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Spanish Last Names in Membership Records

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 12:41 pm
by brockzn
We are in a major Stake membership cleanup. During so spreadsheets are showing convoluted naming structures of Spanish members. What is the proper way to have not only the member record done correctly but also to be able to have the members to be able to search each other in LDS Tools. For instance. Adelina Leonardo Deleon wants no contact with the ward. She is in the system with the last name Leonardo Deleon. Her listed spouse on the record is Deleon Leonardo. I suspect it was put in backwards. Now her brother says her name is really Adelina Cruz DeLeon. So should I just change her last name be Cruz DeLeon, Cruz De Leon, hyphenated as Cruz-DeLeon, or Cruz-De Leon.

Second case is Jorge Alberto Pardo-Hernandez. While he is alphabetically under the P's, his wife and children are under the H's and do not have Pardo hyphenated or in their names. So are we mixing cultures here with the wife and kids Americanizing the name while Poppy maintains cultural and legal name? In a Spanish culture would he be referred to as Bro Pardo-Hernandez?

So in all the Spanish wards of the church how to they do it and find each other in a roster. We here in the North continent seem to be destroying their names and matriarchal naming structures ad hoc and without any formal or strict guidelines. I do understand that accent marks are to be how it is used in their legal name. But here I don't even know that name for sure.

Re: Spanish Last Names in Membership Records

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 1:01 pm
by russellhltn
Handbook 1: 13.6.1 is straightforward on what the full name should be. If you don't know the legal name, then it probably wouldn't be wise to try and change it.

You've got a little bit of latitude on the preferred name and the Household name. The latter is likely to be important in households with mixed names.

Re: Spanish Last Names in Membership Records

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 1:38 pm
by brockzn
Thanks for the quick reply. Appears ward clerks cannot download Handbook 1. The last question was for recognizing when some other yahoo butchered a Spanish name. Then with a learned eye be able to approach the member to get it properly repaired.

Re: Spanish Last Names in Membership Records

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 7:04 pm
by sbradshaw
Ward clerks should have access to Handbook 1 online:
https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-1 ... s?lang=eng
Or in the Gospel Library app. Both require you to be signed in with your LDS Account.