I need some realistic examples of names in Spain?

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Antonio Banderas,
Paco de Lucia,
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
Rodrigo DÃaz
Pablo Picasso
Albert Luque
Julio IglÃ©sias

Twig Step

This web page gives the 100 most popular surnames, boys names and girl's names in Spain:
http://www.inforo.com.ar/noticias/nombres_y_apellidos_mas_populares_de_espana_por_residencia_o_nacimiento_para_varones_y_mujeres_estadistica

Use it to pick and mix. Normally spanish people have 1 name and 2 surnames (father's folowed by mothers).

There are probably a lot of Antonio Fernandez Garcia and Ana Lopez Perez in Spain!

You should take into account that compound cristian names are popular: Juan Antonio (Juanan), Maria Isabel (Maribel), Maria Teresa (Maite) etc...

About 30 year's ago, all names given to children had to be saint's names, so anyone called "Javier" and over 30 is most likely named Francisco Javier, and so on.

Names also vary a lot by area, names that are very popular in the Basque country (Iker, Isaskun...) or CatluÃ±a (Marc, Mireya) are rare in the rest of Spain, so if you are inventing a character from a particular region, you should take that into account.

The Spanish National Statistic Offices, lets you download lists of surnmaes (apellidos) and cristian names (nombres) by region, & is very interesting:

http://www.ine.es/daco/daco42/nombyapel/nombyapel.htm

You can also find out how common your surname is in Spain here:
http://www.ine.es/fapel/FAPEL.INICIO
(If there are a lot in Malaga/Alicante don't be surprised, this is where the biggest UK expat populations are)

Heather G

I studied in Spain for a summer. I had a friend named Dani and a friend named Guillermo. My host mom's name was Maria Jose. Juan Ramon was her son's name. They called him Juanrra for short. The only lastname I remember is Zahonero. That's what I got for you.

dart

Depends where you are...Manolo is pretty much THE most popular name in AndalucÃa...at least in Sevilla....for men. And has been for generations.

EVERY woman seems to be named MarÃa something...MarÃa Josefina, MarÃa Elena, MarÃa Victoria, Maripaz, MarilÃ³, MariÃ¡ngel...honestly, I even asked my friend, here, (who is one of those...and her mother and sister are BOTH MarÃa Alicia, and she said, oh yes...EVERYone...so, you're bound to find an exception...but if you actually ASK them, because they introduce themselves as, say, Antonia, they will tell you that it's truly MarÃa Antonia.

Other typically male names are Sergio, JoaquÃn, JosÃ© (I used to know a ton of JosÃ©s, too) Rafael (Protecting angel of CÃ³rdoba, so especially there). Carlos, oh! And I'll bet, in honor of the king, you'll find quite a few Juan Carloses. I've actually known a few men from other countries named for the king.

And most people have two first names and two last names...their father's first, and then their mother's.

wmayers99

Jose Samovar. Elizabeth Sandoval. Maria de Jesus Rodriguez. Lupe Garcia (a man's name, that one). Alberto de la O. Geraldo Sanchez.

Adrian B

homero simpson

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