Dominican Surnames

The Dominican Republic is located in the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola between the Caribbean sea and the North Atlantic Ocean with Haiti to the west. For most of its history, up until independence, the colony was known simply as Santo Domingo and continued to be commonly known as such in English until the early 20th century. In Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico, both men and women carry their two family names (first their father's, and second their mother's). Both are equally important and are mandatory for any official document. Married women never change their original family names for their husband's. The majority of the country is considered to be of multiracial or mixed ancestry ( African, Taino and Spanish cultures among them) while the minority are those of Middle Eastern or Asian descent.

History of Dominican Surnames

The Dominican Republic is located in the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola between the Caribbean sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. For most of its history, up until independence, the colony was known simply as Santo Domingo and continued to be commonly known as such in English until the early 20th century.

In Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico, both men and women carry their two family names. First the father's surname is listed, and second their mother's surname is listed.

Both are equally important and are mandatory for any official document. Married women never change their original family names for their husband's^[1].

Finally, when choosing a Dominican name there are usually three different routes that parents might choose. Firstly, there are those that follow the Spanish tradition with names such as Jose and Louise.

The second path is that of the foreign tradition; names that are common to the English and French. The third path is a combination of names, a practice also known as "appelido compuesto" where both the maternal and paternal surnames are combined.^[1]

Foreign influence on History on Dominican Surnames

Similar to many other parts of the Caribbean, Dominicans carry both their mother and fathers family names. Examples of countries that do this are Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Additionally both the maternal and paternal family names are needed for any official document; first the fathers family name is listed and second is the mother's. Most but not all Dominican surnames have their origins in Spain.

Many given names in the Dominican Republic have a biblical origin. Some of these biblical names include: Jose, Bartolome ( similar to Bartholomew). This mainly stemmed from the original missionary presence; specifically through the Catholic church's Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

Additionally, there are elements of communism that had a strong influence on the names in this part of the Caribbean. The reason is that while the Soviet Union was still in operation it left a significant mark on Latin American culture; most notably through The Dominican Communist Party (1946-1965). One of these ways was through name choices. Due to the influence of communism on the Dominican Republic the names of leaders within Russiaand other communist governed countries came to be recognized.

Surnames of African Origin

Also known as Afro Dominicans, these are black Dominican's with mostly or fully black African ancestry. Afro-Dominicans make up 7.8% of the countries population. Most Dominicans from Africa are primarily from West Africa; specifically Nigeria and Congo. While they are considered the majority of the countries population they are not found too much in the central region. In the Central Cibao region there are mainly Dominicans of European origin.