We named him Mateo because I wanted another M name that sounds good with Matilda. The name also had to be easily pronounced by both my parents and Pablo’s parents (not an easy feat). We also wanted a name that sounds the same in Spain and the USA. Other names we had on the list were Marc and Matias. Javier and Ignacio were front runners as well, though they met none of the criteria.

Mateo’s middle name is Jaime, after both his grandfather and uncle.

Mateo also has a Korean name which is 이 태 광 (Tae Kwang Lee). My father, who selected the name, explained that the name is Chinese characters is 李 太 光 which means 太(클태): Great 光(빛광): Light or the Sun. As with Matilda, Mateo has my surname in Korean.

In Spain, kids use both parent’s surnames, so he will be Mateo Agüero Lee (note very important umlaut). In the USA, he will be Mateo Jaime Aguero. (no middle names in Spain, and just try to explain to an American what and umlaut is).