double or hyphenated names
... in their meanings - are they simply literal like x means this and y means this or are their meanings combined? and if so how do you decide the meaning eg x in y or y in x? i know im probably not making sense... sorry ...
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Well, in Latin America, hyphenated names are very common, specially surnames. People have a "passion" for combining 2 family names and make up their own surname. Some examples of these are "González-Campo"
"Castro-Conde", "Méndez-Ruiz", "Ruiz-Moreno", Gracía-Salas". These are some, that have been around for at least 4 generations, now.There are other combined family names that have become a single word, such as "Rocasermeño", being Roca one name and Sermeño another. The bearers fo the name have decided to NOT hyphenate it.The combination of family names came to be, because it is a tradition that the Spanish speaking, have 2 surnames: First your father's Family names and second, your mother's Family name. i.e. Juan Herrera marries Lourdes García and they give birth to Little Pablo. Then Pablo's full name will be Pablo Herrera García(NO hyphen). Perhaps, when Pablo grows up, he will decide that he wants to be Pablo Herrera-García Vielman(just an example) to honour his mother's mother, who's maiden name is Vielman. So, When Pablo Herrera-García Vielman, marries say, Julia García-Salas Fernández(note the hyphenated case) and they give birth to Mariana, the child's full name will be Mariana Herrera-García García-Salas(LOL! this really happens!!)The thing with meanings in Spanish surnames is that , normally they tend to describe occupation, features or places and all of them have very obvious meanings, like Castillo(castle) or Rubio(blond), Campos(fields) etc. And of course the patronymic, the "ez" ending, such as Rodriguez, Perez, Fernández, etc. So, in Spanish there is no choice, most of the time, I suppose. Someone Named Fernando Castillo Rubio is simply "Fernando, Blond, form the castle". Hence, there are very funny combinations that develop out of coincidence, such as Azucena Flores del Campo, "Lily, flower of the fields".

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LOL! So true.My roommate's business card reads Carlos A. Lopez M. =o)
(For privacy's sake, his real last name is not Lopez, but you still get the point =o)
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Correction(as usual...)"...For husband's. Jennifer López Marries Benjamin Affleck, then Jennifer becomes Jennifer López de Affleck. "de" meaning "belonging to". But it doesn't work that way in every Hispanic country. Although it is in most of them, there are a few countries which do not operate this way."
That should have been "If Jennifer López Marries Benjamin Affleck, then Jennifer becomes Jennifer López de Affleck...."
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