Spanish names: two surnames and how to address someone
Spanish-speaking countries traditionally give each person two surnames, one from each parent, which makes a full legal name look longer than the name a person actually uses day to day. Given names are almost always clearly gendered, sometimes doubled ("María José", "José Luis") in a way that stays consistent with the person's gender. This guide covers the surname system, the Señor/Señora salutation used in Spanish-language business email, how reliable gender guessing is, and a safe fallback when a name is genuinely unclear.
Name order and structure
A traditional full name is given name(s), then father's surname, then mother's surname: Carlos García López. In everyday use, including most email signatures, only the first surname is used: Carlos García. The second surname is often dropped entirely outside formal or legal documents, so a name that looks like "first middle last" in a Western reading may actually be "given-name father-surname mother-surname" in the original.
Married women in most Spanish-speaking countries keep both of their own surnames; there is no tradition of taking a husband's surname the way there is in English-speaking countries.
Honorifics and titles in business email
Spanish-language business letters use "Estimado Señor [surname]," or "Estimada Señora [surname]," depending on gender. In English-language email to a Spanish or Latin American contact, "Dear Mr./Ms. [first surname]," is the natural equivalent once gender is known; using the full given name with no title ("Dear Carlos García,") is a safe, neutral fallback that reads as polite rather than curt.
Gender and names
Given names are reliably gendered in almost all cases; compound given names like "María José" (female) or "José María" (male, despite containing "María") keep a consistent lean once you know the pattern, since María is used as a devotional first element for both saints' names regardless of the bearer's own gender. A small number of names, such as Trinidad or Guadalupe, are used mostly for women but occasionally for men, usually as part of a longer compound name.
What to write when unsure
When gender is unclear, "Dear [full given name] [first surname]," with no title is the safest English opener; the Spanish equivalent is "Estimado/a [nombre completo]," which explicitly marks both possibilities. Do not assume "María" at the start of a compound name means the person is female, since "José María" is a common male name.
Examples
Formal letter, gender known (male)
Dear Mr. García,
Formal letter, gender known (female)
Dear Ms. García,
Formal letter, gender unclear
Dear Carlos García,
Everyday email, first contact
Hi Carlos,
Names to try
Frequently asked questions
Why do Spanish names have two surnames?
Traditionally, one surname comes from the father and one from the mother. Only the first is normally used day to day; the second appears mainly on legal documents.
Do Spanish or Latin American women change their surname when they marry?
Generally no. Both of a woman's birth surnames are usually kept after marriage, unlike the English-speaking convention of taking a husband's surname.
Is José María a male or female name?
Male. María is used as a devotional first element in compound names for men as well as women, so "José María" is a common Spanish male name despite containing "María".
Which surname should I use in the salutation?
The first surname, which is the father's and the one used in everyday address: "Dear Mr. García," for Carlos García López, not the second surname.