Spanish Genealogical Word List

This list contains Spanish words with their English translations. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Spanish-English dictionary. (See the "Additional Resources" section below.)

Spanish is a Romance language derived from Latin. It is the national language of Spain as well as of most Latin American countries. Spanish is spoken in many parts of the United States, in regions which once were part of Mexico as well as areas where Hispanic immigrants have settled.

Language Characteristics

Spanish words for persons, places, and things (nouns) are classified as masculine or feminine. El (the masculine form of the) is used with masculine words. La (the feminine form of the) is used with feminine words. Masculine words generally end in o, r, l, and ma. Feminine words generally end in a, ión, tad, dad, tud, and umbre. Nouns which end in or are masculine; an a is added to indicate the feminine version.

Most adjectives used to describe nouns are masculine or feminine. Adjectives which end in o are masculine. Feminine adjectives end in a. For example, the married son would be translated as el hijo casado, while the married daughter would be translated as la hija casada.

Variant Forms of Words

In Spanish, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom or marry—marries— married are examples of words in English with variant forms. This word list gives the standard form of each Spanish word. As you read Spanish records, you will need to be aware that some words vary with usage.

Plural forms of Spanish words usually add s to the singular noun as well as to the article and adjective. Thus, el abuelo materno (the maternal grandparent) become los abuelos maternos (the maternal grandparents).

Alphabetical Order

Written Spanish uses three letters in addition to the 26 letters used in the English alphabet. These are ñ and the letter combinations ch and ll, which are considered single letters. The letter w, although not part of the Spanish alphabet, is included since it is found in a few names of foreign origin. The following list shows the letters in alphabetical order:

a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

This word list follows the standard English alphabetical order.

In Spanish indexes of surnames, it is important to note that prefixes (such as De la Torre) may be ignored in alphabetization. Be sure to search under both parts of a name, for example, De la Torre and Torre, de la.

Accent Marks

Vowels in Spanish can carry an accent mark: á, é, í, ó, and ú. Accent marks do not affect alphabetical order.

Spelling

Although Spanish spelling was standardized in the mid-1700s, scribes usually spelled words the way they sounded. Generally, variations between old and modern spellings should not cause too much trouble for the researcher. In Spanish, the following variations are common:

ch  used for  c

e  used for  i

j  used for  g

j  used for  x

j  used for  i

y  used for  i

the addition or removal of an h

the doubling of letters

Examples:

chrisma excrebir lejítimo Méjico domjngo yndio Henrique religiosso

now written as now written as now written as now written as now written as now written as now written as now written as

crisma escribir legítimo México domingo indio Enrique religioso

Additional Resources

This word list includes only the words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Spanish-English dictionary. Several Spanish-English dictionaries are available at the Family History Library. These are in the European collection. The call numbers begin with 463.21.

The following dictionary may be helpful in your research:

• Cassell's Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1978. (FHL book 463.21 C272c 1978.)

Additional dictionaries are listed in the Subject section of the Family History Library Catalog under SPANISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES. Most bookstores also carry inexpensive Spanish-English dictionaries.

Key Words

To find and use specific types of Spanish records, you will need to know some key words in Spanish. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Spanish words with the same or similar meanings.

For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Spanish words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Spanish records to indicate marriage. Variant endings of Spanish words are given in parentheses.

English archive baptism birth burial Catholic church census child christening church records civil registry confirmation day death father husband index marriage military month morning mother name, given name, surname parents parish wife year

Spanish archivo bautismo, bauticé, bautizado (a), bautismo, crisma nacimiento, nació, nacido (a) entierro, sepultura, entierrado (a), sepultado (a) Iglesia Católica censo, padrón niño (a), hijo (a), párvulo (a), expósito See baptism registros parroquiales Registro Civil confirmación, crisma día  muerte, defunción, fallecimiento, óbito, muerto (a), difunto (a), fallecido (a) padre esposo, marido, cónyuge índice matrimonio, casamiento, casé, casado (a) militar, ejército mes mañana madre nombre de pila, nombre de bautismo nombre, apellido padres parroquia esposa, marida, mujer, cónyuge año

Numbers

The following list gives the cardinal (1, 2, 3, etc.) and the ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) versions of each number. In actual usage, days of the month are almost never written in ordinal form. Ordinal numbers end in o or a depending on the gender of the thing described. Ordinal numbers above 31 are rarely seen in genealogical sources.

