How to Say “Common Name” in Spanish

nombre común
/nombɾe komun/from spelling rules
The English phrase "common name" is translated into Spanish as nombre común.

How does it change in a sentence?

In standard Spanish word order, the adjective común follows the noun nombre. To form the plural nombres comunes (common names), both the noun and the adjective must take the plural suffix -s.

Did you know?

  • The word nombre is also used as a common exclamation in spoken Spanish. It is a contraction of ¡no, hombre!, used to express disbelief or to say 'no way'.
  • In legal or formal Spanish contexts, a person's full nombre is often split into nombre de pila for the given name and apellidos for the surnames.
  • Depending on the context, nombre común may sound statistical or generic, so Spanish speakers use apodo when referring to a person's common name in the sense of a nickname.

Examples in context

  • Este es el nombre común de la planta.
    This is the common name of the plant.
  • ¿Cuál es el nombre común de este animal?
    What is the common name of this animal?
  • No conozco el nombre común de esa flor.
    I don't know the common name of that flower.

Example conversation

Daniel and Elena are looking at a biology textbook in a library.

  1. Daniel

    ¿Sabes el nombre común de esta especie?
    Do you know the common name of this species?
  2. Elena

    No, solo veo su nombre científico.
    No, I only see its scientific name.
  3. Daniel

    Es un nombre común muy extraño.
    It is a very strange common name.
  4. Elena

    Tienes razón, Daniel.
    You are right, Daniel.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries común, nombre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Matthew Dustin
Matthew DustinHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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