The woman's name that popularized a TV3 series

BarcelonaBetween 1996 and 1998, the Montsolís family, owners of wineries in Penedès, entered many Catalan homes through television. Nissaga de poder, the afternoon daily series on TV3, popularized a woman's name that until then was anecdotal in Catalonia: Abril. Actress Mónica López played the character of Abril Montsolís, much loved by the audience, daughter of Raimon Montsolís, the younger brother of the winery owners.

"Until then there were practically no adult Aprils in Catalonia. It's as if Josep Maria Benet i Jornet –creator of the series– had invented the name, we could say, because we didn't have adult references," explains Francesc Calafell, principal investigator at IBE (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and professor and researcher at UPF. Now there are around 7,600 women named Abril in Catalonia, but in the 1980s, according to data from Idescat, only 5 babies named Abril were born. And in previous decades, the frequency is so low that no data is available. In 1997, 47 babies were named Abril. From then on, its frequency began to increase, reaching its peak in the years 2008 and 2015 with 407 and 408 babies named Abril, respectively.

"First, we have some pioneer parents who gave this name and, as the frequency increases, more families choose it for their daughters until it reaches its peak. Now, however, we are already in the declining phase and it is starting to go out of fashion a bit. The more there are, the more are given until there are too many," adds Calafell. Currently, it occupies position 49 in the ranking of most common names among Catalan newborns and 24 in the case of girls' names. In 2024, 168 families chose this name for their daughters.

Short and spring-like name

Beyond the popularity it gained thanks to the TV3 series, this is a name of Latin origin linked to the month of April that currently appeals to families because "linguistically it is identical in Catalan and Spanish". Furthermore, it is a short name – which fits with current trends – and which refers to spring. We also find it in other languages, such as April in English, or Avril in French. "And it is a clean name, without any prior association, neither positive nor negative, and easy to pronounce. If the character had been called Gumersinda, he surely would not have had the same success", reflects this expert.

It is more frequent in Central Catalonia than in the metropolitan area, and Pla de l'Estany (with 4.33 per thousand), Osona (3.48 per thousand) and Alt Penedès (3.33 per thousand) lead the ranking of regions. "And let's not forget –recalls Calafell– that Nissaga de poder takes place in Penedès".

There are also Aprils outside the Catalan countries. Of the 17,151 women named Abril in the State, about 9,000 are from Catalonia (7,660) and the Balearic Islands. And the average age is 9.4 years. "I don't know if it's a name we've exported to the rest of the State," points out Calafell. It should be said that Abril is also a surname. There are 8,345 people in Spain who are called Abril as their first surname, 7,979 as their second, and 118 have it as both surnames.