Spanish names

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

So, I've gotten into telenovelas recently, and I'm thus currently hooked on Spanish names. What do you think of the following? My favorites are bolded.

GIRLS
Alejandra
Alicia
Antonia
Araceli
Beatriz
Blanca
Camila
Carlota
Carmen
Carolina
Catalina
Cecilia
Claudia
Cristina
Daniela
Diana
Elena
Emelina
Emilia
Eva
Fabiola
Gabriela
Graciela
Inés
Isabel
Jacinta
Laura
Leonor
Leticia
Lidia
Lola
Lorenza
Lourdes
Lucía
Magdalena
Marcela
María
María del Carmen
Maribel
Mercedes
Micaela
Mónica
Montserrat
Olivia
Paloma
Ramona
Raquel
Rosalinda
Sabina
Sara
Sofía
Susana
Valentina
Verónica
Violeta
Ximena [hee-MAY-na]
Zoraida

BOYS
Benjamín
Bruno
Cruz
Diego
Enrique
Esteban
Gabriel
Jaime
Leandro
Leonardo
Leonel
Mateo
Nicolás
Rafael
Ramón
Ricardo
Roberto
Rodrigo
Rufino
Samuel
Santiago
Teodoro
Tomás

(If you aren't familiar with Spanish phonology, here's a crash course.)

Comments

[skittles22088.livejournal.com]

I like:
Camila
Catalina
Elena
Graciela
Isabel
Lola
Marcela
Maribel
Paloma
Sara
Valentina
Cruz
Diego
Leandro
Rafael
Rodrigo
Santiago

[iamkatiei.livejournal.com]

Isabel
Leonor
Lola
Sofia

In addition to the boy's names, I love Oscar.

[rorylareina.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Araceli, Paloma, and Ximena.

[blinding-rays.livejournal.com]

favorites are Lola and Nicolás :)

[stormqueen280.livejournal.com]

Like:

Alicia
Blanca
Camila
Carmen
Carolina
Catalina
Cecilia
Claudia
Daniela
Diana
Elena
Emilia
Eva
Isabel
Laura
Leonor
Lucía
María
Mercedes
Micaela
Mónica
Olivia
Sara
Sofía
Susana
Valentina
Verónica
Violeta

Benjamín
Bruno
Enrique
Gabriel
Leandro
Leonardo
Leonel
Mateo
Nicolás
Tomás

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Just wondering, do you pronounce Araceli the Latin American or Peninsular way? I can't decide which I prefer.

[muggleish.livejournal.com]

Benjamín is my boyfriend. haha.

[muggleish.livejournal.com]

ps. Which novelas do u like?

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I'm currently working my way through La madrastra (the Victoria Ruffo version) on YouTube (I bought the DVDs, but it left out the best parts), and after I'm done with it I'm thinking about moving on to Entre el amor y el odio because I really like César Évora and Sabine Moussier, and because I read about the ending on Wikipedia and it sounds like the most amazingly hilarious thing ever. :)

[spaceandclouds.livejournal.com]

Of your list, I like:
Beatriz
Blanca
Cecilia
Elena
Lourdes
Lucía
Mercedes
Mateo

I personally also love Luz and Paz (yes, I'm aware of the fact that those are nouns) and Estefania.

[gipro2003.livejournal.com]

I've worked or gone to school with people who were named most of these names.

I like:
Carolina (LOVE but can't use)
Catalina (LOVE and it has replaced Carolina on my list.)
Eva
Isabel
Laura
Lidia (I actually prefer Elidia)
Lucía
Magdalena
Olivia
Sabina
Sofía
Valentina (This is growing on me)
Violeta


BOYS
Benjamín
Mateo
Nicolás

[rorylareina.livejournal.com]

a-ra-SE-li is how I'd pronounce it, what's the other way?

[feelslike-2day.livejournal.com]

I <33 spanish names!

i liek:

GIRLS
Alejandra
Alicia
Camila
Carolina
Catalina
Cecilia
Claudia
Daniela
Elena
Emilia
Eva
Graciela
Inés ( though I like Ynes better)
Isabel
Jacinta
Laura
Leticia
Lidia
Lucía
Maribel
Mercedes
Micaela
Olivia
Raquel
Rosalinda
Sara
Sofía
Susana
Valentina
Violeta


BOYS
Cruz
Enrique
Gabriel
Jaime
Leandro
Mateo
Nicolás
Teodoro

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

Idk what ouronlylight was thinking, but the Araceli I knew in middle school pronounced it a-RAH-selly. She was half-Mexican and half-Colombian, idk if that has anything to do with it.

[frost.livejournal.com]

Isabel, Paloma, Montserrat, Olivia, Valentina, Violeta, Sofia, Sabina, Lucia
Rafael, Ramon, Samuel, Tomas, Mateo

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

C's and z's are pronounced sort of like th's in much of Spain, so the Peninsular way of saying it would be ah-rah-THEH-lee. I kind of like it that way, but I feel a little bit like I'm lisping. :/

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I think that Luz is actually used as a girl's name sometimes, or at least María de la Luz or something like that. Speaking of nouns, I kind of like Mariposa, and as for unfortunate pronouns, I always thought that Nadie was rather lovely. :/

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

oh no... not telenovelas... I grew up around girls that watched them but I still think my mother was right... they rot the brain... Anywho....

