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Most popular baby names in Spain

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If your ancestors come from Spain, you may have a great-grandfather named Antonio, a great-aunt Carmen, or a great-uncle José. These names were among the most popular in Spain in past generations.

For decades, the three most popular names for boys and girls were the same for all Spaniards. According to data from Spain's National Institute of Statistics, María, Carmen (or María Carmen), and Josefa were the most popular names in Spain for girls born during of the first half of the 20th century. Until 1950, these three names consistently occupied the top three spots.

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The same thing was true with boys' names: José, Antonio, Manuel, and Francisco were the four most popular boys' names in Spain for many years. Only in the 1970s did a few new names begin to appear on the list of most popular names.

 

Pre-1920 and 1920s: Tried-and-true names

There was little variation in boys' names among those born before 1920 and those born during the 1920s.

RankBefore 1920During the 1920s
1JoséJosé
2AntonioAntonio
3ManuelManuel
4FranciscoFrancisco
5JuanJuan
6PedroPedro
7MiguelMiguel
8LuisLuis
9RamónÁngel
10AngelJesús

The situation was similar for girls born before 1920 and during the 1920s. Rankings on the popularity chart changed, but the names themselves remained the same.

RankBefore 1920During the 1920s
1MaríaMaría Carmen
2CarmenCarmen
3JosefaMaría
4DoloresJosefa
5FranciscaDolores
6AntoniaIsabel
7María CarmenFrancisca
8IsabelAntonia
9PilarMaría Pilar
10ConcepciónMaría Teresa

 

1930s and 1940s: The tradition continues

During the next several decades, the most popular boys and girls names were practically the same, with slight variations in their standings on the list. In the 1930s and 1940s, the list of most popular names for boys barely changed.

Rank1930s1940s
1JoséJosé
2AntonioAntonio
3ManuelManuel
4FranciscoFrancisco
5JuanJuan
6PedroJosé Luis
7LuisPedro
8MiguelÁngel
9ÁngelJesús
10JesúsMiguel

 

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The most popular girls' names barely changed during these two decades:

Rank1930s1940s
1MaríaMaría Carmen
2CarmenCarmen
3JosefaMaría
4DoloresJosefa
5FranciscaDolores
6AntoniaIsabel
7María CarmenFrancisca
8IsabelAntonia
9PilarMaría Pilar
10ConcepciónMaría Teresa

 

1950s and 1960s: The double-name twist

In these decades, a new fad began in Spain: double names beginning with María. You'll find many names such as María Dolores, María Pilar, and María Teresa.

Rank1950s1960s
1María CarmenMaría Carmen
2CarmenAna María
3JosefaMaría Dolores
4María DoloresMaría Pilar
5MaríaMaría José
6María PilarMaría Teresa
7María TeresaMaría Ángeles
8IsabelMaría Isabel
9María ÁngelesCarmen
10FranciscaIsabel

 

A similar trend was happening in boys' names in the 1950s and '60s. The favorites continued to be Antonio, José, Manuel, and Francisco, but double names that incorporate José and Juan started appearing as well.

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Rank1950s1960s
1AntonioAntonio
2JoséManuel
3FranciscoFrancisco
4JuanJosé Antonio
5José LuisFrancisco Javier
6José AntonioJosé Luís
7JesúsJosé Manuel
8PedroJuan Carlos
9RafaelJuan
10ÁngelMiguel Ángel

 

1970s and 1980s: New names for a new Spain

Along with major political, cultural, and social changes in Spain during the 1970s came a new wave of baby names. For the first time since before 1920, the most popular boys' name wasn't Antonio, José, Manuel, or Francisco. More Spanish families now opted for David, and the trend continued in the decades that followed.

Many new names became popular, especially in the 1980s, when Javier, Sergio, Carlos, and Rubén were among the top ten. For the first time since before 1920, José was not one of the ten favorite names.

Rank1970s1980s
1DavidDavid
2AntonioJavier
3Francisco JavierDaniel
4ManuelAntonio
5JavierSergio
6José AntonioCarlos
7Miguel ÁngelAlberto
8FranciscoManuel
9José ManuelRubén
10CarlosFrancisco Javier

 

The same thing happened to girls' names. In the 1970s, Raquel, Sonia, Susana, and Yolanda were among the ten favorites. And in the 1980s, it was Patricia, Verónica, Sara, and Beatriz – names that had previously never made it to the top ten.

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Rank1970s1980s
1María CarmenLaura
2María JoséCristina
3Ana MaríaMaría
4CristinaMarta
5MónicaPatricia
6RaquelBeatriz
7SoniaRaquel
8SusanaMaría Carmen
9YolandaVerónica
10MartaSara

 

1990s and the new century

Double names for Spanish girls disappeared in the 1990s. Most of the new names were short and simple. Oddly enough, in spite of a departure from traditional names, the favorite girls' name since 1990 has been María.

Rank1990sSince 2000
1MaríaMaría
2LauraLucía
3CristinaPaula
4MartaLaura
5SaraAndrea
6AndreaMarta
7AnaAlba
8AlbaSara
9PaulaAna
10SandraNerea

 

Although less innovative than names picked for girls, boys' names also underwent a transformation in these years. One of the most significant changes was that none of the most common names from previous decades – such as Antonio, Manuel, José, and Francisco – appeared among the top ten. David, Daniel, Alejandro, and Javier have been some of the most popular.

Rank1990sSince 2000
1DavidAlejandro
2AlejandroDaniel
3DanielDavid
4JavierPablo
5SergioAdrián
6AdriánJavier
7CarlosÁlvaro
8PabloSergio
9ÁlvaroCarlos
10IvánJorge
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