Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!tekecs!ariels
From: ariels@tekecs.UUCP (Ariel Shattan)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Marriage and surnames
Message-ID: <2220@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Sep-83 12:52:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.2220
Posted: Thu Sep 29 12:52:44 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Oct-83 18:26:53 EDT
References: dciem.409
Lines: 24


In Spain, when two members of the aristocracy married, their children had
a name that was a combination of both the parents surnames; with the mother's
name last. For example:

Juan Ortega marries Maria Garcia; their children Carlos and Juanita are

Carlos Ortega y Garcia and Juanita Ortega y Garcia.

When these children grow and are married, (say Carlos marries
Lucinda Moreno y Valdez), they use (I think) the final name (i.e., their
mother's) as the one that combines, as opposed to all four "y"'s, but I think
that the rest of the names are shoved in there somehow, too.

Carlos' and Lucinda's son Esteban's name would be something like:

Esteban Moreno Ortega Garcia y Valdez.

This does lead to quite a few names in only a few generations, but the 
aristocratic Spaniards were big on long, fancy names, anyway.  

BTW, "y" means "and"

Ariel Shattan