MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hectic Chile: newborns given single names, forget the saint’s day

End to the long rooted tradition in Chile’s Catholic history

Breaking from Chile’s tradition of giving babies a compound name - i.e. Juan Pablo, Maria Isabel - more and more parents are opting for single names.

The Chilean National Civil Registry reported last week that whereas there were 5,323 children with one first name registered in 2000, the number in 2009 is 7,600 and counting.

Psychologist Monica Peña believes that many parents choose single first names as a matter of practicality. “It eliminates the trouble of finding two names that compliment each other,” she said. “And these days, the compound name has lost its usefulness in identification. Instead, more weight is placed on a person's last name”.

The single first name is most frequent in the middle and upper classes, and may be linked to changing family dynamics.

“Nowadays, with less emphasis on the extended family, and with the explosion of single parents, parents are less likely name their child after extended family members,” said Universidad Central sociologist Emilio Torres.

The practice of assigning two first names to a child is rooted in Chile's Catholic history.

“In the 1800s and much of the 1900s, it was customary to add the name of the saint's day is the baby was born on,” said Torres. The rise of single first names is correlated with the diminishing influence of religion in Chilean society.

In today’s Chile, the most common names for boys are Benjamin, Vicente, Matias, Martin, and Joaquin. The most popular girls names are Martina, Sofia, Constanza, Antonia, and Catalina.

By Kamille Go - Santiago Times