Rod Engelsman wrote:
So is the Spanish naming system patrilineal or matrilineal? I mean it looks like both but would you normally end with the father's surname or the mother's?
AFAIK it's sort of both. I don't think there's any rule that you must end with your mother's surname. I've seen both really.
Oh, another note on Spanish (or at least Venezuelan) names. They can be quite long. Given names I mean. My mom's complete *given* name is "Cristina Amelia de nuestra Se�ora de la Coromoto".
Cristina is what an Anglophone might think of as her first name and Amelia her middle name. The rest doesn't have any equivalent in English that I know of. It's rooted in Catholic tradition. In fact, it's a reference to Virgin Mary ("nuestra se�ora" == "our lady").f
FWIW, I've always thought that matrilineal made more sense. After all, it's generally pretty obvious who the mother is but as to the father...?
I hear that Hebrew last names put the mother's name first.
Cheers, Daniel.
