How to Say What Is Your Name in Spanish: 10+ Ways to Ask and Respond

The Short Answer

The most common way to ask "what is your name" in Spanish is ¿Cómo te llamas? (KOH-moh teh YAH-mahs). It literally translates to "How do you call yourself?" and works in casual settings across all 21 Spanish-speaking countries. For formal situations, use ¿Cómo se llama usted?

What makes this question unique in Spanish is the reflexive verb llamarse: "to call oneself." Unlike English, where names are something you have, Spanish treats names as something you call yourself. This reflexive construction is shared across Romance languages, a linguistic inheritance from Latin's nominare se, according to the Real Academia Española (RAE). Whether you're looking up "what is your name in spanish" for travel, study, or conversation, this guide covers everything you need.

"The way a culture structures its introductions reveals deep assumptions about identity, social hierarchy, and interpersonal relationships. In Spanish, asking someone's name is simultaneously an act of curiosity and an acknowledgment of social distance."

(Claire Kramsch, Language and Culture, Oxford University Press)

With approximately 559 million speakers worldwide (Ethnologue, 2024), Spanish introductions vary significantly depending on whether you use tú, usted, or vos, and whether you are in Madrid, Mexico City, or Buenos Aires. This guide covers every variation you need.

Quick Reference: Asking and Saying Your Name in Spanish

Understanding Llamarse: The Reflexive Verb Behind the Question

Before diving into the phrases, understanding llamarse unlocks the entire system. Spanish does not ask "What is your name?", it asks "How do you call yourself?"

The verb llamar means "to call." Add the reflexive pronoun and it becomes llamarse: "to call oneself." This is why the question changes depending on who you are talking to:

The Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (ASALE) classifies llamarse as one of the most frequently used reflexive verbs in Spanish, appearing in everyday conversation far more often than its non-reflexive counterpart.

Casual Ways to Ask Someone's Name

These are the forms you will use most often, with friends, peers, people your age, and in everyday social settings. For more on casual Spanish interactions, visit our Spanish learning page.

¿Cómo te llamas?

This is the phrase you will use 90% of the time. The te is the informal reflexive pronoun matching tú (you). In Spain, most people under 40 use tú with each other from the very first interaction. In Latin America, the tú/usted divide varies by country. Colombia tends to use usted more broadly, while Mexico defaults to tú in casual settings.

Note the pronunciation: the double "ll" in llamas is pronounced "YAH-mahs" in most countries, but in Argentina and Uruguay it shifts to "SHAH-mahs" or "ZHAH-mahs" due to the distinctive yeísmo rioplatense.

¿Cómo te llamás?

In countries that use vos instead of tú, the verb stress shifts from llamas (YAH-mahs) to llamás (yah-MAHS). About 40 million Spanish speakers use vos as their default informal pronoun, according to ASALE. The reflexive pronoun te stays the same, only the verb ending changes.

¿Y tú, cómo te llamas?

This is the most natural way to ask after someone has already told you their name. The y tú ("and you") at the beginning mirrors the English "And you?", it turns a question into a reciprocal exchange. You will hear this constantly in first-meeting conversations.

Formal Ways to Ask Someone's Name

Use these in professional settings, with elders, in government offices, and any context where showing respect matters. The Spanish learning tools at Wordy include exercises on formal vs. informal registers.

¿Cómo se llama usted?

The shift from te llamas to se llama is the grammatical marker of formality. Adding usted at the end makes the formality explicit. In Colombia, this form is used far more broadly than in Spain, even among friends in some regions, usted is the default, a phenomenon linguists call ustedeo.

¿Cuál es su nombre?

This is the closest Spanish gets to a direct translation of "What is your name?" Unlike ¿Cómo se llama?, which uses the reflexive verb, this construction uses the possessive su (your, formal) and the noun nombre (name). You will hear it most often in administrative contexts, hotels, hospitals, offices, and forms.

Note: Spanish uses ¿Cuál? (which?) rather than ¿Qué? (what?) when asking about a specific piece of information. Asking ¿Qué es su nombre? is grammatically awkward and sounds unnatural to native speakers, as the RAE's Diccionario panhispánico de dudas clarifies.

How to Respond: Saying Your Name in Spanish

Knowing how to ask is half the equation. Here are the three main ways to respond, plus a useful informal alternative.

Me llamo...

This is the default response and the most natural one. It mirrors the reflexive structure of the question, they ask how you call yourself, and you answer by telling them what you call yourself. Me llamo works in both formal and casual contexts without any adjustment needed.

Mi nombre es...

A step up in formality. You will hear this in business meetings, presentations, and official introductions. It is also the natural pair when someone asks ¿Cuál es su nombre?, the direct question gets a direct answer.

Soy...

The shortest and most casual response. Soy is the first person of ser (to be). You are literally saying "I am..." followed by your name. It is the go-to at parties, social events, and any situation where brevity feels natural.

Me dicen...

This phrase introduces your nickname, and in Spanish-speaking cultures, nicknames are serious business. Me dicen literally means "they call me" and is used when your everyday name differs from your legal name, which happens frequently.

Response Quick Reference

Regional Variations Across the Spanish-Speaking World

The basic question remains the same everywhere, but how people use it (and how quickly they move to first names) varies dramatically.

Spanish Nickname Culture: When Names Transform

One of the most fascinating aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures is the rich nickname tradition. Many people go by nicknames that bear little phonetic resemblance to their legal names. Understanding this system is essential for real-world introductions.

Common Spanish Nickname Patterns

The nickname Pepe for José is one of the most famous examples. According to popular etymology, it derives from the Latin abbreviation "P.P." for Pater Putativus (putative father), used to refer to Saint Joseph. Whether or not this origin is accurate (linguists debate it) the nickname has been standard for centuries.

Asking About a Third Person

You will often need to ask about someone else's name. The third-person form uses the same conjugation as the formal usted form, which can cause initial confusion.

The context (and sometimes the added pronoun él (he) or ella (she)) clarifies whether you are asking about a third person or addressing someone formally. In practice, this ambiguity rarely causes confusion because the social context makes the intent clear.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using ¿Qué es tu nombre? instead of ¿Cuál es tu nombre? Spanish uses ¿Cuál? when asking for a specific piece of information. ¿Qué? asks for a definition.

Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Saying ¿Cómo llamas? without te changes the meaning to "How do you call?" (as in, how do you summon someone), not "What's your name?"

Mistake 3: Mixing tú and usted in the same exchange. If you start with ¿Cómo se llama usted?, keep using usted throughout the conversation. Switching mid-conversation signals either confusion or a deliberate shift in social distance.

Practice With Real Spanish Content

Reading about introduction phrases helps, but hearing them spoken naturally in real conversations is what makes them stick. Spanish-language TV shows are packed with introduction scenes: La Casa de Papel features memorable first meetings, and Élite is full of casual peer introductions that showcase how young Spaniards actually speak.

Wordy lets you watch Spanish movies and shows with interactive subtitles, tapping on any phrase to see its meaning, pronunciation, and cultural context in real time. Instead of memorizing phrases in isolation, you absorb them from authentic conversations.

For more Spanish guides, explore our blog for articles on everything from greetings to the best movies for learning Spanish. You can also visit our Spanish learning page to start practicing today.