During Franco’s dictatorship, Spanish names were mandatory, so any Catalan or Basque name banned. The most iconic Catalan name, “Jordi”, from Saint George whom is protective saint of Catalunya, couldn’t be legally registered for almost 40 years.
When Johan Cruyff got transferred to FC Barcelona for a record amount, he took notice of this repression. The next year, his wife gave birth in Amsterdam and there they named their son Jordi. After trying to register his new son in Spain as such, he was first refused and ordered to name his son Jorge instead (Jordi=Jorge=George).
He refused in return, and insisted upon the Catalan name of his son. The government could do little as this was a football star with a foreign passport. Hence they were forced to accept.
The first Jordi in like 36 years. Cruyff a resistance hero among the Catalans.
Aufklarung_Lee on
Wait Jordi is catalonian!?
TIL
I thought it was just a run of the mill Dutch name
Galapagos_Finch on
Interestingly Johan Cruyff is such a big star in Dutch football that ever since Jordi (and Jordy) has become a moderately popular name in the Netherlands, where the Dutch version of George is Joris or Jort.
3 Comments
During Franco’s dictatorship, Spanish names were mandatory, so any Catalan or Basque name banned. The most iconic Catalan name, “Jordi”, from Saint George whom is protective saint of Catalunya, couldn’t be legally registered for almost 40 years.
When Johan Cruyff got transferred to FC Barcelona for a record amount, he took notice of this repression. The next year, his wife gave birth in Amsterdam and there they named their son Jordi. After trying to register his new son in Spain as such, he was first refused and ordered to name his son Jorge instead (Jordi=Jorge=George).
He refused in return, and insisted upon the Catalan name of his son. The government could do little as this was a football star with a foreign passport. Hence they were forced to accept.
The first Jordi in like 36 years. Cruyff a resistance hero among the Catalans.
Wait Jordi is catalonian!?
TIL
I thought it was just a run of the mill Dutch name
Interestingly Johan Cruyff is such a big star in Dutch football that ever since Jordi (and Jordy) has become a moderately popular name in the Netherlands, where the Dutch version of George is Joris or Jort.