Mexico registers first baby with maternal last names

The first baby in Mexico to be officially named with the maternal surnames of both parents has been registered in the northern state of Nuevo León.

The tradition in Latin America is to give babies two last names - the father's surname, followed by the mother's paternal surname.

So baby Barbara born to José González de Diego and Alicia Vera Zboralska would normally have been named Barbara González Vera, losing both parents' maternal surnames.

But to honor the maternal line, the couple won a court injunction allowing them to name their child Barbara de Diego Zboralska.

Court records showed the couple got the injunction Dec. 28 and the child was registered Monday in the city of Monterrey.

Raúl Guajardo, director of public registries in Nuevo Leon, said it was a first.

"In the history of the country, no boy or girl has ever been given the maternal surnames of the father and the mother," he said.