Using proper names

Although there are Spanish equivalents for a number of English names (Peter = Pedro, John = Juan, Mary = María, Ana = Ana), the names of individuals are not translated from one language to another, for this would be meaningless. John Smith could be neatly translated as Juan Herrero, a name easily recognizable as Spanish, but this would not indicate John Smith. John Smith remains John Smith; likewise, Juan Herrero remains Juan Herrero. The names of famous or notorious historical personages often have a peculiar Spanish form. Although this does not apply to English names, Latin, Greek and Italian names are particularly affected. There are also special Spanish forms for modern Russian names, as well as historical ones. The English appears after the Spanish below only if the name is not entirely clear.

The ancient Greek world

Alejandro (Magno) (Alexander [the Great], Aquiles (Achilles), Ariana (Ariadne), Aristófanes, Aristóteles, Arquímedes, Edipo (Oedipus), Esopo (Aesop), Esquilo (Aeschylus), Euclides, Eurípides, Homero, Ilíada, Odisea, Jenofonte (Xenophon), Leandro (Leander), Narciso, Pitágoras, Platón (Plato)

The ancient Roman world

Adriano (Hadrian), Aníbal (Hannibal), Augusto, Cartago (Carthage), Catón (Cato), (Julio) César, Cicerón (Cicero), Escipión (Scipio), Horacio (Horace), Marco Antonio (Mark Antony), Marco Aurelio (Marcus Aurelius), Nerón (Nero), Ovidio (Ovid), Plinio (Pliny), Tito Livio (Livy)

The Bible

Old Testament: Adán (Adam), Baltasar (Belshazzar), Dalila (Delilah), Isaías, Jehová, Jonás, Josué (Joshua), Matusalén (Methuselah), Moisés, Nabucodonosor (Nebuchadnezzar), Noé (Noah), Rut (Ruth), Saba (Sheba), Saúl (Saul; note that the New Testament Saul, later Paul [Pablo], is Saulo)