If yesterday was Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia, Thursday celebrates the Virgin Mary of Montserrat, the patron saint. As many Montserrats, Montses, Tones and Serrats as there are in the older Catalan population, today it is a less frequent name among newborns, only 214 since 2010. On the other hand, it has a curious advantage, very precious in current times, because it can be both a woman's name - for the Virgin Mary - and a man's name - the toponym is masculine, Montserrat -. According to Idescat, in Catalonia there are 76,805 women who call themselves this, and only five men.
The names that have traditionally been given to the rogue, the anthroponyms, have had to do with various customs. There are those who inherit the name of the church (baptismal church) from the family, parents, grandparents or godparents. As if they were of royal lineage, some people boast of bearing the name that their great-grandfather already bore and that has been maintained in the following generations. There were also the parents who, in order not to have to search too much, used the name of the saint of the day.
Finally, there are those who are simply looking for a name that they like, or those who nail the name of someone they admire, real or fictional, to their brains. I remember a Heidi, long before Japanese cartoons based on Johanna Spyri's novel became popular; or a Vivian, by the actress Vivien Leight, of a mother admiring the character who swore she would never go hungry again, because Escarlata or Scarlett seemed excessive to her.
In the eighties, when it seemed that a balanced and respectful bilingualism would be possible, names that sounded the same in Catalan and Spanish began to be given. It was the time of Marta, David, Maria, Àlex, Ramon, Sara, Raquel, Raül, Alba, Paula...
Forty years later, there are parents who still ask for another requirement in the name of their descendants: that it be valid for both sexes. They don't want the creature to be hastily branded with a name that doesn't belong. Here come unisex names like Aran, Àlex, Andy, Andrea, Cris, Pau... Montserrat would also have been a good choice, but now it is completely marked as a woman's name.
While the premise is that a name is for life, this is only true on paper. The name by which we are known, called or called does not necessarily have to do with what is on the record. There are people who change it when they make the transition. Others who have a nickname or pen name. In the clandestine life, changing names is the order of the day. It is also tradition to change one's name when entering religious life, like the Holy Father, who adopts a new name when he occupies the chair of Saint Peter.
So much responsibility for a name!
