I love Santiago, but it’s too common where I live. Santos reminds me of a character from one of my favorite shows when I was younger, so I naturally love it too. However, it means “Saint” in Spanish. We are hispanic/latinos, but while our families are Catholic, my boyfriend and I aren’t very religious ourselves.
Can we still use this name one day if we have no special ties to our families’ religion? My boyfriend thinks it doesn’t really matter, but I would love to hear what you berries think as well! Also what are your general thoughts for Santos growing up in the US? What names would you group Santos with?
[name_m]Santos[/name_m] is also a last name for some people, meaning there are bound to be people who have this last name but not religious so I would think it’s fine but I’m not in the hispanic community to know their thoughts on it. Most people in the US probably wouldn’t even know it means saint so that won’t be a problem in the [name_f]English[/name_f] speaking community.
I like the sound of [name_m]Santos[/name_m]. The santos I know specializes in pharmocology and doesn’t seem to have any problems with the name as far as I’m aware. It’s easy to pronounce so I don’t see any problems with it in the US
I don’t think the religious meaning matters too much!
I will say that I assumed Santos was a last name when I read the title of this thread - but that may have just been me?
@KaiLun Thank you so much for your thoughts! How exciting to know you’ve met a Santos. I haven’t heard it as a surname or a FN in the real world yet, but it’s a great point. As others have said, the religious connection might not immediately be there for everyone anyway
I would not assume Santos was religious. It’s such a familiar Latino name, I think it’s just as rich in tradition as it is in religion. I live in Latin America and know a few men name Santos. It has a great sharp, snappy sound. I think my only thought would be to consider how it would be pronounced by English speakers and if you like that sound too or if it would bother you. My only association aside from personal acquaintances would be Jane’s dad’s soap opera character from Jane the Virgin, which is a fun association.
Disclaimer: I’m not from the US but Santos reads as a very typical Latin American name to me (perhaps more used by people living in the US rather than people living in Latin America?!). I do think it’s far enough removed from the saint association for most people, not so much that they won’t connect it to the word “saint” but I don’t think they would assume you’re very religious.
@jk_garrison Ooh I’ve never seen Jane the Virgin, but might be a reason to give it a try now! Thank you so much for your feedback, it really helps. I have an idea as to how English speakers would pronounce Santos, and I don’t think I mind the sound of it, but then again you never know. Each individual person could end up pronouncing it differently!
@moonstone@OpheliaFlora Thank you both so much for your thoughts on this! I feel better hearing different perspectives because I have never heard of Santos here in the States, and don’t know of anyone who knows one either. It’s definitely a lesser-known gem, at least here in my area.
I like [name_m]Santos[/name_m]. It’s a little odd to me that it’s plural, but I know it’s a legit name in Spanish, so that doesn’t really matter. I think I like the name [name_m]Santi[/name_m] more, but I could get behind [name_m]Santos[/name_m].
I’m not crazy about it, sorry. [name_m]Santos[/name_m] means “saints” not “saint”. I’m not a big fan of surnames as firsts and in this case, a plural word. I would go with [name_m]Santo[/name_m], [name_m]Santi[/name_m] or even [name_m]Santino[/name_m].
I know a young boy with the first name [name_m]Santos[/name_m] in the US. He is Latino, if it helps, and his first language is Spanish. I do associate it with saints, but I think it is well-used enough to be perfectly usable!
