R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Latin America
Research Outline
   

Table of Contents
Introduction
     Using This Outline
Latin American Search Strategies
Records At The Family History Library
The Family History Library Catalog
     Map Of Central America
     Map Of South America
Archives And Libraries
     Archives In Spain
     Latin American Archives
Biography
     Family Information
     Compiled Biographies
Cemeteries
     Locating Cemeteries And Cemetery Records
Census
Church Records
     Information Recorded In Church Registers
     Inquisition Records
     Locating Church Records
     Search Strategies
Civil Registration
     Information Recorded In Civil Registers
     Locating Civil Registration Records
Emigration And Immigration
     Finding The Immigrant's Town Of Origin
     Locating Emigration Records
Gazetteers
Genealogy
     Family Histories
     Compiled Genealogies
     Major Databases And Collections
History
     Historical Chronology
     Calendar Changes
     Historical Geography
     Local Histories
Land And Property
Language And Languages
     Language Aids
Maps
     Using Maps
     Locating Maps And Atlases
Military Records
     Types Of Military Records
     Locating Military Records
Names, Personal
Native Races
     Racial Terminology
Nobility
     Untitled Nobility [Hidalgos/Fidalgos]
     Titled Nobility [Nobleza/nobreza]
     Military And Fraternal Orders[Ordenes Militares And Cofradías/Confraternidades]
Notarial Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Societies
Other Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

NAMES, PERSONALLook this term up in the glossary.

An understanding of given names and surnames in Spanish and Portuguese culture can help you find and identify your Latin American ancestors in the records.


Given NamesLook this term up in the glossary.

The given name of each person in Latin America was typically a Roman Catholic saint name, often the name of the saint on whose day the child was born. More than one given name could be given to a child, and it was often the custom to name all males José and all females María in addition to the appropriate saint name. Children were also named for godparents or deceased family members.

For a description of the origin and meaning of Hispanic given names, see:

Tibón, Gutierre. Diccionario Etimológico Comparado de Nombres Propios de Personas (Comparative Etymological Dictionary of Personal Proper Names). México: Unión Tipográfica Editorial Hispano Americana, c1956. (FHL book 980 D4t; film 1162485, item 11.)


SurnamesLook this term up in the glossary.

Before record keeping began, most people had only one name, a given name such as Pedro. As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals who had the same name. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. Pedro became Pedro, son of Domingo; Pedro the Smith; Pedro the Slender; or Pedro from Segovia.

These surnames developed from four different types of descriptive information:

  • PatronymicLook this term up in the glossary., based on the father's name, such as Pedro Domínguez (son of Domingo). The endings ez, es, and iz represent a patronymic system; common surname examples include Sánchez, Rodríguez, Fernández, and Gonzáles.
  • OccupationalLook this term up in the glossary., such as Pedro Herrera (smith).
  • DescriptiveLook this term up in the glossary., or nicknameLook this term up in the glossary., based upon some unique quality of the person, such as Pedro Delgado (slender).
  • Geographical, based upon a person's residence, such as Pedro de Segovia (from Segovia).

At first these surnames applied only to one person and not to the whole family. By the end of the Middle Ages, surnames became hereditary and were carried from father to son.

Spanish and Portuguese naming practices were instituted in Latin America by explorers, colonists, and missionaries. The only exception to the general custom of using surnames with given names was native Americans, who were registered in church records with only given names until the middle of the nineteenth century.


Spanish Double Surname System

One feature of Spanish naming customs which is very useful to family researchers is the double surname system. This system began among the nobility of Castile during the sixteenth century and became widespread among all classes by the nineteenth century. Before the nineteenth century, common people generally used only the father's surname.

Under the double surname system, each person uses two surnames, that of the father and that of the mother (the mother's maiden name). For example, the surname of Carlos Domínguez López is Domínguez López. Domínguez is his father's surname, and López is his mother's surname.

Under this system the next to last surname (father's surname) becomes a person's family name. For example, the family name of Carlos Domínguez López is Domínguez.

Women generally kept their maiden surname after marriage. Often, a woman would simply add her husband's surname to her own. For example, if Carlos Domínguez López and Juana Sánchez Ramírez married, Juana would be recorded in all documents and church records as Juana Sánchez Ramírez, although she might add de Domínguez to the end of her name.

If Carlos Domínguez López and Juana Sánchez Ramírez then had a daughter named Francisca, she would be known as Francisca Domínguez Sánchez, carrying her father's family name Domínguez and her mother's family name Sánchez. When Francisca married, she would retain her two surnames. She could also add her husband's surname to the end of her own to signify her marriage.

