What’s in a name? Costa Blanca news

JOSE, Josefa and their variations are still the most-often found names in the Costa Blanca’s Marina Alta area.
But this holds good only for older generations and the picture is beginning to change for new-borns. According to the latest figures released by the Observatori Marina Altastatistics office, the most popular names for children born in its 33 towns and villages during 2019 were Martina for a girl and Marc for a boy.
The local custom of calling a child after its parents or grandparents is dying out, and names are more influenced by the media, celebrities, fashion and personal taste, sociologists explained.
The Marina Alta tendency is not repeated nationwide, where Lucia and Hugo are the most-chosen names for new arrivals in Spain while Maria, Carmen and Antonio continue to be the most commonplace.