Eduardo, Ernesto, Ricardo, and Roberto are virtually unchanged from their original state. First they were translated into Latin to become Albertus, Edwardus, Ernestus, Ricardus, and Robertus. Then the Latin “us” was swapped with for the Spanish “o.”

General Germanic, or German Borrowings
Adolfo (saint) - Adolf, Adolphus
Alano - Alan
Alarico (royalty) - Alaric
Alberto (saint) - Albert, Adalbert
Alfonso (royalty) - Alphonse, Adalfuns, later a saint
Alicia (saint) - Alice, Adelheidis
Alonso, Alonzo - Alphonse, Adalfuns, later a saint
Alvira - Alverad
Amalia - Amelia
Anselmo (saint) - Anselm
Archibaldo - Archibald
Arnaldo (saint) - Arnold
Baldomero (saint) - Baldimar
Bernardo (saint) - Bernhard, Bernard
Bernardino (saint) - bernhard, Bernard
Carla - Feminine of Carlos.
Carlomagno - Charlemagne
Carlos (royalty) - Karl
Casilda (saint)
Conrado (saint) - Conrad
Elvira - Alverad
Enrique (royalty, saint) - Henry, Henrik
Ernesto - Ernst
Federico (saint) - Frederick
Fernando (royalty) - Ferdinand
Francisca - Feminine of Francisco
Francisco (saint)- Francis, Frank
Gilberto (saint) - Gilbert, Gisilbert
Gonzalo - Gundisalvus
Gualterio (saint) - Walter
Guillermo (saint) - Guillaume, William, Willahelm
Hernán (royalty) - Ferdinand
Hernando (royalty) - Ferdinand
Leonardo (saint) - Leonardus, Leonard
Leonor, Leonora (royalty) - Eleanor, Alienor
Leopoldo (saint) - Leopold
Luis (saint, royalty) - Louis, Ludwick
Luisa (saint) - Louise, Louisa
Mafalda (saint) - Matilda
Matilde (saint) - Matilda
Norberto (saint) - Norbert
Orlando - Roland, Hrodland
Paco - Diminutive for Francisco
Raimundo (saint) - Raymond, Raginmund
Rainerio - Ranier
Ramiro (saint) - Raginmer
Ramón (saint) - Raymond, Raginmund
Ramona - Feminine of Ramón
Raul (saint) - Raoul, Radulf
Reynaldo (saint) - Reynald
Ricarda - Feminine of Ricardo.
Ricardo (saint) - Richard, Ricohard
Rigoberto (saint) - Ricobert, Richbert
Roberta - Feminine of Roberto
Roberto (saint) - Robert
Rodolfo (saint) - Rudolph, Rodulf
Rodrigo (saint) - Roderick, Hrodrick
Rogerio (saint) - Roger
Roldán - Roland, Hrodland
Rolando - Roland, Hrodland
Roque (saint) - Rocco, Hrok
Rosa, Rosita (saint) - Rose, Hros
Rosendo (saint) - Rudesind
Ruy - Diminutive for Rodrigo
Sandalio (saint) - Sandulf
Sandila (saint) - Sandulf

English/Old English Borrowings
Alfredo (saint) - Alfred
Aluino - Alvin
Alvaro - Alvar
Eduardo - (saint) Edward
Estrella - Estrild
Osvaldo (saint) - Oswald

Scandinavian Borrowings
Gustavo - Gustav

Other Borrowings

Slavic Borrowings
Casimiro (saint) - Casimir

French Borrowings
Armando - Armand, Herman
Bautista - Baptiste
Calvino - Calvin
Carlota - Charlotte
Estela - Estelle French
Mireya (invented) - Mirielle
Pascual - Pascal
Pascuala - Feminine of Pascual

Celtic Borrowings
The Gaelic lands of Ireland and Scotland, as well as tthe Brythonic lands of Wales and Brittany, have produced a fair number of saints. A number of their names, first translated into Latin, have made their way into the Spanish language, including:

Brigida (saint) - Brigitta - Bridget, Brighid
Celso (saint) - Celsus - Ceallagh

Other Religious Names

One Spanish custom worth noting is the bestowing of religious “title-names” on their daughters (and occasionally their sons). Often times, when parents wished to honor the Virgin Mary they would name their daughters after one of her many euphamistic titiles, such Neustra Señora de los Dolores, de los Candelaria, de los Concepción (Our Lady of the Sorrows, or the Candles, of Conception).

