Why do Latinos have two last names ?

[Doug]

Gringos did this for a time in the 70's and 80's like Smith-Anderson. That never really caught on.

Latinos often have two last names like Hernandez-Alverez.

Why ?

[ROFLcopter]

They reproduce like jackrabbits and fukk anything that moves. Having two last names increases the odds that one of the names is the actual name of the father.

[str]

It is the last names of both of the parents,maternal and paternal.

[Masu485]

Muslims have long ass names too. like Al Sherif Ibn-Mohammed Ibn Mohammed Ibn Mohammed Al Rabbas Ibn-Farooq El-Jaleel Mohammed Mohammed.

[Jimmy0607]

it is the last names of both of the parents,maternal and paternal.

this

[JimmysEgo]

i think it's so when they commit crimes later on in life, they have an alias safety net already in place.

[Cookie Monster]

Name + Father surname + Mother surname.

It is way more descriptive. The 2nd surname is seldom used in informal chat, but it is always in official documents. I find much easier to identify that way than having to deal with hundreds of John Smith or dealing with a middle name that no one knows.