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Kate Ortiz
Lynn M. Raymond
UWRT 1104-004, Writing Prompt #5
October 4, 2016
Writing Prompt #5
Different cultures handle last names differently. In the Spanish culture there are two last
names that are taken from the parents unlike Americans who only take one, their fathers. In the
Spanish culture, when you are born you take both of your parents last name. The order would go
like this: first name, possibly middle name if your parents wanted to give you one, fathers
fathers last name, and then mothers fathers last name. When you are married, for the wife, the
placement of your mothers last name gets replaced by your fathers last name and your fathers
placement gets replaced by your husbands fathers last name. The order would go something
like this: first name, middle name if given, fathers last name, husbands fathers last name. Last
names emphasizes your family lineage and identifies where you came from. For last name order
for the husband typically does not change. Marriage creates the union of two families therefore,
with two last names it identifies the family line of both families. In Spanish culture, men seem to
have more power than women therefore, wifes fathers last name gets dropped instead of the
husbands father. This is important because if your father wanted his family name to continue
then he must have a boy. Middle names do not have much significance in the identification of
family lines but rather used to differentiate anyone else who may have the same name as you.
My name does not follow Spanish culture. My name follows American culture. It goes first
name, middle name, and my fathers last name. My first name was given to me by my mother,
who would love a Spanish singer named Kate. My middle name is Angelica. Angelica is my

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mothers first name. My last name is Ortiz which identifies my fathers family lineage. My
parents changed the Spanish culture of names to the American way because I am the first
generation to live in America and so they wanted their kids to have American names.