Understanding Documents from Mexico—Part 1
Naming Conventions, Birth Certificates, and Immunization Records
Sonja Williams, Migrant Education Program, NCDPI
Understanding Hispanic Naming Conventions
Nombres=First namesExample: Juan Carlos Martínez Gómez
Segundo nombres=Middle namesExample: Juan Carlos Martínez Gómez
Apellidos=Last Names or surnamesExample: Juan Carlos Martínez Gómez
Points to consider:
Common first names are sometimes abbreviated. María is sometimes abbreviated as “Ma.” José is sometimes abbreviated as “J.” Some names are composite names, such as Mariajose, which is a girl’s name. These names usually occur when children are named for saints.
Many children don’t have middle names; the first surname should NOT be turned into a middle name.
Most Hispanic students will have two surnames. The first surname is the surname of the child’s father. The second surname is the surname of the child’s mother. In some cases, there may only be one surname.
In general, on birth certificates from Latin America, the surnames will NOT be hyphenated. They may be hyphenated if the child was born in the US. Don’t change the hyphenation that occurs on the birth certificate.
In many indigenous communities, each of the child’s names (first, middle, and surnames) can sound like a first name; e.g., José Sebastián Juan Domingo. This can be very confusing, so it is important to get the names straight when talking to the parents/guardians.
If you see the words “finada” or “finado” for parents, that means that the parent is deceased.
Common Errors:
In the example above, entering the child’s name as Juan Carlos Gómez would be incorrect.
Entering the child’s full name as Juan Martínez would be incomplete.
Entering the child’s full name as Juan Martínez-Gómez would also be incorrect.
Martínez should never be listed as the middle name.
Quiz!
María Luisa Tomás Sánchez and Juan Francisco García Monrroy have a child whose name on her birth certificate is listed as Ma. Guadalupe.
- What is the child’s first name?
- What would be the child’s full name?
Tip Sheet for Mexican Birth Certificate
The REGISTRO CIVIL is like the Recorder of Deeds in the US. Civil documents of various kinds come out of this office.
The information below it is the preamble, presenting it as an official document.
ACTA DE NACIMIENTO can be translated as birth certificate. The section below that gives information about the location of the office, date of registration, etc.
Below that, the DATOS DEL REGISTRADO, are the facts about the registered child.
CRIP is a national registration number given to each child.
NOMBRE is the name of the child, usually in order: Paternal Surname, Maternal Surname, First Name, Middle Name.
FECHA DE NACIMIENTO=Birth date (see months page)
LUGAR DE NACIMIENTO=Place of Birth, usually City, Municipality (similar to county), State, Country
REGISTRADO: Was this a live birth? VIVO=live
COMPARECIO: Who presented the baby for registration?
DATOS DE LOS PADRES:Information about the parents, beginning with the father’s surnames, first and middle name, then nationality and age. The mother’s information follows.
PERSONA DISTINTA DE LOS PADRES QUE PRESENTA AL REGISTRADO: If a person not the father or mother came to register the child, their information is here. The information is similar to that of the parents, but an additional field is PARENTESCO, or relationship.
The final section gives information about the date and location where the certification of birth was issued, that it was issued in compliance with statute or regulation, and the signature of the government official who certified it. This section may also contain a seal.
The next page presents a Birth Certificate Extract Translation, which can be used to keep with the copy that you keep on file.
Months in Spanish (note that names of months are not capitalized.)
enero / January / mayo / May / septiembre / Septemberfebrero / February / junio / June / octubre / October
marzo / March / julio / July / noviembre / November
abril / April / agosto / August / diciembre / December
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE
PLACE AND DATE OF REGISTRY:______
Book, Volume, and Number: ______
NAME OF REGISTERED CHILD______
DATE OF BIRTH: ______
PLACE OF BIRTH: ______
Information about the Parents:
Father of Child: ______
Age of Father: ______
Nationality of Father: ______
Mother of Child: ______
Age of Mother: ______
Nationality of Mother: ______
Date and place of issuance:
Name of Register of Deeds or other official:______
______
(Optional: This section is used if you are going to submit this as a certified translation.)
I, ______, ATTEST TO MY COMPETENCY TO TRANSLATE FROM SPANISH TO ENGLISH, AND I CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A CORRECT ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION FROM THE SPANISH ORIGINAL.
______
Signature: Date
Tip Sheet for Mexican Certificate of Vaccination