Names And Naming Structures

Filipino names have Spanish, American, and, of course some indigenous elements to them.  

Spanish names are most prevalent because the Spanish occupied the islands for several centuries.  For example, names like Rizal, Santos, Fernandez, and Garcia are quite common.  If I had to make a wild guess, I’d say that 90% of all Filipinos have Spanish surnames (last names).   

On the other hand, after a century of American influence, a great number of Filipinos have adopted traditional American “given” (first) names.  For example, Richard, Gloria, Julie, and Cynthia.   First names are also frequently derived from the Bible (Joseph, Maria, and Mary, for example).  And the Spanish have left a mark with names like Ferdinand, Ricardo, Juan, etc. 

Indigenous names include Macapagal (the surname of the current President before she was married), but they are few in number, since the Spanish were methodical in wiping out indigenous languages and names.   

The middle name of an individual is typically their mother’s maiden name.  Their last name is the father’s surname.  So if Richard Gonzales married Josephine Isabella, and they had a child whom they named Maria, their child’s full name would be Maria Isabella Gonzales.   

However, upon marriage, Filipinas take the surname of their husbands, and the surname of their father then moves left to become their middle name.  Consequently, the mother’s maiden name is dropped altogether.  For example, if Maria Isabella Gonzales married John Smith, her name would become Maria Gonzales Smith.  Many Filipinas tie their new last names to their new middle names with hyphens.  In which case Maria would write her name as Marie Gonzales-Smith.  President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo does this. 

It’s common for Filipinos to use middle initials when writing their names.  Maria Smith would thus be Maria G. Smith. 

Nicknames are VERY popular in the Philippines and can be QUITE colorful and even complex.  As an example, ousted President Joseph Estrada was known as “Erap”.  Why Erap?  Because Erap spelled backwards is “pare”, which is the Tagalog word for buddy or friend.  Whew!  Not exactly intuitive, is it?   

There are queues that give away nicknames.  Here are a few: 

(End of book excerpt – if you’d like the entire text, please consider ordering The ASAWA Guide to Fil-West Relationships.  Thank you!)