Classic and old names
Traditional Mexican names
The names that filled Mexico's registries for a century: Guadalupe, María, Juan, José, Jesús, Francisco, Carmen, Dolores, Refugio. Marian titles, saints of the calendar, and the compound names every family has, each with its meaning and its nickname.
What makes a Mexican name traditional
Three things. First, the church calendar: a child took the saint of the day, so a boy born on March 19 was José and a girl born on July 16 was Carmen. Second, devotion to the Virgin Mary in her Mexican and Spanish titles. Guadalupe, the apparition at Tepeyac in 1531, is the country's most common name across all ages, and Lourdes, Pilar, Rocío, Consuelo, Socorro, Refugio, Remedios, Dolores, Concepción, and Asunción were everywhere in the twentieth century. Third, the compound: María plus a second name for girls, José or Juan plus a second name for boys, with the second name doing the daily work.
Every one of these names came with a nickname, and the nickname is what family and friends actually used: Lupe, Cuca, Coco, Chelo, Lola, Concha, Chayo, Chepe, Pepe, Chuy, Paco, Pancho. The nickname guide explains them.
Marian names, the titles of the Virgin
Names taken from the titles of Mary. Most were originally María de..., and the María fell away.
Saints' names
Named for the saint of the day of birth.
Classic women's names
Classic men's names
Are traditional names coming back?
Some are. Regina, Emma, Julia, Elena, Lucía, and Catalina are classic names now in the top tier for girls; Mateo, Emilio, Julián, Tomás, and Gabriel for boys. Guadalupe is still given to thousands of girls every December. The heavy Marian titles (Refugio, Socorro, Remedios) and the José and Juan compounds have mostly dropped out of the newborn lists, which is exactly what makes them distinctive today. See the popular names page for the current top ten and the all-population list side by side.
Traditional Mexican names FAQ
What are old-fashioned Mexican names?
For women: Guadalupe, Refugio, Socorro, Consuelo, Dolores, Concepción, Remedios, Asunción, Encarnación, Juana, Petra, Francisca, Josefina, Herminia, Eulalia. For men: José, Juan, Jesús, Francisco, Salvador, Refugio, Trinidad, Ramón, Anselmo, Casimiro, Porfirio, Aurelio, Lázaro, Silvestre. Many are now rare for babies but common among grandparents.
What are classic Mexican names that still work today?
Names with a long history that do not feel dated: Carmen, Lucía, Elena, Rosa, Ana, Isabel, Catalina, Teresa, Diego, Santiago, Andrés, Mateo, Tomás, Emilio, Rafael, Gabriel, Manuel, Julián. Most sit in both the twentieth-century lists and the current top 100.
Why are so many traditional Mexican names religious?
Until the late twentieth century most Mexican babies were named at baptism for the saint of the day or for the Virgin Mary. The calendar gave the saints' names; devotion to Mary gave Guadalupe, Lourdes, Pilar, Rocío, Dolores, and the rest. Onomástico, the saint's day, was celebrated like a second birthday and still is in many families.