Numbers such as 16, 22, and 31 are compound numbers joined by y (and). In modern Spanish, these numbers can also be written as a single word, for example:

16 22 31

diez y seis veinte y dos treinta y uno

or or or

dieciseis veintidos treintiuno

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 101 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Cardinal un, uno, una dos tres cuatro cinco seis siete ocho nueve diez once doce trece catorce quince diez y seis, dieciseis diez y siete, diecisiete diez y ocho, dieciocho diez y nueve, diecinueve veinte veinte y uno, veintiuno veinte y dos, veintidos veinte y tres, veintitres veinte y cuatro, veinticuatro veinte y cinco, veinticinco veinte y seis, veintiseis veinte y siete, veintisiete veinte y ocho, veintiocho veinte y nueve, veintinueve treinta treinta y uno cuarenta cincuenta sesenta setenta ochenta noventa ciento ciento uno doscientos trescientos cuatrocientos quinientos seiscientos setecientos ochocientos novecientos mil

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 40th 50th 60th 70th 80th 90th 100th 101st 200th 300th 400th 500th 600th 700th 800th 900th 1000th

Ordinal primero (a) segundo tercero cuarto quinto sexto séptimo octavo nono, noveno décimo undécimo, décimoprimero duodécimo, décimosegundo décimotercero décimocuarto décimoquinto décimosexto décimo séptimo décimoctavo décimonono vigésimo vigésimo primero vigésimo segundo vigésimo tercero vigésimo cuarto vigésimo quinto vigésimo sexto vigésimo séptimo vigésimo octavo vigésimo nono trigésimo trigésimo primero cuadragésimo quincuagésimo sexagésimo septuagésimo octogésimo nonagésimo centésimo centésimo primero ducentésimo tricentésimo cuadringéntesimo quingentésimo sexcentésimo septingentésimo octingentésimo noningentésimo milésimo

Dates and Time

In Spanish records, dates are usually written out. Although English uses ordinal numbers, such as the tenth of July or July 10th, in Spanish the cardinal numbers are almost always used for the days of the month; for example, el diez de julio (the ten of July). The one exception is the first of the month, for which the ordinal number primero (1ero) is almost always used instead of the cardinal number uno, for example:

A los veinte y tres días de marzo del año de nuestro Señor de mil ochocientos y treinta y seis. [On the twenty-three day of the month of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred thirty six.] To understand Spanish dates, use the following lists as well as the preceding "Numbers" section.

Months

English January February March April May June July August September October November December

Spanish enero febrero marzo abril mayo junio julio agosto septiembre octubre noviembre diciembre

Abbreviations enro, eno, 1ero febo mzo abl ago, agto septe, 7bre ote, otue, octue, 8bre novbre, 9bre dice, 10bre

Days of the Week

English Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Spanish domingo lunes martes miércoles jueves viernes sábado

Racial Terminology

In colonial Latin America, racial classification was often recorded in the Catholic parish registers and government documents, often with no degree of accuracy. The meaning of some of these terms may vary in some Spanish-speaking countries.

Classification Albarazado Albino Allí te estás Barcino Barnocino Calpamulato Cambujo Cambur Castizo Chamizo Chino Cholo Cimarrón Coyote Cuarteado Cuarterón Cuarterón de Chino Cuarterón de Mestize Cuarterón de Mulato Cuatrero Español Español Criollo Indio Jíbaro Ladino Lobo Mestizo Moreno Morisco Mulato Negro Negro fino No te entiende No me toques Ochavado Pardo Prieto Quartarón Quinterón Requinterón Salta atrás Tente en el aire Torna atrás Tresalvo Zambaigo Zambo Zambo de Indio

Racial Composition Cambujo and Mulato Spanish and Morisco Chamizo and Mestizo Albarazado and Mulato Albarazado and Mestizo Zambaigo and Lobo Indian (¾) and Negro (¼) Negro (½), Spanish (¼), and Indian (¼) In Puerto Rico: Mestizo and Spanish. In Guatemala: Spanish and Indian (1/128) Coyote and Indian In Peru: Mulato and Indian In Peru: Mestizo and Indian In Mexico and Guatemala: Negro (½), Spanish (¼), and Indian (¼) Spanish (½), Indian (3/8), and Negro (1/8) Spanish (½), Indian (¼), and Negro (¼) Spanish (¾) and Negro (¼) In Peru: Spanish and Chino In Peru: Spanish and Mestizo In Peru: Spanish and Mulato Indian (¾) and Spanish (¼) Spanish Colonial-born Spaniard Indian Lobo and Indian Spanish (¾) and Indian (¼) Indian (¾) and Negro (¼) Spanish (½) and Indian (½) Spanish (½), Indian (¼), and Negro (¼) Spanish and Mulato. In Spain: a baptized Moor Spanish (½) and Negro (½). In Chile and Colombia: can also be Indian and Negro African Black Negro (¾) and Spanish (¼) Tente en el aire and Mulato Mixture of Spanish, Indian, and Negro Spanish (7/8) and Negro (1/8) Indian (½), Spanish (¼), and Negro (¼) Negro (7/8) and Spanish (1/8) See Cuarterón In Peru: Spanish and Cuarterón In Peru: Spanish and Quinterón Spanish and Albino Calpamulato and Cambujo No te entiende and Indian Spanish (¾) and Negro (¼) Spanish and Chino In Peru: Negro and Mulato. In Venezuela: Indian (½) and Negro (½) In Peru: Negro (½) and Indian (½)

General Word List

This general word list includes words commonly seen in genealogical sources. Numbers, months, and days of the week are listed both here and in separate sections prior to this list. Racial terminology is listed separately.

