Marge, most of the names you mention sound like they came from the
classic Greek or Roman---pagan?
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The way I heard it from my Jesuit priest friend is that early in the Conquest
the Catholic church decided to give names to Indians of only known
saints or martyrs of the Church. Of course, almost all of them were
early Roman and Greek martyrs. I think this was done because as all conquering
armies go about their business, some individuals decide to have a little
nasty fun with names with people that do not speak their language.
I had plenty of experience with that while working for the INS. A lot of
American (very few were GIs) left children who they named with insulting
names but changed the spelling; they told the mothers that they were
English names when in reality they were nasty words.
My friend told me that this
was also the case with the some Spanish in the Phillipines (yes, I saw
the examples. Here's the mildest one for a last name: Cagado). The
majority of the Spanish did not approve of that malicious prank
thus the costumbre of naming persons in Spanish posessions with
uplifting names was born. What I gathered was that the Spanish would not
record names which were nasty or hinted of impropiety as the names were
imposed during baptism, however, I am sure that a few got
through.
Emilie Garcia
Port Orchard, WA ---
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 8:15
PM
Subject: [ranchos] Re: Odd names
WAS
Marge,
My dad was named Restituto and he went to court to legally change his
name to Jose. Many people called him ''Tuto'' for short but he hated
it.
And yes I am glad my mom named me Alicia and not Juana because
Juana was my saint day and that's the name the priest told my mother she
should name me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I feel sorry for the priest who said that! Evidently he
was not familiar with the early Christian martyrs.
He told her Alicia was a pagan name and it had to be a saint's
name. Three cheers for mom who stuck to her guns.
Alicia Avelar de Carrillo
San Jose, Ca
Margarita Vallazza
<TeaCozyGran@...> wrote:
Aren't you glad to not be named Reducindo or Reducinda?
----------------------------------------------------------------------I
got plenty of people with those names in my family. I even hav a
prudenciana and Prudenciano. I got Petras/Pedros and
Petronilas/Petronilos "pa'aventar pa'arriba!
One of my ancestors is named Narciso, another Prudencio, another
Petronilo, and
another Zenobio...what names!!!!
Marge:)
by Date 
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