The double surname in Spain (the children of a couple inherit both the first paternal surname and the first maternal surname) is a consolidated tradition that dates back to 19th century and which was formalized with the Civil Code of 1889. This practice was aimed at identify people with greater precisionreflecting both the paternal and maternal lines. The system became common in Spain and then spread to Latin Americaremaining rare in the rest of the world.
The Spanish Double Surname System
In Spain, as a general rule, the first surname of a citizen is that of the fatherwhile the second that’s it of the mother. This order reflects a historically patriarchal society. However, the Spanish Civil Codein Article 109, recognizes the right of parents to determine the order of the child’s surnames by mutual agreement. Furthermore, once the son or daughter reaches the age of majority, they can request to reverse the order of their surnames. An interesting aspect is that if the parents decide to reverse the order of the surnames for the first child, this change will automatically apply to the couple’s future children.
Let’s take a practical example to understand better: Jose Martinez Sanchez wife Ana Gomez Ruiz. When their is born DaughterCarmen, her surnames will be Martínez Gómez. When Carmen Martinez Gomez will have a son with Pedro Rodriguez Pereznamed Lucas, the child’s surnames will be Rodriguez Martinez. As you can see, the first surname of every generation comes transmittedwhile the second tends to disappear.
This means that, contrary to what one might think, Spaniards do not accumulate a long series of surnames. Each person has two surnames, but only the first is passed down to subsequent generations, thus maintaining a line of family continuity.
The Case of Pablo Picasso
An emblematic case of the tradition of two surnames in Spain is that of Pablo Picasso. The full name of the famous artist was in fact Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso. Even if his paternal surname era “Ruiz”Picasso is known throughout the world with the maternal surname “Picasso”. This is not an isolated case and happens often when the paternal surname it is particularly common or when the maternal surname And more distinctive or prestigious. In the case of Picasso, the surname “Ruiz” was quite common, while “Picasso” not only did it sound better unique and recognizablebut it was also the surname of a well-known family in the social and cultural context from Malagawhere the artist’s mother came from.
Comparison with other countries in Europe
But how do other countries behave regarding double surnames? Italytradition dictates that only the father’s surname should be used, but since 2016 the law allows the use both surnames. A similar situation was present in Francewhere a legislative change in the 2005 has allowed to use the two surnames or Of choose the orderplacing the mother’s or other parent’s first.
Perhaps the most singular case is that of the Swedenwhere they are normally used both surnamesin the order chosen by the couple. However, if the parents cannot reach an agreement, the order is used exclusively mother’s surname.
