Re: Offlist: Re: Anthroponymics -- Brazilians have more than one surname? How are they assigned?

On Thu, 27 Oct 2005 17:28, João Ricardo de Mendonça wrote:
> On 10/26/05, Tom Chappell <tomhchappell@...> wrote:
> > You're welcome, Joao.  I hope it was not /too/ voluminous.
> >
> > In a later post you said that a Brazilian will choose the least common of
> > his (IIRC two) surnames.
> >
> > How do Brazilians get their surnames?  Why do they have two or more?
>
> Tom, I am aware that most Latin Americans use some sort of complicated
> system as you described below, but I am not sure on its details.
> Brazilians don't follow this tradition. We use given name + mother's
> surname + father's surname. Some parents opt to pass along the
> father's surname only, but I believe this is not the most usual.
>
> I understand that in US, Canada and Europe it is not usual for
> children to receive their mother's surname. Is this correct?
Afraid so.  Nearly everyone I know - apart from my brat of a niece ;) -
receives their father's surname.  The usual reason for someone receiving
their mother's surname is when the father is not in evidence - one of my
ancestors - that I know of - was so surnamed.
>
> João Ricardo de Mendonça
Wesley Parish
--
Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
-----
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