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HelpHispanic (specifically Mexican) names without religious connotations?
My partner is a bilingual Mexican immigrant with a predominantly Spanish-speaking family, I'm a white American with a predominantly English-speaking family (my cultural heritage is distantly Scandinavian/German/English and is less important to me).
Looking for names (any gender) that skew Hispanic but aren't religious, and can be pronounced by non-Spanish-speaking Midwesterners.
Some that I currently like: Aurelio, Adela, Adrián, Alma, Arturo, Beatriz, Camilo, Carolina, Estela, Félix, Jacinta, Joaquín, Juliana, Lilia, Luz, Máximo, Ofelia, Oriana, Rosalía, Serafina, Viviana
Looking for names (any gender) that skew Hispanic but aren't religious, and can be pronounced by non-Spanish-speaking Midwesterners.
Some that I currently like: Aurelio, Adela, Adrián, Alma, Arturo, Beatriz, Camilo, Carolina, Estela, Félix, Jacinta, Joaquín, Juliana, Lilia, Luz, Máximo, Ofelia, Oriana, Rosalía, Serafina, Viviana
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Replies
I know a Carmina who is bilingual and half Mexican, and the family is not religious.
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I love Adela, Carolina, and Juliana. In August of 2021, I spent my anniversary in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and I made it a point to remember names that intrigued me, whether good or bad.
Armando
César
Consuelo
Eduardo
Eva María
Felipe
Geraldo
Hernando
Lupita
Paloma
Armando
César
Consuelo
Eduardo
Eva María
Felipe
Geraldo
Hernando
Lupita
Paloma
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ETA
Some of my American Hispanic friends have used:
Sofia
Isabella
Camilla
Victoria
Abigail “Abby”
Lily
Elizabeth
Diego
Anthony
Preston
Jack
Jacob
Adrian
Elias
Elijah
Liam
ETA: I know most of them aren’t typically Hispanic names, but we have a huge Hispanic community and this is just what a lot of my Hispanic friends have used. They weren’t super interested in ultra Mexican names, they just wanted ones easy enough for their parents and family to pronounce.
Some of my American Hispanic friends have used:
Sofia
Isabella
Camilla
Victoria
Abigail “Abby”
Lily
Elizabeth
Diego
Anthony
Preston
Jack
Jacob
Adrian
Elias
Elijah
Liam
ETA: I know most of them aren’t typically Hispanic names, but we have a huge Hispanic community and this is just what a lot of my Hispanic friends have used. They weren’t super interested in ultra Mexican names, they just wanted ones easy enough for their parents and family to pronounce.
This message was edited 1/4/2022, 10:03 AM
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I don’t consider any of those Christian at all. I guess I could maybe see it for Gabriel, but Isabel? Miguel? Really?
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There are saints called Isabel, and Miguel of course is a religious name in Spanish for the same reason Gabriel is -- it's the name of one of only four angels mentioned by name in the Bible, since it's just the Spanish equivalent of Michael. If you are speaking Spanish, you call the angel San Miguel.
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I like Adrian, Carolina, Felix,Jacinta, Juliana, Rosalie, Viviana
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I like a lot of names that are on the popularity lists in Spanish speaking countries (my cultural background is similar to yours, and for the most part, I don't find any hard to say), but I don't remember many off the top of my head, especially ones without religious connotations (for example, ones that come to mind are Sandalio, Salome, Gabriela, Noa, Esperanza, and Isidora). Maybe Luciana, Lucinda, Valeria, Dalia, Elmira, Matilde, Nuno, Nicomedes, Nico, or Arsenio? At least a few of those are saints, though...it's really hard to escape saint connections...
A couple names that I like of Mexican immigrants who I've personally met that might fit your criteria are Hugo and Minerva. They're in their 30s/40s now, though, and I don't know how they'd be perceived in Mexico.
Also, I love Mirta personally, but I'd guess that might sound dated?
A couple names that I like of Mexican immigrants who I've personally met that might fit your criteria are Hugo and Minerva. They're in their 30s/40s now, though, and I don't know how they'd be perceived in Mexico.
Also, I love Mirta personally, but I'd guess that might sound dated?
This message was edited 1/3/2022, 10:19 PM
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Great names! I think it's really hard to escape saint names, with the thousands that the Catholic church recognizes, mostly we're trying to steer clear of ones with direct biblical usage and meanings like "God is with us" etc.
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I don't know what gives a name "religious connotations" to you, but most of those you list are the names of saints in Roman Catholic tradition.
Aurelio is the name of a martyr in Cordoba, Spain in the ninth century.
Adela is the name of an eighth century saint from the Rhineland.
The original St. Adrian was a Roman guard to the emperor martyred in 306, and there have been six Popes named Adrian.
Alma is the word for "soul" in Spanish, which has been a big part of the reason for its use by Spanish-speaking parents.
There was a St. Arthur born in Ireland who was martyred in Egypt in 1282. He doesn't seem to be well-known in Spanish-speaking countries, so perhaps Arturo has fewer "religious connotations", though to me the legend of King Arthur is full of both pagan and Christian religious overtones.
Santa Beatriz (St. Beatrice) was a Roman martyr in the fourth century.
Camillus de Lelis (1550-1614), who is called Camilo de Lelis in Spanish, founded a religious order dedicated to care for the sick. He was canonized a saint in 1746.
Carolina may not have many religious connotations in Spanish-speaking countries, though it would be the Spanish form of Karoline, and Karoline Gerhardinger (1797-1879) was a German nun who founded an educational order who was beatified in 1985.
In Mexico Estela is considered a variation of Estrella, name of a third century virgin martyr saint.
Aurelio is the name of a martyr in Cordoba, Spain in the ninth century.
Adela is the name of an eighth century saint from the Rhineland.
The original St. Adrian was a Roman guard to the emperor martyred in 306, and there have been six Popes named Adrian.
Alma is the word for "soul" in Spanish, which has been a big part of the reason for its use by Spanish-speaking parents.
There was a St. Arthur born in Ireland who was martyred in Egypt in 1282. He doesn't seem to be well-known in Spanish-speaking countries, so perhaps Arturo has fewer "religious connotations", though to me the legend of King Arthur is full of both pagan and Christian religious overtones.
Santa Beatriz (St. Beatrice) was a Roman martyr in the fourth century.
Camillus de Lelis (1550-1614), who is called Camilo de Lelis in Spanish, founded a religious order dedicated to care for the sick. He was canonized a saint in 1746.
Carolina may not have many religious connotations in Spanish-speaking countries, though it would be the Spanish form of Karoline, and Karoline Gerhardinger (1797-1879) was a German nun who founded an educational order who was beatified in 1985.
In Mexico Estela is considered a variation of Estrella, name of a third century virgin martyr saint.
This message was edited 1/3/2022, 8:19 PM
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You're incredibly thorough, kudos for that! I think it's really hard to escape saint names, with the thousands that the Catholic church recognizes, mostly we're trying to steer clear of ones with direct biblical usage and meanings like "God is with us", etc.
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Alejandro
Carlos
Eduardo
Hector
Julio
Luis
Lorenzo
Roberto
Antonio
Alondra
Carmen
Catalina
Elena
Fernanda
Gloria
Isabel
Margarita
Paloma
Perla
Rosa
Reina
Sofia
Valentina
Carlos
Eduardo
Hector
Julio
Luis
Lorenzo
Roberto
Antonio
Alondra
Carmen
Catalina
Elena
Fernanda
Gloria
Isabel
Margarita
Paloma
Perla
Rosa
Reina
Sofia
Valentina
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Great list!
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