Hi,
So I have lived in Spain now for almost 10 years and I will be applying for citizenship soon. As part of this process I can pretty much chose my Spanish name. Or I can keep my polish name.
The problem is that my name is very polish, like Grzegorz Filipowski. Every time someone has to write it down and look me up in a database I have to show them my ID. When it happens over the phone I have to spell it. Every time I meet someone they ask me what’s my name is and then repeatedly try to pronounce it while I say ‘yeah… close enough’. It’s pretty annoying and it would be solved by simply changing my name to something Spanish like Gregorio González or something.
What do you think? Would you see it as a practical thing to do or as a stupid intent at impersonating a real Spaniard?
I don’t know how it would be received in Spanish culture, but in the US this is common. I know several people with Chinese, Vietnamese, and Polish names who have either adopted Anglo-American names, or changed the spelling and pronunciation of their name to make life easier. In my opinion it’s not a big deal. Also, it’s fun when you get to know someone well enough to learn their “real” name.
Asian immigrants do it all the time here.
How do people call you? They may have a “nickname” or a spanish name right? You don’t have ro have a spanish name just a more “western” one. You don’t have to translate you surname either just “americanize”. For exemple Grzegorz Filipowski can be Greg, or Gregor Filipo.
I asked myself the same question when getting US citizenship (also born Polish). Ended up not changing my name (although in English few letters aren’t exact, like using L instead of Ł). I don’t mind showing my ID, but just like you, people still manage to mess it up. It often ends up being a starter to interesting conversations, which personally I’ve enjoyed. Having a real unique name can have an advantage - I’ve never received a bill that wasn’t actually for me, unlike my American friends with common first name/last name combinations.
Good points, thanks.
Nice to meet you, Gregório Felipe. 👍
Yes if it feels comfortable to you and will make your life easier, change it.
I had my name legally changed in 2018 to something I feel more comfortable with. Love it. No regrets.
How was the transition? Did you correct everyone when they used the old name or do you just let old friends keep using it? I would just let my polish friends/family use my polish name obviously.
I only changed my last name. Surnames rarely come up in conversation.
Yeah that name makes sense. Is that surname to combine with the name? because it doesn’t resemble your Polish surname. I think “Gregory Filipo” would be closest to your Polish one
I can’t come up with another example in polish but my surname could be translated to Spanish equivalent, same as first name. It’s like if you’re George White and change it to Gregorio Blanco.
That’s a personal decision. You could list the pros and cons and then take a decission.
I think you can use Gregorio for your daily life (probably you already do that) and sometimes, when you have to do a legal operation, be patient as until now.
I’m a 100% Spanish person and I have the same difficulties as you! Mi name and surname are Basque (a language spoken in Spain, but different to Castilian Spanish; there are millions of Spanish people with Catalan names too + all the people from Europe, etc.).
Every time I have to spell my name or my surname (or both), I do it. And personally I have no intention to change them. My name and my language, as my family and my history, are important parts of my identity, and I’m proud of them. I’d recomend you to do the same, here in Spain and in any other place of the world. Also to speak Polish to your childs if you ever have any.
But as I said before, it’s a personal decision and if the legal stuff you have to do sometimes are a real problem for you, change your name. Just be sure that you will not regret later for giving up a part of your identity.
Is it possible to do a Spanish spelling of your current name?
Just the spelling? No, polish is to weird. As in my example, you can’t spell Grzegorz in Spanish, you can only translate it to Gregorio or something.
Yeah, something like that. Something that still sounds very much like your name but is comprehensible to Spanish people.
Or Gregorz, which is similar, but maybe easier in Spanish.
As someone who doesn’t speak Spanish at all, you could espanify your last name so that your name would be
Gregorio Filippo, or something similar?
Yes, that’s exactly what I would do. My name is fairly easy to espanify
Cool. I thought Gonzalez was what you were thinking even though your current name would be easily espanified, turns out you think the same :D
How about using your Polish nickname (surely you have one?)? This would likely be easier to spell for the average Spaniard, while staying closer to your identity than going full “Gregorio González”.
I can use nicknames with friends but when someone has to write it down it’s usually a legal matter (like talking to some official or bank) and they need my real name. And they need first and last name.
How often does that realistically happen to you, such as to make it impractical to show an ID? Seems like a non-issue to me
Constantly. Every doctor appointment, every hotel visit, every time I’m renting a car/apartment, every bank visit, every time I’m dealing with the government, every time I’m calling customer support… Normally they ask you your name, fill in the form, take a quick look at your ID and that’s it. In my case when they ask for my name I have to give them my ID and they copy my name/last name letter by letter, often with errors.
Ok, all those things combined happen maybe once a month in my life, tops. At least for me that wouldn’t be worth it.
But it doesn’t cost me anything so why wouldn’t it be worth it? I mean, whats the downside in your opinion?
I mean. Firstly and most importantly, it’s a huge hassle to change all your existing legal stuff, documents, cards, etc. Just ask anyone’s wife. I’d assume even if the legal stuff is managed by the state the rest is also quite a hassle unless Spain has a vastly more efficient system than we do. Secondly, my parents would be quite sad (and I would also be a little weirded out).
The thing is that as a resident I don’t have any Spanish ID with picture. I was using my polish national ID but it expired so now I’m just using my passport but it will also expire in a couple of years. When it expires I will have to change my data everywhere where it matters (pretty much banks) so I will have to submit my new ID anyway. People’s wives have change everything pretty much because they change their ID and I’m getting new ID anyway.
Fan fact: women in Spain don’t change their last names when they get married. Kids here get two last one: first last name of their father and first last name of their mother. So for example husband will be Pedro Gonzales Rodriguez, wife will be Maria Garcia Rubio and their kids will be Gonzales Garcia.
My parents wouldn’t care.
I meant using your polish nickname as your official Spanish name.
Yes, I could kind of do it for first name but I would still have to change my last name. When for example I call customer support and they ask me how to refer to me I just tell them something like ‘Greg’, something they can pronounce. But more often the need my actual name.
As a guy with an 8 character last name, I regret not taking my wife’s 4 character last name…
It isn’t about length, it’s about how you use it. Take it from a 5 character last name where 3 characters aren’t spelled how they’re said
