Question about syllables for native Spanish speakers

General Name Discussion
1

Hello! So, I’ve been wondering about the syllable rules when it comes to choosing a first and middle name for a child in Spanish. English is fairly flexible in terms of syllable distribution, but I’ve noticed that in Spanish, it seems very strict - the first name should have fewer syllables than the middle. Is that right?

I first realized this when I found out that my friend [name_u]Andrea[/name_u]'s first name was actually [name_f]Luz[/name_f]. And I said, “Oh…so you go by your middle name. Why didn’t your parents just name you [name_u]Andrea[/name_u] [name_f]Luz[/name_f]?” And she just laughed and it said that it would sound so ugly in that order because of the syllables.

Here are some other examples of Spanish speakers that I know:
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] [name_m]Ignacio[/name_m] (3 - 4)
[name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] (2 - 3)
[name_u]Juli[/name_u]@n [name_m]Felipe[/name_m] (3 - 3) I guess the same # is okay.
[name_f]Sofi[/name_f]@ [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] (3 - 4) - I got basically the same response when I wasn’t sure of the order. She said [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] would be so ugly. I do agree that [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] sounds better, but I don’t think [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] is that bad.
[name_m]Luis[/name_m] [name_m]Hern[/name_m]@ndo (1 - 3)

Anyway, I’m wondering if this is an actual “rule” because I just realized my husband’s name doesn’t follow this rule. His name is 3 - 2.
I really like the name [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] Andrés but am worried his relatives will think it sounds ugly because the first name has more syllables.

Does anyone have insight on this? Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

2

It’s definitely not a rule. It’s really just a matter of preference and ‘flow’, just like in English. Middle names aren’t as common in Spanish-speaking countries as in English-speaking ones, but just in my family I can find several examples of names that go against that supposed “rule”: [name_f]Mar[/name_f]ía [name_f]Luisa[/name_f], [name_m]Rafael[/name_m] Beltrán, [name_m]Alberto[/name_m] [name_m]Jos[/name_m]é, [name_f]Mar[/name_f]ía [name_u]Paz[/name_u], [name_f]Mar[/name_f]ía (del) [name_f]Mar[/name_f]…

As for [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] Andrés, I think it flows perfectly well. And even if the rule was a real thing, you’d be fine because a Spanish speaker would count [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] as having two syllables just like Andrés :wink:

3

I’ve never known there to be any sort of strict rules. It has to do with flow and cadence and what the acceptable norm is for that time. And it’s also going to be different across culture. A name that sounds odd to a Northern Mexican ear might be perfectly normal to an Argentine ear. [name_m]Even[/name_m] that can change as trends and such come and go. [name_m]Just[/name_m] think of all the name combinations you see on nameberry and how some of them sound really off to you but other people remark on how beautiful the name flows together.

That being said, I wouldn’t worry a whole lot about what the relatives might think of the name. It’s always going to be a possibility that someone won’t like the name you choose. As long as you like it, its appropriate, and most importantly is a good name for your child, then no worries about what others think. Comments about a name choice usually stop once the baby arrives, anyway.