In this list, optional versions of Spanish words or variable endings (such as adjectives and some plural or feminine endings) are given in parentheses. Parentheses in the English column clarify the definition.

A

Spanish a Aa.M. = abuela materna Aa.P. = abuela paterna abogado abril absceso abuela abuelo abuelos acre acta acuerdo administración adoptado (a) adulterio adúltero (a) agosto agricultor ahí ahogamiento albacea albañil alcalde aldea alemán (a) alfarero algodón algún (o, a) alma alquiler, renta alto (a) altura allá allí amanuense amarillo (a) ambos (as) amigo (a) amo amonestaciones anciano (a) aniversario antepasado (a) anterior antes antiguo (a) anual anuario año aparecer apellido apéndice apodo apostólico (a) aprendiz aproximado (a) aquel (la) aquí árbol árbol genealógico archivo arrendamiento arzobispo ascendiente asilo asma aún auto de fé ayer ayuntamiento azúcar azul

English to, in, into, on maternal grandmother paternal grandmother lawyer April abscess grandmother grandfather grandparents acre document, record agreement administration adopted adultery adulterer August farmer there drowning executor of estate stonemason mayor village German potter cotton some, someone soul, inhabitant rent high, tall height there there scribe, clerk yellow both friend master, owner marriage banns elderly anniversary ancestor former, previous before old, ancient annual yearbook year to appear surname appendix nickname apostolic apprentice approximate that here tree genealogical tree archive rent archbishop ancestor asylum, shelter asthma still sentence given by the Inquisition yesterday city hall, town government sugar blue

B

bajo (a) barco barrio bautismo bautizar bebé bendición biblioteca bien bienes bisabuela bisabuelo bisabuelos bisnieta bisnieto bisnietos blanco (a) boca boda brazo bueno (a) búsqueda

low ship city ward baptism to baptize baby blessing library good, well property, goods, fee great-grandmother great-grandfather great-grandparents great-granddaughter great-grandson great-grandchildren white mouth marriage, wedding arm good research

C

caballero cabeza cabildo calle camino campesino (a) campo cáncer caña de azúcar capilla cara cárcel carnicero carpintero carretera casa casado (a) casamiento casar, casarse casta castillo catastro catedral católico (a) catorce cazador c.c. = casado con cédula cementerio censo centenario cerca cerrajero certificado cervecero ciego (a) ciento cinco cincuenta ciudad ciudadano (a) clérigo c.m.c.=contrajó matrimonio con cofradía cojo (a) colina colonia colorado (a) comerciante comercio como comunión con concejal concerniente concilio concilio tridentino condado conocido (a) conocido (a) como consanguinidad consejo consorte constipación consumimiento contenido contra contrayente conversión convulsión cónyuge cordelero corriente cosecha criada criatura cristiano (a) cuál cuándo cuarenta cuarto cuarto (a) cuate cuatro cuatrocientos cuenta cumpleaños cuñada cuñado cura curato curia curtidor cuyo (a)

nobleman, knight, gentleman head town council street road peasant field cancer sugarcane chapel face jail butcher carpenter road house married marriage to marry caste, racial lineage castle land census cathedral Catholic fourteen hunter married to royal decree cemetery census centennial near, approximate locksmith certificate brewer blind one hundred five fifty city citizen clergyman contracted marriage with religious brotherhood, guild lame hill colony red merchant business, commerce as, how communion with councilman concerning council Council of Trent county known, acquaintance known as blood relationship, kinship council spouse, partner constipation consumption contents against contracting party in a marriage conversion convulsion spouse rope maker current harvest maid infant, child Christian which when forty room fourth twin four four hundred account birthday sister-in-law brother-in-law clergyman parish ecclesiastical tribunal tanner whose

