In Spanish, the use of a definite article before a proper name (e.g., La Sara 'the Sara', El Juan 'the Juan', etc.; henceforth, DA+PN) can convey a wide range of social meanings concerning a given referent, from affection to condescension. DA+PNs can also serve other discourse functions without expressing an extreme attitude towards the referent. The present paper argues that these pragmatic effects can be derived from the meanings of definite articles and proper names; DA+PNs mark a referent as both salient (via the definite article) and hearer-old (via the proper name). Where use of a DA+PN is in competition with a bare proper name, the marked co-occurrence of an article with a name invites inferences concerning the relation between a referent and the conversation participants. In using DA+PNs, speakers draw heavily on the common ground to convey a range of meanings regarding their referents. Using experimental data, I first demonstrate the important role of common ground by manipulating the hearer-old status of referents. The results indicate that DA+PNs can be felicitous without an extreme attitudinal context if a proper name is in the common ground. Building on these results, I then analyze how speakers can exploit the common ground, giving rise to a variability of social meanings for DA+PNs.