For outsiders, Spanish surnames system seems very strange. Here, everyone has two last names. Mines are: Vila – Queralt. Our first last name is our father’s first last name, and the second one is our mother’s first last name. (You must know that in Spain the women don’t change their last names when they get married).
I live in Caldes de Montbui, near Granollers, and here there many people with my father’s last name: Vila. In my street, there are 4 families with that surname!! In contrast, there aren’t Queralt’s, and this is a problem, because nobody knows how to write it. They usually write a C instead of a Q, or forgot the last T. A part from that, Vila means village in Catalan, and Queralt is the name of a monastery.
About first names, the most common names across the country are the catholic ones, such as, Maria, Joan, Jordi or Marta. Also, many Spanish names can be shortened, for instance, Joaquim (my name) – Quim. When I meet someone for the first time I use my whole name (Joaquim), and if the situation is so formal the name and my first surname (Joaquim Vila), but, all my friends call me using the shorter form (Quim).
Quim