Recovering what Francoism erased: The campaign to reverse years of Castilianization of names and nicknames in the Balearic Islands

PalmThe Institute of Ibizan Studies has launched the campaignAnd you, what's your name?This initiative, supported by the University of the Balearic Islands, the Institute of Balearic Studies, and the Government of the Balearic Islands, aims to help citizens easily standardize names, surnames, house names, and nicknames. It offers guidance on adapting the spelling of names and surnames to Catalan language norms and on officially registering diminutives (Toni, Fina, Pep, etc.). Since the Civil Registry Law was amended in 2011, diminutives, shortened names, and popular forms of names can be legally registered.

Those interested can access the UIB website directly via the linkslg.uib.catYou can also make inquiries by phone at 971172717. Through this support service, you can request a free information note regarding your name, surname, or nickname. You must then go to the Civil Registry of your municipality of residence—either digitally or in person—to process the official change, which will also be reflected in your next ID card or passport renewal.

It's worth remembering that throughout the Franco dictatorship and until 1977, it was forbidden to register babies with Catalan names in the Civil Registry. All names had to be in Spanish and, furthermore, had to appear in the calendar of saints. For this reason, everyone born in Ibiza and Formentera before that year was registered with Spanish names.

The Institute of Ibizan Studies has also found that many names of houses, properties, and foreclosures in Ibiza are currently misspelled or have been adapted to Castilian Spanish, and therefore encourages owners to correct them. In such cases, inquiries can be made directly to the Institute, the UIB's Office of Names, or the language normalization services of the Ibiza and Formentera councils.