NY Passenger Lists

[Michele Armentano]

In looking at these, my question is concerning the last names recorded on the lists. Would they be the father's last name or the mother's? For example, Emilia and her brothers all carried the name Rodriguez in the US (Anmoore WV) Her father in Asturias, Spain was Jose Rodriguez on all the documents I've found. Emilia's brother lists his father as Jose Bobes Rodriguez.

Can you help with this. I've just started exploring with Ancestry.com and this is where I've learned this info.

[Bob]

The Spanish custom is that each person has two surnames, one from the mother and one from the father. If Victor Fernández Martínez married María González Pérez, their son might be Gabriel Fernández González and their daughter Concepcion Fernández González. The mother's maternal surname is lost, but her paternal surname is passed on.

This custom is usually but not invariably followed. For example if the maternally derived surname is very prestigious, it may be passed on, either in hyphenated form or replacing the paternal surname. In the US, tradition has only the paternal surname passed on, but we are all aware of hyphenated surnames for children. I even know of a couple with the surnames Stark and Craft who fused them into Starcraft for their kids.