# Female Hispanic Name help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772 "2006-05-22T16:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/1 "2006-05-22T16:37:42Z")
So my parents have this woman who comes over and cleans house for them, and since I’m living here for a while I wanted to learn her name. When she introduced herself to me it sounded like “Klagy” but mom thinks it is “Klazy.” Now I don’t know where she is from, she looks South American if that helps. I’m just trying to get her name right. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/2 "2006-05-22T16:54:04Z")
How is it spelled on her paychecks? ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/3 "2006-05-22T16:56:13Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] How is it spelled on her paychecks? [/QUOTE] That’s actually very funny. Check the W-2s as well. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/4 "2006-05-22T16:58:20Z")
If you really want to get it right, ask her to spell it. Then, even if you aren’t hearing her quite correctly you can figure it out (or we can just tell you). Don’t be embarrased to do so, people love to hear their names. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/5 "2006-05-22T18:16:26Z")
They don’t pay her directly, she’s from some company. But yeah, I’ll just ask her to spell it next week. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/6 "2006-05-22T18:35:42Z")
It’s quite possible that the name isn’t even Spanish if she’s from South America. It could be from a whole bunch of European languages. Or it could just be made up. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/7 "2006-05-22T19:16:19Z")
Maybe she’s crazy and just warning you? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/8 "2006-05-22T19:30:59Z")
I suspect it’s a nickname, or a shortened version of a longer name. And it probably starts with a “C”, not a “K”. ---
**Author:** ![xicano69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@xicano69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xicano69)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/9 "2006-05-22T22:06:04Z")
[QUOTE=ronincyberpunk] Now I don’t know where she is from, she\*\*\* looks\*\*\* South American if that helps. I’m just trying to get her name right. [/quote] Don’t go by looks. There is really no such thing as a “South American” look. SA is such a diverse area of the Americas that there is no single stereotype of a “south american.” Even in Mexico, there are people blonde as Scandinavians to black as Nigerian. Best bet. Don’t assume. Ask where she is from. > [@](#): > > When she introduced herself to me it sounded like “Klagy” but mom thinks it is “Klazy.” Assuming that she is Latina, it could be really anything. A) Is she young, i.e., 18-30? Most younger Latinas tend to shorten their birth name or go by “anglo” like name. For example. Catalina shorten to Katy. B) Is she older? Older Latinas tend to have more traditional names. C) Depends from what country she is from? Argentinians tend to go for Spanish or Italian based names. Brazilians go for Portuguese or inventive with their names. Mexicans go for Spanish or indigineous names. D) Get a pen and paper. Ask her to write her name. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-hispanic-name-help/357772/10 "2006-05-23T04:45:37Z")
[QUOTE=xicano69] C) Depends from what country she is from? Argentinians tend to go for Spanish or Italian based names. Brazilians go for Portuguese or inventive with their names. Mexicans go for Spanish or indigineous names. [/QUOTE] Panamanians often use classical or exotic-sounding names (Belkys, Nefetaris) or just make ones up. So really, it could be anything.