PhilippineNames
FIL

PHILIPPINE SURNAME REFERENCE

Filipino Surnames: Meanings, Origins & Historical Records

Explore Philippine surname meanings, language origins and historical records. Browse by first letter, read the Catálogo guide or search recorded variants.

Search a surname or spelling variant, or browse by first letter. You can read about name origins, find historical spellings and look up records from the 2001 election list.

Why Spanish surnames appear in Philippine records

Clavería’s decree of 21 November 1849 distributed surnames for civil registers and administration. Some surnames have explanations of their meaning or origin; others bring together historical spellings and public records. 1849 decree, articles 1–4 and 22 ↗

Find a surname →Clavería · Catálogo 1849 →

Surname meanings and formations

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Surnames with Spanish originsSurnames from Philippine languagesSurnames with Hokkien origins

Read formations one surname at a time

Dimagiba contains di magiba; Macalinao combines maka- and linaw; Maliwanag combines ma- and liwanag. Parungao comes from pa- and dungaw, while Magsaysay joins mag- and saysay.

DimagibaMacalinaoMaliwanagParungaoMagsaysay →

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