What is my surname?

Question:I've always thought your surname is the last name you get from your father. My fathers last name is Pena, but when I was born, my mother wanted her last name with my fathers. So my last name is Velazquez-Pena. So what's my surname? Is it Pena, or Velazquez-Pena?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I've always thought your surname is the last name you get from your father. My fathers last name is Pena, but when I was born, my mother wanted her last name with my fathers. So my last name is Velazquez-Pena. So what's my surname? Is it Pena, or Velazquez-Pena?

It is Velazquez-Pena as now you have a double barreled surname this happens when the mother also wants to pass on her last name to the child as well as the 'ritural' of the fathers name being passed on.

Pena

that is your last name, the combined last names of your mum and dads.

since they are both your legal parents and the both gave you that name, then the combines last name is your actual surname.

hope this helps

Velazquez-Pena.

It's Velazquez-Pena.

If it's the surname your parents gave you, then thats your surname!

They sound Spanish, are they? I know the many Spaniards have a different naming system to the usual father-to-child naming system.

It is CUSTOMARY in the US to use the father's last name. By choice, your parents combined the two, and if that is how it is on your birth certificate, that would be accurate. It is also customary in many Hispanic countries to use both names. I think either way you go would be legal, except using Pena alone would be more convenient.

Velazquez-Pena. that's a really nice last name. it's better than something boring like smith, or jonhson.

by your choice.

It could be either but i would say try pena first

It was customary in the Spanish culture for the children to have the mother's last name as a middle name. In actuality, and legally in the USA your surname is Velazquez-Pena. Check out your birth certificate. If you were in the Anglo cullture, most likely you would be just Pena. If you go to the historical records in the 1600's you'll find names like Juan Lopez Cisneros Velazquez Gomez Rubio de Catalan de Pena. This was a way to keep track of the genealogy. You can use whatever name you want but it must not be for illegal purposes. You can also go to court and legally change your name. So what's in a name? All of your anscestor's DNA!

In Hispanic countries double surnames are customary. In English speaking countries, they aren't. Actually, it used to be only people from titled or well to do English families that used the double surname.

However, they do it differently than they do it in Hispanic countries. If you live in the U. S., you are probably caught between cultures

In English speaking countries if you use a double surname it is the wife's followed by the husband's.

However, in Hispanic countries this is how it goes.

The husband's name is his father's followed by his mother's.

The wife's and children's name is the husband/fathers followed by her maiden name.

until

the daughter gets married.

She drops her mother's maiden name and pushes her father's surname to the right and puts her husband's in front.

So when your parents married in Hispanic countries, your father's name would be Pena followed by his mother's maiden name
and yours and your mother's name and any brothers and sisters would be Pena-Velasquez. That is until your sister got married and she would drop Velasquez and push Pena to the right and put her husband's name in front.

Your surname is whatever you wish it to be. If you like Velazquez-Pena then use it. If it bothers you, then change it. Once you are of age you can call yourself anything you wish. Surnames are historically a new thing. Typically they are a single name used to show family groups. (the Smith family) . The Chinese are some of the first people to use surnames. It was not until the 10th or 11th century AD that Europeans started using Surnames. Some people believe that use surnames started to differentiate between different people of the same first name, (John Cooper, John Butler) but maybe it was to assist in the collection of taxes.