On the way to secularism: the names attributed in 1970, in the parish of San Bartolomé Apóstol, Naucalpan de Juárez, State of Mexico

Abstract

The attribution of first names in Mexico in the 20th century has been quite conservative. However, a change in models occurs from 1960, which will lead to the predominance of fashion at the end of the century. In 1970 in Naucalpan de Juárez, State of Mexico, the phenomenon continued towards a slightly more secular lexicon of names. This article studies a sample of baptisms of the parish of San Bartolomé Apóstol, which contains the names of three generations. The methodology, both quantitative and qualitative, had three phases: a) comparison of each name of the baptized with the saints calendar; b) comparison with the names of the relatives mentioned in each record; c) classification by attribution model. Numerous names were identified that do not appear in the reference saints calendar or that were attributed on different dates, which gives an indication of the fashion model and reflects the social changes of the time. The theoretical study frame is socioanthroponymy (Ainiala, 2016; Aldrin, 2011; Bramwell, 2011; Gerritzen, 2006, etc.) and pragmasemantics of names (Fabre, 1987; Van Langendonck, 2007; Van Langendonck & Van de Velde, 2016). Its background is similar projects, carried out in Tlalnepantla de Baz, México, and in the Hérault, France.