Hi,

So I have lived in Spain now for almost 10 years and I will be applying for citizenship soon. As part of this process I can pretty much chose my Spanish name. Or I can keep my polish name.

The problem is that my name is very polish, like Grzegorz Filipowski. Every time someone has to write it down and look me up in a database I have to show them my ID. When it happens over the phone I have to spell it. Every time I meet someone they ask me what’s my name is and then repeatedly try to pronounce it while I say ‘yeah… close enough’. It’s pretty annoying and it would be solved by simply changing my name to something Spanish like Gregorio González or something.

What do you think? Would you see it as a practical thing to do or as a stupid intent at impersonating a real Spaniard?

  • ani@endlesstalk.org
    8·
    11 months ago

    Yeah that name makes sense. Is that surname to combine with the name? because it doesn’t resemble your Polish surname. I think “Gregory Filipo” would be closest to your Polish one

    • ExLisper@linux.communityOPEnglish
      8·
      11 months ago

      I can’t come up with another example in polish but my surname could be translated to Spanish equivalent, same as first name. It’s like if you’re George White and change it to Gregorio Blanco.