Name in Spanish: An easy guide to introducing yourself in Spanish

It can be challenging to introduce yourself in a new language, which is why it is beneficial to learn how to ask someone for their name and say “my name is” in Spanish. One of the most exciting aspects of studying Spanish is making new friends. After all, there are over 430 million native Spanish speakers worldwide, which means you could make millions of new friends.

Learning the phrase “what’s your name?” in Spanish will undoubtedly be a rewarding experience that will allow you to: communicate more easily in everyday situations, make new friends while traveling to Spanish-speaking countries, and get more people to practice your Spanish with.

The first distinction between introducing yourself in Spanish and English is the verb llamar (ya-mar). In English, you usually introduce yourself by saying your name, for example, “I’m Maria.” In Spanish, the verb llamar, which means “to be called,” is used instead. That is, introducing yourself in Spanish is more similar to saying, “My name is Maria.”

What is your name in Spanish?

One of the first steps in any introduction is to ask someone for their name. When asking someone what their name is in Spanish, use the verb llamar, just as you would when saying “My name is.”

Furthermore, pronouns must be used when introducing yourself and asking someone “What’s your name?” in Spanish. When learning how to talk about names in Spanish, you will need a basic understanding of pronouns ranging from reflexive to possessive.

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
What’s your name?	¿Cómo te llamas?	ˈkomo te ˈʝamas ‖	koh-mo teh ya-mas
What’s your name? (formal)	¿Cómo se llama?	ˈkomo se ˈʝama ‖	koh-mo seh ya-ma
What’s your name? (most formal)	¿Cuál es su nombre?	ˈkwal ˈɛs su ˈnõmbɾe ‖	koo-al es soo nom-breh
What’s your name? (plural)	¿Cómo se llaman?	ˈkomo se ˈʝamãn ‖	koh-mo seh ya-mahn
Could you give me your name?	¿Me podrías dar tu nombre?	me poˈðɾias̬ ˈðaɾ tu ˈnõmbɾe ‖	meh po-dree-ahs dahr too nom-breh
Could you give me your name? (formal)	¿Me podría dar su nombre?	me poˈðɾia ˈðaɾ su ˈnõmbɾe ‖	meh po-dree-ah dahr soo nom-breh
Hello, nice to meet you. What’s your name?	Hola, un gusto conocerte. ¿Cómo te llamas?	ˈola | ũn ˈɡusto konoˈsɛɾte ‖ ˈkomo te ˈʝamas ‖	oh-la oon goose-toe koh-no-ser-teh koh-mo teh ya-mas
What is your last name?	¿Cómo te apellidas?	ˈkomo te apeˈʝiðas ‖	koh-mo teh ah-peh-yee-das
Can you remind me your name?	¿Me recuerdas tu nombre?	me reˈkwɛɾðas tu ˈnõmbɾe ‖	meh reh-coo-air-das too nom-breh
Could you gift (give) me your name?	¿Me regalarías tu nombre?	me reɣalaˈɾias tu ˈnõmbɾe ‖	meh reh-ga-la-ree-as too nom-breh
Your name?	¿Tu nombre?	tu ˈnõmbɾe ‖	too nom-breh

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‘My name is’ in Spanish

Making genuine connections with native speakers can help your language learning take off, so don’t be afraid to meet people the next time you visit a Spanish-speaking country. Making a new friend in Spanish can be as simple as saying “Hello, my name is”!

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Hello my name is Mirabelle, and yours?	Hola, yo me llamo Mirabelle, ¿y tú?	ˈola | ˈɟʝo me ˈʝamo miɾaˈβeʝe | i ˈtu ‖	oh-la yo meh ya-mo mee-rah-bell e too
Hi, nice to meet you! My name is Mirabelle.	Hola, ¡un gusto conocerte! Me llamo Mirabelle.	ˈola | ũn ˈɡusto konoˈsɛɾte ‖ me ˈʝamo miɾaˈβeʝe ‖	oh-la oon goose-toe koh-no-cer-teh meh ya-moh mee-rah-bell
Nice to meet you! What’s your name?	¡Mucho gusto! ¿Cómo te llamas?	ˈmuʧo ˈɣusto ‖ ˈkomo te ˈʝamas ‖	moo-cho goose-toe koh-mo teh ya-mas
My name is Mirabelle, but I prefer to be called Belle.	Me llamo Mirabelle, pero prefiero que me digan Belle.	me ˈʝamo miɾaˈβeʝe | ˈpɛɾo pɾeˈfjɛɾo ˈke me ˈðiɣãm ˈbeʝe ‖	meh ya-mo mee-rah-belle peh-ro preh-fee-air-oh keh meh dee-gan bell
My name is José but my nickname is Pepe.	Me llamo José, pero mi apodo es Pepe.	me ˈʝamo xoˈse | ˈpɛɾo mj aˈpoðo ˈɛs ˈpepe ‖	me ya-mo ho-seh peh-ro me ah-po-doh es peh-peh
My name is Andrés but my friends call me Andy.	Me llamo Andrés pero mis amigos me dicen Andy.	me ˈʝamo ãnˈdɾes ˈpɛɾo mis aˈmiɣos̬ me ˈðisɛn ˈãndi ‖	meh ya-mo an-drehs peh-ro mees ah-me-goes meh dee-sen andy
My first name is Eduardo and my last name is Lopez.	Me llamo Eduardo y me apellido López.	me ˈʝamo eˈðwaɾðo i̯ me apeˈʝiðo ˈlopes ‖	meh ya-moh eh-doo-ar-doh e meh ah-peh-yi-do lo-pez
My name is Andrés and this is my friend Eduardo.	Me llamo Andrés y mi amigo se llama Eduardo.	me ˈʝamo ãnˈdɾes i mj aˈmiɣo se ˈʝama eˈðwaɾðo ‖	meh ya-mo an-drehs e me ah-mee-go seh ya-ma eh-doo-ar-doh