Before the double surname system was generally adopted, surnames were more variable. Although the paternal surname was the most common, individuals might have chosen to use their mother's or a grandparent's surname, particularly if the surname represented a more prestigious family. They might also have changed their inherited surname by adopting additional descriptive terms or names to avoid confusion with persons of similar names in the same locality. Over time, the additional surname might even have become the name which was carried on by future generations.

Note: In Portuguese names, the last surname is the family name. For example, the family name of Carlos Alberto Pereira Costa is Costa.

For general information about Hispanic and Latin American surnames, including native American names, see:

Tibón, Gutierre. Onomástico Hispanoamericano: Indice de Siete Mil Nombres y Apellidos Castellanos, Vascos, Arabes, Judios, Italianos, Indoamericanos, etc., y Un Indice Toponímico (Hispanic Names: Index of Seven Thousand Castilian, Basque, Arabic, Jewish, Italian, Amerindian, etc. Names and Surnames, and a Toponymic Index). México: Unión Tipográfica Editorial Hispano Americana, c1961. (FHL book 980 D4ti.)

Other published works that discuss Spanish and Portuguese names are found in the Family History Library Catalog under:

[COUNTRY] - NAMES, PERSONAL


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NATIVE RACESLook this term up in the glossary.

The first Latin Americans were the native peoples of the region, those who were there to meet the European explorers and settlers. Very few written records remain of those native people; most records did not survive the European exploration and settlement of Latin America. The lives of the native or Indian people were later recorded by the ecclesiastical and civil representatives of European churches and governments.

In many areas of Spanish Latin America, records of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and other Church sacraments administered to native Americans were kept in separate parish books from those used to record sacraments administered to Europeans (this was not the case in Brazil). Often only the given names of the Indian people were recorded in the parish books, making genealogy more difficult. This practice persisted in some areas well into the nineteenth century.

Records and books dealing with the native peoples of Latin America can usually be found in the Family History Library Catalog under:

[COUNTRY] - NATIVE RACES

The Spanish used many terms to designate persons of pure or mixed Indian ancestry. The list that follows identifies some of these terms. (The list also includes terms applied to those of African descent.)


Racial Terminology

The following list identifies racial classification terms used in the Catholic registers of colonial Latin America, particularly in Spanish America. Racial classification was often made on the basis of physical appearance or social status and therefore was not always accurate. The definitions of some of these terms may vary in some countries.

Classification Racial Composition

AlbarazadoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
AlbinoLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
Allí te estásLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
AngolaLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African from Angola
BarcinoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
BarnocinoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CabindaLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African from the Cabinda region of Angola
CabocloLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: Indian and Caucasian
Cabo-verdeLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: Indian and African
CabraLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African and Caucasian
CafuzoLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: Indian and African
CalpamulatoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CambujoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and African
CamburLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CastizoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and Caucasian
ChamizoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
ChinaLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: female Indian
ChinoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CholoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and Caucasian
CimarrónLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CongoLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African from Congo region
CoyoteLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CriolloLook this term up in the glossary. Colonial-born Spanish
CriouloLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: colonial-born European
CuarteadoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CuarterónLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
Cuarterón de ChinoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
Cuarterón y MestizoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and Caucasian
Cuarterón de MulatoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
CuatreroLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and Caucasian
EspañolLook this term up in the glossary. Spanish
IndioLook this term up in the glossary. Indian
JíbaroLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and African
LadinoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and Caucasian
LoboLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and African
MestizoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian and African
MoçambiqueLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African from Mozambique
MonjoloLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African
MorenoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
MoriscoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
In Spain: baptized Moor
MulatoLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
In Chile and Colombia: Indian and African
MamelucoLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: Indian and Caucasian
NagoLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African from Daomé
NegroLook this term up in the glossary. African
Negro finoLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
No te entiendeLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
No me toquesLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
OchavadoLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
PardoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
In Brazil: African and Caucasian
PretoLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African
PrietoLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
QuartarónLook this term up in the glossary. See Cuarterón
QuinterónLook this term up in the glossary. In Peru: African and Caucasian
RequinterónLook this term up in the glossary. In Peru: African and Caucasian
Salta atrásLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
São ToméLook this term up in the glossary. In Brazil: African from São Tomé
Tente en el aireLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
Torna atrásLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
TresalvoLook this term up in the glossary. African and Caucasian
ZambaigoLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian
ZamboLook this term up in the glossary. Indian, African, and Caucasian

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