Old School Puerto Rican Names
How do you even pronounce that?
After looking at the censuses from the 19th and early 20th centuries while developing my large Puerto Rican family tree, it is obvious that many of the older names have not survived the turn of this century. Many older Spanish first names have no English equivalent (which I listed on another page) as they are derived from Greek and Latin and very old world such as Telésforo, Hipólito, and Eluteria. A great many of them are derived from Christian terms as Catholicism had a tight hold on naming practices for centuries. However, as times change, so do naming practices. In the mid to late 1900's, many Puerto Rican children began to be given more typical American-English derived names. The 21st century has seen a influx of original, hybrid names that are unique to the children who have them. Long gone are the days of being named for the holy nativity. While the religious names have fallen out of favor, the natural-world names such as Luna and Sol are still as popular as ever.
The etymology of names is interesting in and of itself but if you look closer, names give genealogists insight into the population living in a particular town.
The etymology of names is interesting in and of itself but if you look closer, names give genealogists insight into the population living in a particular town.
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Damas Y Caballeros
- Agripino/a - wild horse <via Roman from Greek>; m. Agrippa
- Anacleta/o - invoked <Latin via Greek> Anakletos
- Anselmo/a - protection of God from Ansehelm <Germanic>
- Balbino/a - stammerer <via Latin> f. Balbus
- Baudilia/o - 3rd Century Saint Baudelius <Latin>
- Baernabe/Bernabela - child of prophecy <Hebrew>
- Cayetano/a - from St. Gaetano <Italian>
- Candelaria/o - purification
- Candela - candle
- Cándida/o - white <via Latin>
- Ceferino/a - the west wind; <via Portuguese via Latin via Greek>; m. Zephyros
- Celestino/a - heavenly
- Consuela/o - consolation
- Cruz/Crucita - cross
- Dolores - sorrows
- Eleuterio/a - from Eleutherius <Greek>; free
- Encarnación - incarnation
- Eustaquia/o - well-built <Greek>
- Fortunata/o - fortunate
- Hermenegildo/a - complete sacrifice <via German>
- Inocencio/a - innocence
- Primitivo/a - first formed; St Primitivus a 3rd Century Spanish martyr
- Renato/a - born again <via Latin>
- Serafin/a - fiery ones <via Polish>; Seraphinus
- Socorro - succour, help, relief
“Los puertorriqueños estaban acostumbrados a transitar de isla en isla y de continente en continente como aves cuya condición natural era tránsito.” ― Rosario Ferré, The House on the Lagoon
