Spanish and Catalan names make my heart all a-flutter
The naming of people is colored with the culture of a place, and the culture of this place is beautiful.
I have been collecting Spanish and Catalan names—especially the Catholic ones—like precious pearls all on a string, prized possessions I tuck away in a box to use later.
Milagros, of course : Miracles
Emma- but you pronounce both m’s, slowly: Em-m-ma - it is basically a three syllable word.
Maite. Which means love in Basque, another regional language in Spain. Maybe this is a Basque name, I really couldn’t tell you but I do love this name.
Josep, the Catalan version of Joseph.
Joel, two syllables, Joe- El.
Oriol, rolling off the tongue like a waterfall.
Pau and Pol: Paul and Paul, in Catalan. Pablo in Spanish. Or Paul in Spanish as well, evidently.
Joan- a boy’s name, two syllables. Joe-Ahn.
Concepción and Asunción and Encarnación - conception, assumption, incarnation. Very very religious. Imagine naming your daughter conception. And yet, there we are: my favorite person here is Concepcion.
Then of course there are the double names: José Antonio, María Teresa, used because otherwise which Jose and Maria would they even know you were talking about?
And then of course, the nicknames: Our neighbor Josep is also Pep is also Samanyo. But if it’s Samanyo, it’s “El Samanyo.”
Culture is found in so many parts of a life in another country. Food, yes. History, yes. Dances and traditional dress and festivals, of course.
But I think these precious Catalan and Spanish names bring a certain understanding of the culture as well. Catholicism, though not practiced by many of the younger generations here, carries on with not just its festivals but so many of its names. Nearly every Spaniard I’ve met has a “saint name” and they celebrate their saint day, almost like a birthday. The religious historical culture remains, even if attending mass and doing the rosary falls to the wayside.
And if even if they’re not Catholic, so many of the names and nicknames have this feeling of cariño, of affection. There’s something sweet about calling someone miracles, or love, or a sweet little bird. This all reflects the culture here: it’s more affectionate. Right down to the feeling of the names.
Right down to how we call each other.
