Common Sephardic Naming conventions

As you can see, first names like Fortunato (Messod), Moses, Jack, Isaac, Abraham are repeated from one generation to the next, which makes it sometimes difficult in term of genealogy. Here how it generally works:

Firstborn son is named after the paternal grandfather.
Second male child is named after the maternal grandfather.
First daughter is named after the paternal grandmother.
Second female child is named after the maternal grandmother.
Next child after the paternal uncle or aunt,
Next after maternal uncle/aunt,
etc.

If a grandparent (paternal or maternal) or sibling was deceased, his/her name would often take precedence over the living relative. Some Spanish exiles named children after their own parents.


Source: Jewish Names and genealogies by Jeffrey S. Malka