In one of the resolutions of the General Directorate of Registers, dated 1 February 1972, the County Prosecutor d that the authorisation of the name Eneko was inadmissible, arguing that it had a translation into Spanish as Iñigo. To support his decision, he cited the Dictionary of Basque names,
To clarify this matter, it is necessary to go back to the original source. Attached are copies of several pages from the Santoral Vasco , a list of euzkerised names and their equivalents in Castilian, adapted by Sabino de Arana y Goiri for his Egutegi Bizkatara (Bilbao, 1910), with a foreword by Luis de Eleizalde. On page 18 of that work, which is not reproduced in the resolution, it is explained that some names have been added with an asterisk (*) to indicate that their euzkerisation should not be attributed to the original author. Among them is Iñigo or Eneco in the column of ‘Castilianised’ names, which suggests that Eneco was considered in that edition as a Spanish form.
This fact contradicts the statement of the County Prosecutor, since it is absurd that a Castilian name can be translated into its own language. In this sense, the Bizkaina Euzkera Commission of the Basque Nationalist Party is an impartial witness which supports the idea that Eneco has been and continues to be a fully valid Basque name in popular use.
In order to prove the historical existence of the name Eneko, a literal certification of birth registration from the Zumaya Civil Registry corresponding to Eneka Gotzon, Iñigo Ángel Arrieta Aguirrezabalaga, born on 20 June 1921, is attached. This document confirms that the name Eneka was registered at the time as an euzkerised male name, differentiating it from Iñigo or Eneco in the column of ‘Castilianised’ names.
The case of Eneko and Iñigo is similar to that of other names with a common origin but with divergent evolution, such as Jacobe, Jaime, Jacobo and Santiago. The popular form Jacobe derived in Jacome, later in Jacme and finally in Jaime, although the previous forms continued to be used. The same happens with Millán and Emiliano , where the popular form prevailed, but the archaizing form regained validity at another time. Santiago, on the other hand, evolved phonetically from Jacobe without preventing the two forms from coexisting.
These names cannot be considered translations of each other, as they fulfil different linguistic functions in the language. The same is true of Eneko and Iñigo, which have existed as independent forms in the popular tradition.
To reinforce this argument, documentary evidence is provided that Eneko is not an archaic word, but has been present in everyday life in the Basque Country. The priest Jaime Andonegui y Lizárraga, Doctor in Canon Law and parish priest of San Salvador de Irurita (Navarre), carried out a survey of parish books and found many references to the name Eneko:
Book of deceased : Eneko Sanz de Martienea (died 4 December 1672) and Eneko de Perurena (6 September 1706).Book of baptised : Eneko, son of Simón de Arozteguiberría and María (baptised on 13th March 1633); Eneko, son of Joanes de Martierena and María de Arquialdea (4th December 1655).Marriage book: Eneko de Garcearena and María de Iriart (16 December 1640).In other documents, parents and godparents appear with the name Eneko, such as Eneko Sanz de Indart (1618), Eneko de Garagar (1622) and Eneko Sanz de Echenique (1629), which confirms its continuous use over time. Given that these records predate the creation of the Civil Register, their legal validity is unquestionable.
Furthermore, the name Eneko has been reflected in Basque toponymy. In Irurita there is a borda and a house called Eneconea, which in Basque means ‘Eneko's house’, just as the place names Martiñenea and Juanenea mean ‘Martín's house’ and ‘Juan's house’, respectively. In Bilbao, the well-known place Enécuri comes from Eneko + uri (‘town of Eneko’). Translating this place name as ‘Iñíguri’ would be forced and illogical.
Another of the erroneous arguments of the 1972 resolution is that Eneko would be equivalent to Iñaki, according to the Nomenclátor Euskérico de la Academia de la Lengua Vasca. Luis Villasante Cortabitarte , president of the Academy of the Basque Language, who assures that the Academy has never considered the names Eneko and Iñaki to be equivalent. The confusion is due to an error in the edition of the Basque Nomenclature of given names, where both names appear on the same line without justification.
Likewise, Father Antonio Zavala Echeverría, a Jesuit and member of the Academy, clarifies that Saint Ignatius of Loyola changed his birth name, Iñigo, to Ignatius when he arrived in Italy, as the former was little known outside Spain. It is probable that he did so in devotion to Saint Ignatius of Antioch. This confirms that Iñigo and Ignatius are equivalent, while Eneko is a different name.
Attached are copies of the title page and pages 12 and 13 of the Nomenclátor onomástico vasco by JM Satrústegui, published by the Academia de la Lengua Vasca in Pamplona in 1972. Page 13 mentions Saint Eneko, abbot of Oña, whose religious feast is celebrated on 1 June.
Finally, copies of all the books cited are provided as documentary evidence. In view of the foregoing, the annulment of the contested order is ed and the authorisation of the name Eneko as the correct name for the applicants' son, instead of the name Iñigo , imposed by the judge of the Regi.
Signed in Bilbao, 26 May 1973.Bernardo Anaut .