The Spanish verb 'nombrar' (to name) comes from the Latin verb 'nominare', which also meant 'to name'. The Latin 'nominare' itself was derived from the Latin noun 'nomen' meaning 'name'. This shows a clear pattern where both the noun and verb forms related to naming have been preserved from Latin to Spanish, with some expected sound changes along the way.

A simpler and very common related Spanish word is 'nombre' (meaning 'name'), which comes directly from the same Latin root 'nomen'. This makes it easy to remember that 'nombrar' is the action of giving or stating a 'nombre'!

English speakers might recognize this etymology in words like 'nominal', 'nominate', and 'nomenclature', which all come from the same Latin root 'nomen'. 'Nominate' is particularly close in meaning to 'nombrar', as it originally meant 'to name' and now means 'to name or appoint someone for a position or role'. The word 'noun' is also related, as it originally referred to a 'name' for a person, place, or thing.