Does your name have a hyphens or accent mark that isn’t reflected on your California driver's license or birth certificate?
This is the norm in the Golden State, which doesn’t allow accents or hyphens in official documents.
However, a proposed bill circulating at the state Capitol would allow residents to change their names to include diacritical marks — like accents and tildes — on government documents.
Diacritical marks are placed above, below or next to a letter to indicate a particular pronunciation. They’re often used in languages like Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese, and without those marks, words can have entirely different meanings and pronunciations.
A Sacramento-area family whose son is named Nicolás is the inspiration behind Assembly member Blanca Pacheco proposing Assembly Bill 77. His parents say he should be able to write his name how it’s supposed to be pronounced.
However, the state is having some issues adapting to this change. Nancy Chaires Espinoza and Pablo Espinoza, Nicolás’ parents, joined CapRadio’s Vicki Gonzalez to discuss their attempts at getting AB 77 passed.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
On why the Espinoza family is advocating for diacritical marks
Nancy: It’s very important for our son to be able to carry his full identity into life, into society, right? And our names are such a big part of our identity — they’re the first thing people learn about us.
So the idea that he’s going to have to correct the pronunciation because people don’t see the tilde routinely, and the fact that without that, [his name is] also stripped of its cultural heritage. It’s really important to us.
We just think that our son and other kids, other people, should be able to really represent their names accurately.
Pablo: And the thing about what Nancy talks about, identity and heritage, at [Nicolás’] early age of six — even before that — he knew “tengo sangre de tres sitios,” I have the blood of three different places.
You know, his grandparents are from Jalisco, Mexico. I was born in Ecuador, and he was [born] here. And he’s proud of every single [one] of those three [places], and I think he’s also proud of the United States … as a beacon of change.
We shouldn’t be afraid of this change, which is not really massive. Eight other states are already doing it, so it’s incredibly important, as Nancy says.
On the importance of diacritical marks and respecting other cultures
Nancy: For all kids, I think there’s an age-appropriate way to teach them how to be respectful of other people’s cultures, so those are kind of the lessons that [Nicolás is] living out and that he’s practicing right now.
It’s about setting the table so that we treat all cultures with equal respect. You know, I don’t want my friends who are O’Connell’s and O’Donnell’s to lose their ability to accurately write their names on their vital records. I just want the rest of us to be able to share in that.
On what the Epsinoza family is hearing about diacritical marks from others
Pablo: You know, it was actually Nancy that brought it up to me that [in] Vietnamese and Hmong they use something very similar as accents … and much like in Spanish without it, not only does it change the pronunciation, but it can also change [a word’s] meaning.
I was talking to a Greek friend of mine who was telling me the name of his daughter, and it would also have [a diacritical mark] in Greek. And I go, ‘If you had the opportunity, would you like to use the accent?’ He says, ‘Of course! I never knew about that.’
We have never talked about that, and I guess, much like Nancy and I, you don't know until you know. We didn't know it was [not allowed] when they told us, ‘Sorry, you can't put the accent on Nicolás.’
We thought it was a joke, and then when they told us it was [not allowed], we were shocked.
On how this second introduction of the bill differs from the first time it was introduced in 2017
Nancy: Unfortunately, I don’t think there really was the robust discussion that the bill merited.
The opposition came out, and, my understanding is the administration just felt [there was a] kind of nebulous cost … when it was in the appropriations committee.
But there really wasn’t a discussion about what it would take to get this done. Whereas this time, we felt that the state has evolved since then. The conversation has continued to evolve about how to actually respect diversity, and that is a shared value among leaders and lawmakers in California.
On the technological lift needed for California to add diacritical marks
Nancy: I can’t really speak with a great deal of authority. I understand from the analysis of the bill done in the Health Committee that the technology differs a little at the country level, and that’s one of the areas that’s really being explored right now in terms of implementation.
… We’re used to this can-do attitude in California, and I just really and truly believe that in California, the technological leader that we are, if seven other states have been able to achieve this, frankly, I would be embarrassed that we could not.
Pablo: If Utah can do it … heck, if Texas can do it, I’m sure Governor Gavin Newsom would love to find a way to have California do what Texas is already doing and what Florida is very much against.
