If you’re wondering…”how to spell my name in Spanish?”
Or… “what’s my name in Spanish letters?” Well, don’t worry.
This quick guide will tell you how to say your name in Spanish. So of course, you’ll naturally learn a little bit of Spanish pronunciation too, okay? So….
- Review the pronunciation rules in part 1.
- If you’re lazy, just scroll down to part 2 the list of common translated names.
- And learn bonus lines for introducing yourself in Spanish in part 3.
By the way, you should also hear REAL Spanish. So, here’s a free Spanish audio lesson. Press play and learn how to introduce yourself.
- Lesson #1 – What’s Your Name in Spanish
- Free Lesson by SpanishPod101.com (click here for more free audio lessons).
Part 1: Pronunciation Rules
To say your name in Spanish, first let’s brush up on 5 Spanish pronunciation rules. Knowing these will help you say the name correctly.
Rule 1: The Spanish R is trilled
The “double R” is produced by trilling the tip of your tongue against the alveolar ridge. You can find this area on the roof of your mouth, behind your front teeth. The “single R” is similar to the “tt” in “better.” However, a single R at the beginning of a word sounds like a double R:
- Example: Roberto (RROH-BEHR-TOH)
- Example: Ricardo (RREEH-KAHR-DOH)
Rule 2: The U is not pronounced in the letter combination GUE and GUI
When you see these letter combinations you need to be careful not to pronounce the U:
Spanish Combination | English Equivalent |
gue | Ge in get |
gui | Gee in geek |
- Example: Miguel (MEE-GEHL)
Rule 3: The letter combination “LL” is pronounced like the English “Y”
When you see a “double L” in a Spanish word, you need to pronounce it like the “Y” in “yes.”
- Example: Guillermo (GEE-YEHR-MOH)
Rule 4: Spanish vowels are pure
Unlike English, Spanish vowels are always pure. This means that you only make one sound when you produce them. English has 4 “diphthong-pronounced” vowels (a,i,o,u), which means that you make two sounds when you pronounce each. For example, when you pronounce “A,” you make 2 sounds: “eh-eeh.” This is never the case in Spanish. In addition, vowels are always pronounced the same way, no matter where they are positioned in a word:
Spanish vowel | English pronunciation |
A | AH |
E | EH |
I | EEH |
O | OH |
U | OOH |
- Example: David (DAH-VEED)
- Example: Diana (DEE-AH-NAH)
Rule 5: Spanish accent marks indicate that that syllable is stressed
You may find Spanish accents, or “tildes,” over vowels. This indicates that that syllable is stressed in the word.
- Example: Andrés (AHN-DREHS)
- Example: Éric (EH-REEK)
Rule 6: The letter H is silent
“H” is always silent in Spanish. It is only pronounced in words that are adopted from foreign languages.
Example: Hilaria (EEH-LAH-REE-AH)
Now that you know a few rules, let’s get to the actual names.
Part 2: Common English Names in Spanish
Here are some English names translated to Spanish.
Refer to this chart if you want to know your name equivalent in Spanish. Be sure to learn the right pronunciation. If your name is missing, leave a comment and we’ll add it.
Male Names
English Name | Spanish Name | Pronunciation |
Anthony | Antonio | AHN-TOH-NEE-OH |
Andrew | Andrés | AHN-DREHS |
Benjamin | Benjamín | BEHN-HAH-MEEN |
Charles | Carlos | CAR-LOHS |
Christopher | Cristóbal | CREES-TOH-BAHL |
Daniel | Daniel | DAH-NEE-EHL |
David | David | DAH-VEED |
Dennis | Dionisio | DEE-OH-NEE-SEE-OH |
Dominic | Domingo | DOH-MEEN-GOH |
Edward | Eduardo | EH-DOO-AHR-DOH |
Eric | Éric | EH-REEK |
Frederick | Federico | FEH-DEH-REE-KOH |
George | Jorge | HOHR-HEH |
Jacob | Jacobo | HAH-KOH-BOH |
John | Juan | HOO-AHN |
Joseph | José | HOH-SEH |
Matthew | Mateo | MA-TEH-OH |
Michael | Miguel | MEE-GEHL (G as in game) |
Nicholas | Nicolás | NEE-KOH-LAHS |
Peter | Pedro | PEH-DROH |
Phillip | Felipe | FEH-LEE-PEH |
Richard | Ricardo | RREE-KAHR-DOH |
Robert | Roberto | RROH-BEHR-TOH |
William | Guillermo | GEE-YEHR-MOH (G as in game) |
Xavier | Javier | HAH-VEE-EHR |
Female Names
English Name | Spanish Name | Pronunciation |
Alexandra | Alejandra | AH-LEH-HAHN-DRAH |
Anna | Ana | AH-NAH |
Bridget | Brígida | BREE-HEEH-DAH |
Caroline | Carolina | KAH-ROH-LEE-NAH |
Catherine | Catalina | KAH-TAH-LEE-NAH |
Charlotte | Carlota | KAHR-LOH-TAH |
Christine | Cristina | CREES-TEE-NAH |
Diane | Diana | DEE-AH-NAH |
Elizabeth | Isabel | EEH-SAH-BEHL |
Emily | Emilia | EH-MEE-LEE-AH |
Helen | Elena | EH-LEH-NAH |
Hillary | Hilaria | EEH-LAH-REE-AH |
Jacquelyn | Jacqueline | JAH-KEH-LEEN (J as in James) |
Jane | Juana | HOO-AH-NAH |
Julia | Julia | HOO-LEE-AH |
Laura | Laura | LAH-OO-RAH |
Leah | Lía | LEE-AH |
Lily | Liliana | LEE-LEE-AH-NAH |
Marie | María | MAH-REE-AH |
Melany | Melania | MEH-LAH-NEE-AH |
Michelle | Michelle | MEE-SHEHL |
Patricia | Patricia | PAH-TREE-SEE-AH |
Sarah | Sara | SAH-RAH |
Sophia | Sofía | SOH-FEE-AH |
Veronica | Verónica | VEH-ROH-NEE-KAH |
Part 3: How Introduce Yourself in Spanish
Now that you know how to say your name, let’s learn how to introduce yourself in Spanish.