D

data de debilidad década décimo (a) décimoctavo (a) décimocuarto (a) décimonono (a) décimoquinto (a) décimo séptimo (a) décimosexto (a) décimotercero (a) declaración declarado (a) dedo defunción dentición dentro denuncia departamento derecho derrame desacuerdo desavenencia descendiente desconocido (a) descripción desde después detrás diario diarrea diccionario diciembre dicho (a) diecinueve dieciocho dieciseis diecisiete diente diez diezmo difo. = difunto difunto (a) digno (a) diócesis disenteria dispensa divorciado (a) doce documento domicilio domingo don donación donde doña dos doscientos d.s.p. = defunctus sine prole dueño (a) duodécimo

date of, from, belonging to weakness, disability decade tenth eighteenth fourteenth nineteenth fifteenth seventeenth sixteenth thirteenth declaration declared, stated finger death teething within accusation, denunciation district, department law stroke disagreement disagreement descendant unknown description since after after, behind daily diarrhea dictionary December stated, said, mentioned nineteen eighteen sixteen seventeen tooth ten tithing deceased deceased worthy diocese dysentery exemption, permission divorced twelve document dwelling Sunday Mr. donation where Mrs. two two hundred died without issue owner twelfth

E

eclesiástico (a) edad ejército él el ella ellos embarazada emigración emigrante empleado (a) encomienda enero enfermedad entierrado (a) entierro entre envejecido (a) epidemia epilepsia era éramos eran eras eres es escarlata esclavitud esclavo escribiente escuela ese (esa) esposo (a) espurio (a) está estación estado estamos están estar este este (a, o) estómago estoy evangélico (a) expósito (a) extracto extranjero (a) extraño (a)

ecclesiastical age army, military he the (masculine) she they pregnant emigration emigrant employee patronage, land grant January disease buried burial between, among elderly epidemic epilepsy (I, you, he, she, it) was/were (we) were (you, they) were (you) were (you) are (you, he, she, it) are/is scarlet fever slavery slave scribe school that husband, spouse (spouse) illegitimate (you, he, she, it) are/is season state, status (we) are (they, you) are to be east this stomach (I) am evangelical foundling extract foreigner stranger

F

fábrica fallecer fallecido (a) familia fé febrero fecha feligrés (a) feligresía femenino (a) ferrocarril feudo fichero fiebre tifoidea filiación finado (a) firma flaqueza floresta fondos fortaleza francés (a) frente frontera fue fuego fuente fueron fui fuimos futuro

factory to die deceased family certificate, faith February date parishioner, resident parish feminine railroad fee card file typhoid fever relationship, military register deceased signature weakness forest, grove funds fortress, strength French front, in front of border (you, he, she, it) were/was fire, hearth fountain, source (you, they) were (I) was (we) were future

G

gacetero ganado gemelo (a) gemelos (as) genealogía gente gota grande gremio gripe guarda guía

gazetteer cattle twin twins genealogy people gout great, large brotherhood, guild influenza guard, warden directory, guidebook

H

h. = hijo hacienda hecho (a) hembra hemorragia heráldica heredero (a) herencia hermana hermandad hermano hermanos herrero hidalgo hidropesía hija hijastra hijastro hijo hijodalgo hijos hinchazón historia h.l. = hijo legítimo h.n. = hijo natural hogar hoja hoja de lámina holandés (a) hombre honesto (a) hora hospedero huérfano (a)

son estate, farm completed, done female bleeding heraldry heir inheritance sister fraternity brother brothers, siblings blacksmith nobleman dropsy daughter stepdaughter stepson, stepchild on, child nobleman sons, children swelling history legitimate child illegitimate child home page plate (book) Dutch man, husband honest hour innkeeper orphan

I

I i. = ilegítimo ictericia idioma iglesia Iglesia Católica ilegítimo (a) ill. = ilegítimo impedimento imperio impuesto incógnito (a) índice indígena indigente información matrimonial infrascrito (a) inglés (a) inmigración inmigrante inmoble inmueble ino. = indio intendente intestado (a) intestinos invierno italiano (a)

and illegitimate jaundice language church Catholic Church illegitimate illegitimate impediment empire tax unknown index indigenous, native, Indian indigent papers relating to a marriage, including banns, declarations, baptismal records, consents, etc. undersigned English immigration immigrant real estate real estate Indian mayor intestate intestines winter Italian

J

jardinero jesuita jornalero jubilado judío (a) jueves julio junio junto jurado juros

gardener Jesuit journeyman retired Jewish Thursday July June together juryman annuities, pensions

L

l., leg. = legítimo la labrador ladrillero lago lechero legajo legal legítimo (a) lengua levante ley liberto (a) libro licencia lícito (a) limosna limpieza de sangre lugar lunes

legitimate the (feminine) farmer, peasant brick mason, bricklayer lake dairyman bundle of related documents legal legitimate language, tongue east law freed slave book permission legal alms purity of blood, indicating pure Catholic ancestry place Monday