I have heard it said that of all the words in a language, our own first name is one of our most favorite and pleasant words to hear. We all enjoy being called by our first name. Using first names is an unwritten necessity of becoming good friends with someone. One of the most uncomfortable situations for me was when I when to my ten-year high school reunion and I couldn’t remember the first names of people I had been acquaintances with. It was also uncomfortable for them when they couldn’t recall my name.

According to the National Public Registry of a Latin American country, the names “María” and “José” are the most common first names in Spanish. They’re followed by “Luz” (female name) and “Juan”. It is thought that these names are the most common due to the religious nature of Latin Americans; both names are very prominent in the Bible. (more…)