Let’s do both formal and informal. First of all, you must know that there are two forms for “YOU” in Spanish: “TU” and “USTED.”
- You use “TU” when you are talking to a friend or someone from your same age group.
- You use “USTED” in formal situations, when you are talking to someone you don’t know or an older person.
- The verb is conjugated differently depending on whether you use “TU” or “USTED.”
1) “What’s your name?” in Spanish (informal)
- ¿Cómo te llamas? (informal)
- Literal translation: What do you call yourself?
- Meaning: What’s your name? (informal)
- Pronunciation: KOH-MOH TEH YAH-MAHS?
The pronoun TU is omitted in this question. However, the reflexive verb “llamarse” is conjugated accordingly.
Please note the “upside-down” question mark (¿). You must know that this is used at the beginning of every question in Spanish.
Again, here’s that helpful audio lesson. If you haven’t done so already, listen to it – press the play button. You will hear the native pronunciation and English explanations.
- Lesson #1 – What’s Your Name in Spanish
- Free Lesson by SpanishPod101.com (click here for more free audio lessons).
2) “What’s your name?” in Spanish (formal)
- ¿Cómo se llama? (formal)
- Literal translation: What do you call yourself?
- Meaning: What’s your name? (formal)
- Pronunciation: KOH-MOH SEH YAH-MAH?
The pronoun USTED is omitted in this question. However, the reflexive verb “llamarse” is conjugated accordingly.
3) I call myself… in Spanish
The literal translation of the reflexive verb “llamarse” is “to call oneself.” Note how the verb is conjugated differently depending on whether you use TU (informal) or USTED (formal). Now let’s see how you conjugate it with “YO” (I), when you want to respond to that question.
- Me llamo _____
- Literal translation: I call myself… / I am called …
- Meaning: My name is…
- Pronunciation: MEH YAH-MOH …
The pronoun YO is omitted.
4) I am … in Spanish
You can also use this alternative to introduce yourself, which literally means: “I am…”
- Soy _____
- Literal translation / Meaning: I am…
- Pronunciation: SOY (like the English word “soy”)
5) My name is … in Spanish
This is a very formal way to introduce yourself:
- Mi nombre es _____
- Literal translation / Meaning: My name is…
- Pronunciation: MEE NOHM-BREH EHS…
6) Nice to meet you … in Spanish (Informal)
If you want to let the other person know that it is very nice to meet them, you can say:
- Es un gusto conocerte
- Literal translation: It is a pleasure to know you (INFORMAL)
- Meaning: Nice to meet you / Pleased to meet you
- Pronunciation: EHS OON GOOS-TOH KOH-NOH-SEHR-TEH
- Shorter version: Mucho gusto
- Literal translation: A lot of pleasure
- Meaning: My pleasure
- Pronunciation: MOO-CHOH GOOS-TOH
7) Nice to meet you … in Spanish (Formal)
- Es un gusto conocerle
- Literal translation: It is a pleasure to know you (FORMAL)
- Meaning: Nice to meet you / Pleased to meet you
- Pronunciation: EHS OON GOOS-TOH KOH-NOH-SEHR-LEH
- Shorter version: Mucho gusto
Conclusion
Now, you don’t have to wonder what your name is in Spanish.
You learned some basic pronunciation rules.
And you how how to introduce yourself.
Now, introduce yourself in Spanish in the comments below.
– The Main Junkie
It’s funny to see how names sound in another language, and it’s even more interesting to know that some names won’t change despite you speak another language. Here are a couple of more names you could add to that list:
Josué – Joshua
Pablo – Paul
Sara – Sarah
Hugo – Hugo (pronouciation is different, like He-OO-GO)
Marcos – Mark
Yuliana – Juliana