The child would be called Candelaria, Dolores, Concepción, and not María. Sometimes, the girl would be given a combination name, like María Dolores, or María Consolación.

In addition, Salvador (“Saviour”) was often used to refer to Jesus Christ.

Such names include, for girls:
Altagracia - “High Grace”
Anunciación - “Annunciation”
Aparición - “Appearance” “Appearance of Christ”
Asunción - “Assumption” “Feast of Assumption
Candelaria - “Candles, Candlemas”
Carmel - “Garden”
Carmen, Menchu, Maricarmen - “Garden”
Cielo - “Heaven”
Concepción - “Conception”
Conseja - “Advice”
Consolación - “Consolation”
Consuelo - “Consolation”
Cruz - “Cross”
Dolores (Delores) - “Sorrows”
Guadalupe
Luz- “Light”
Mercedes - “Mercies”
Nieves - “Snows”
Paz - “Peace”
Piedad - “Piety”
Presentación - “Presentation”
Purificatión - “Purification”
Pilar - “Pillar”
Refugio - “Refugre”
Remedios - “Remedy”
Rocío - “Dew”
Rosario - “Rosary”
Salud - “Salvation”
Socorro - “Succour”
Soledad, Marisol - “Solitude”

Other Symbolic Names

Anjelica - “angelic”
Araceli - “altar of the sky”
Celesta - “heavenly”
Corazón - “Heart, Sacred Heart of Jesus”
Cristian - “Christian”
Esmeralda - “emerald”
Esperanza - “hope”
Estrella - “star”
Flor - “flower”
Pamiera - “pilgrim”
Palmira - “pilgrim”
Palmiro - “pilgrim”
Paloma - ”dove,” a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Perla - “pearl”
Sol - “sun,” a symbol of Purity


Basque Names
The Basques are a people and a culture that tradionally occupied the norther edge of Spain, by the Pyrrennes and the Bay of Biscay. Basques speak the Basque language (aslo called Euskara), a language seemingly unconnected to any other language on earth

Over the years, a few Basque names have crept into the pool of Spanish names.

Some Basque names of note include:
Amaya
Diego, used by Spaniards as an equivalent to Jacob
Inigo, used by Spaniards as an equivalent to Ignatius. Also a saint’s name (St. Inigo).
-and-
Javier, or Xavier, the surname of a famous saint (Franics Xavier)

Other Names
Yesenia - from a television show

Alberto
Alejandra
Alejandro
Alicia
Alfredo
Alfonso
Amaya
Aña
Andres
Angel
Angela
Angelo
Anita
Antonio
Armando
Arturo
Bernardo
Blanca
Carla
Carlos
Carmel
Carmen
Catalina
Cesar
Cielo
Clara
Claudia
Consuelo
Cristian
Diego
Dola
Dolores (Delores)
Eduardo
Elena
Eliana
Elias
Emilio
Enrique
Ernesto
Esteban
Felipe
Fernando
Francisca
Francisco
Gabriel
Gabriela
Gilberto
Guadalupe
Guillermo
Iago
Isabel (Isabella)
Inez
Inigo
Jacinta
Jaime
Javier
Jesús
Jorge
José
Josefina
Juan
Juana
Juanita
Julio
Julia
Laura
Leonora
Lola
Lucia
Lucinda
Luis
Luz
Manuel
Marcos
Margarita
María
Martín
Mercedes
Miguel
Orlando
Pablo
Paloma
Pedro
Pilar
Raul
Ramón
Ramona
Ricardo
Rita
Roberta
Roberto
Rocío
Rodrigo
Rosa
Salvador
Sanchia
Santiago
Sebastián
Sergio
Simón
Sofia
Teresa
Yesenia
-and-

Sierra (a vocabulary word)

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