I like:

Alicia
Beatriz
Camila
Carlota
Catalina - miiight use as a middle name
Cecilia
Elena - If I ever have a daughter this will be her middle name, a family tradition, giving the first born daughter the grandmother's middle name.
Laura
Lidia - might consider it.
Lola
Lucía
Magdalena
Mónica - My name and my mother's name.
Montserrat
Olivia - love it, would use it.
Paloma
Sabina
Sara
Sofía


BTW - Ximena is pronounced Xee-MAY-nuh... hee-May-nuh is spelt with a J.


for the boys:
Benjamín
Esteban
Gabriel
Nicolás
Samuel
Tomás

Oddly enough I would probably never use any of these names unless otherwise noted up there xD I like French and English sounding names a lot more for some reason, even though I want them to be something that can be pronounced in my mother tongue Spanish names just tend to not sound that great in French or Spanish which are my other two main tongues.

[twitchywoman.livejournal.com]

I love love love the name Louisa, but I like it spelled that way and pronounced the Spanish way like Luisa.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Ximena is pronounced Xee-MAY-nuh... hee-May-nuh is spelt with a J.

Really? I thought that originally, but then I read the comments on Behind the Name (http://www.behindthename.com/comment/search.php?terms=ximena) and they seemed to be of the consensus that Ximena is the medieval spelling of Jimena, because in those days the x was pronounced kind of like j.

oh no... not telenovelas... I grew up around girls that watched them but I still think my mother was right... they rot the brain...

Haha, don't worry, I watch them mostly for the lulz and to work on my Spanish skills. I don't really take them all that seriously. :P

[chillinbabejodi.livejournal.com]

I LIKE:
Alejandra
Alicia
Catalina
Elena
Emilia
Eva
Gabriela
Isabel
Leonor
Lucía
Mercedes
Violeta
Benjamín
Nicolás
Teodoro

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I completely adore Santiago but I am far too white for that name to work. Sadness, because I would use it.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

that MAY BE the case in English but remember that in Spanish X is just... X, it doesn't take any kind of other form or anything. I have a Ximena as a teacher and she's Xee-MAY-nuh.

Have you tried watching some good Spaniard movies or the likes? I could recommend a few =)

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

you know hispanic kids also tend to be rather pale? Not saying this to be all 'omg you racist!' but I for example am actually rather white looking (or okay, rather greek looking) and my sister? you saw her walking down the street you might never even pin her as hispanic. I have twin friends named Nicolas and Augusto and they are blond, green eyed hispanics so when they speak english people tend to think their mother had some fascination with spanish names too xD.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I am completely well aware that not every person with Hispanic background is going to be darker, but I really wasn't referring to skin color. Like, I'm sure that Indians have varying degrees of skin color, but I am too white to name my kid Aparajita. Santiago is a name that doesn't match my ethnicity; there's names like that in this community all the time. It is so Hispanic in appearance/sound/connotation that unless me or my husband was Hispanic, it would be weird. Again, like Zheng on a child who is completely white with no Asian background.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

true, but I think the thin with Hispanics is that most people tend to think we'll be darker when you get some milk whites in here too (raises hand). I tend to not care about the use of certain names on different cultures because I find that even Spaniards are darker than me xD. Of course to each their own.

[starskye.livejournal.com]

Valentina is my favorite name of all time (as everyone in this community is well aware LOL)
others I would use:
Alejandra
Antonia
Blanca
Emelina
Eva (especially as a nickname for Evangelina)
Lucia
Magdalena

Benjamin
Esteban
Gabriel (I love this one)
Samuel

I am not even a litte bit spanish but I adore most spanish names because they fit into my style.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Have you tried watching some good Spaniard movies or the likes? I could recommend a few =)

That would be lovely. :) For various Spanish classes, I've seen La mala educación, but that was a little too out there even for me, and Y tu mamá también, which I felt like I would have enjoyed more if I were male.

[nandy-pandy.livejournal.com]

Cristina is not on this list, so it fails.

jk

A lot of those names are on my list, because we're a Spanish-speaking family. Leonor and Valentina are my favorites.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

oooh I love me some Spaniard horror! To me they are right now the BEST with that genre because they are doing something new and exciting.

They also have a lot of non horror good movies.

I recommend:

*Todo sobre mi madre, directed by Pedro Almodovar.
*Hable con ella, directed by Pedro Almodovar.
*El Laberinto del Fauno, directed by Guillermo del Toro.
El Orfanato, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona.
Rec, directed by Jaume Balaguero.
Los Sin Nombre, directed by Jaume Belaguero.

* = not horror

Watch those and if you want others then go ahead and PM me!

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, I can't believe that I forgot Cristina! You're right, this list is incomplete with out that name. :)

[spikes-sexkitty.livejournal.com]

GIRLS
Araceli
Beatriz
Carlota*
Carmen*/Carmela*
Carolina*
Claudia*
Cristina
Elena
Graciela
Inés
Laura*
Lourdes
Mercedes*
Micaela
Montserrat
Rosalinda
Verónica*

BOYS
Enrique*
Gabriel
Leandro
Mateo*
Rafael
Samuel*
Tomás

names = REEEEALLY love
* = love them, but already in use by immediate family members (mom, uncles, cousins), so can't

[astromix.livejournal.com]

In Mexico Ximena is pronounced He-me-na, since the X is kinda like an H
like 'Mexico' - meh-he-coh

[astromix.livejournal.com]

plus i LOVE the name Leonel!

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Thanks (re: Ximena), that's what I thought. I suppose Ximena is pronounced xee-MAY-na outside of Mexico, then?

And YAY for someone else who likes Leonel! I think it's such a presh name. :)