Does Name really mean Nombre?

If someone asks a native English speaker "What's your name?"  he or she may answer using his or her first name only or using his or her first name in combination with his or her last name, e.g. "Helen" or "Helen Watson". 
If a Latin American is asked the same question: "¿Cuál es su nombre?" He or she will answer only with his or her first name  and only one out of ten times using both names. "Elena" will be her answer (if it's a woman of course)
Why is this so?
The answer is in the terms we use to refer to the words we call names. It is just not the same thing as it can be seen below:
Spanish - English
Nombre - First Name (also called Given Name)
Segundo Nombre - Middle Name
Apellido - Last Name (also called Family Name)

In other words, if you want a Latin American to tell you both his or her first and last names you will have to ask something like this: "¿Me puede decir su nombre y apellido, por favor?" 
The problem is that while in English both Nombre and Apellido are just names, in Spanish an Apellido is a name with a greater significance, so to speak, and that is why it has a name all of its own: Apellido. In English Apellido is either Family Name, Surname or just a name that is mentioned last (thus the term Last Name) since in English there is no such thing as Apellido Materno. 
      


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