How to introduce yourself in response

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
I’m Marco. Nice to meet you!	Yo me llamo Marco. ¡Mucho gusto!	ˈɟʝo me ˈʝamo ˈmaɾko ‖ ˈmuʧo ˈɣusto ‖	yo meh ya-mo mar-koh
Nice to meet you, my name is Marco.	Mucho gusto, yo me llamo Marco.	ˈmuʧo ˈɣusto | ˈɟʝo me ˈʝamo ˈmaɾko ‖	moo-cho goose-toe yo meh ya-mo mar-koh
Pleasure to meet you, my name is Marco.	Mucho gusto, me llamo Marco.	ˈmuʧo ˈɣusto | me ˈʝamo ˈmaɾko ‖	moo-cho goose-toe me ya-mo mar-koh
Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you. My name is Marco.	Mucho gusto. He escuchado muchas cosas buenas de ti. Me llamo Marco.	ˈmuʧo ˈɣusto ‖ ˈe ɛskuˈʧaðo ˈmuʧas ˈkosas̬ ˈβwenas̬ ðe ˈti ‖ me ˈʝamo ˈmaɾko ‖	moo-cho goose-toe eh es-coo-cha-doh moo-chas ko-sas boo-eh-nas deh tee meh ya-mo mar-koh

Common nicknames in Spanish

Nicknames are an important part of Hispanic culture. Don’t be offended if someone calls you by a different name. In fact, you should be offended if your friends don’t call you by your given name. It’s very easy to find a nickname for your friends with hundreds of Spanish nicknames and cute terms of endearment.

Actual name	Nickname	Nickname IPA	Nickname pronunciation
Alberto	Beto	ˈbɛto	beh-toe
José	Pepe	ˈpepe	peh-phe
Salvador	Chava	ˈʧaβa	cha-vah
Vicente	Chente	ˈʧɛ̃nte	chen-teh
Gabriela	Gaby	ˈɡaβi	gah-bee
Eduardo	Lalo	ˈlalo	la-lo
Eduardo	Guayo	ˈɡwaʝo	goo-ah-yo
Dolores	Lola	ˈlola	lo-la
Guadalupe	Lupita	luˈpita	loo-pee-tah
Guillermo	Memo	ˈmemo	meh-mo
Ignacio	Nacho	ˈnaʧo	nah-cho
Fernando	Nando	ˈnãndo	nan-do
Francisco	Paco	ˈpako	pa-koh
Francisco	Pancho	ˈpãnʧo	pan-cho
Luz	Lucha	ˈluʧa	loo-cha
César	Chicha	ˈʧiʧa	chee-cha
Isabela	Chabela	ʧaˈβela	cha-beh-la
José María	Chema	ˈʧema	che-ma
Juan	Juancho	ˈxwãnʧo	hoo-an-cho
Nicolás	Nico	ˈniko	knee-koh

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do you practice introduction in Spanish?

A. To introduce yourself, you can start with a phrase like “HOLA” or “BUENOS DIAS”. Then, you can say your name with: [ME LLAMO + NOMBRE] or [MI NOMBRE ES + NOMBRE] as in this example: “¡Hola! Me llamo Alex”. You can also say your name using the verb SER with the structure [YO SOY + NOMBRE] as in “Yo soy Alex”.

Q. What are some male Spanish names?

A. Along with Mateo and Angel, other Spanish boy names in the US Top 1000 include Leonardo, Diego, Luis, Antonio, Miguel, Gael, Alejandro, and Lorenzo.

Conclusion

Now that you have mastered the art of introducing yourself in Spanish, it’s time to get out there and meet people. Even if you are not currently living in a Spanish-speaking country and are only taking Spanish classes online, you can use the internet to meet new Spanish-speaking friends.

The best way to learn Spanish is to keep up the practice game. Try introducing yourself to new people in Spanish and ask for their names and introduction. It will give you the confidence to speak Spanish in public.