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Naming Conventions

The history of Spanish and American colonisation in the Philippines has led Filipino naming conventions to be heavily influenced by both Spanish and Western practices. Filipino names follow the Spanish tradition of using paternal and maternal names as surnames while structuring names according to the Western order of first name, middle name and surname.

• Filipino naming conventions arrange names as follows: [personal name(s)] [mother’s paternal family name] [father’s paternal family name]. For example, Jose Mario BELLO PINEDA (male) and Maria CRUZ SANTOS (female).
• The ‘personal name’ (or ‘given name’) is chosen as the individual’s personal identifier at birth.
• Some people may have two given names (e.g. Jose Mario), reflecting the Spanish custom of dual names.
• The mother’s paternal family name (or maiden name) effectively acts as the person’s ‘middle name’, while the father’s paternal family name operates as the person’s ‘surname’.
• The middle name and surname names are shared with all other siblings in a family.
• Some people may choose to use only the initial of their mother’s maiden name as their middle name (e.g. Jose Mario B. PINEDA).
• The mother’s maiden name is legally required on Filipino passports and other official documents. Therefore, if a Filipino is born in another country, their mother’s maiden name will automatically be applied to their legal name in the Philippines.
• Women tend to change their name at marriage by replacing their maiden middle name with their maiden surname and adopting their husband’s surname instead. For example, if Maria CRUZ SANTOS married Jose Mario BELLO PINEDA, she may be known as Maria SANTOS PINEDA.¹
• The other two legally recognised ways a woman may adopt a husband’s name is by using her maiden given name and husband’s surname alone (e.g. Maria PINEDA) or by using the husband’s full name with a prefix indicating that she is his wife (e.g. “Mrs.”).^{2 3}
• Some married Filipino women may hyphenate their maiden surname with their husband’s surname (e.g. Maria SANTOS-PINEDA). This practice is common in social or professional settings (e.g. email communication), allowing them to be more easily identified after marriage.
• Filipino women are not required to change their names at marriage. Some may choose to keep their full maiden name.
• In some instances, names may be formatted using the Spanish custom of adding a ‘y’ (meaning “and”) between their mother’s and father’s names (e.g. Maria CRUZ y SANTOS). However, this custom is generally only used when writing names in formal administrative settings (e.g. court documents) or by some older Filipinos.

Names

• Spanish names are common among Filipinos, especially those with biblical meanings. Many use Spanish translations of Christian names, such as those of Catholic saints (e.g. Miguel for Michael).
• Biblical saint names may be drawn from calendars showing a corresponding Catholic saint each month. Parents pick the name that matches their child’s birth date and alter it to suit the child’s gender (e.g. Manolito (male) or Manolita (female).
• Traditional Spanish names unrelated to Catholicism (e.g. Corazon, Rosario) have become less popular and are viewed as somewhat old-fashioned.⁴ Meanwhile, English names have risen in popularity among Filipinos.
• It is also common to choose names relating to popular culture. For example, children may share the same name as a rising celebrity or popular politician.
• According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the most common given names in 2018 were Nathaniel, James, Jacob, Gabriel, Joshua (male) and Althea, Samantha, Angel, Angela, Princess (female).⁵
• There is a trend of altering the standard spelling of English and Spanish names to make them more unique. For example, Irene becomes Airyn, Charlene becomes Charlyn or Charlin, Janine becomes Johnine, and so on.
• Many given names are adaptations of Spanish or English names that make them sound more Filipino. For example, Mariano may become Nano,��Edwin may become Aweng, Roberto may become Berting, etc.
• Some Filipino names have been formed by reversing the spelling of a Western name. For example, ‘�ٰ����԰����’ is ‘Bernard’ backwards.
• Filipino women with ‘�Ѳ�������’ as one of two given names (e.g. Maria Cristina) may abbreviate it as simply ‘Ma.’ (e.g. Ma. Cristina). Some men may do the same with the name ‘���Dz���’, although this is less common (e.g. Jose Mario may be known as Jo. Mario).
• It is common for parents to name male children after their father, adding the suffix ‘���ܲԾ��ǰ�’ (abbreviated as ‘Jr.’) to distinguish between the generations.
• The most common Filipino family names often have a Spanish origin, e.g. SANTOS, REYES, CRUZ, BAUTISTA, GARCIA.⁶
• Some surnames may have the prefix ‘de’ or ‘del’ (e.g. DE CASTRO, DEL ROSARIO). While these prefixes originally meant literally “from” or “of”, they are now considered part of a person’s entire family name.^{4 7}
• Filipinos with Chinese ancestry may also have a surname derived from Chinese family names, e.g. ‘������’ (WANG), ‘TI������’ (ZANG), ‘AUY������’ or ’A�³۰�������’ (YANG).
• Some people may have surnames derived from words in their local language or dialect, such as Tagalog, Visayan (Cebuano and Hiligaynon), Ilocano, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan. These surnames often describe a personal characteristic, such as ‘�ٱ��Ѵ��۱��Ҵ�’ (Tagalog for ‘defiance’).

Nicknames

• Close friends and family tend to refer to one another by nicknames rather than their full first names. People may have multiple nicknames with differing usages depending on who is talking to them.
• A nickname may be an abbreviation of the person’s name, e.g. Mario becomes ‘�Ѳ���’, Teresita becomes ‘�ձ����’.
• Longer given names may be shortened in various ways. For example, Emmanuel can become Eman, Manual, Manolo, Manny or Manoy.
• Some nicknames may be created by combining letters and syllables of the person’s full name (e.g. Jose Mario Pineda becomes ‘J�dz����辱’ or even ‘����’).⁴
• Some people may carry nicknames given to them by family members as children (e.g. Baby, Girlie).
• It is common for someone to have a nickname that is often a repeat of a syllable from that person’s name (e.g. ‘Mon Mon’ as the nickname for ‘Ramon’). This type of nickname is more affectionate and reserved for close family and friends.
• Other nicknames may be unrelated to the person’s name, chosen for aesthetic appeal, sentimental reasons, or to describe a characteristic or event. For example, someone good at playing cards may be called ‘���ǰ���’.
• Many Filipinos have English words as their nicknames, such as Peanut or Bambi. These nicknames may be chosen because they relate to specific themes, such as countries, car trademarks, or popular brand names.
• In some cases, the meaning of these words may sound peculiar as a nickname to a native English speaker. However, it is inappropriate to joke about or belittle the name choice.

Addressing Others

Other Usage

• Filipinos typically address one another using an honorific title that shows politeness and respect. These titles are context-specific and vary based on people’s gender, age and social relationship to one another. Although these terms often imply familial relation rather than professional status, they are also used to refer to non-relatives.
• Elderly men and women are typically addressed as ‘���DZ���’ (grandfather) or ‘���DZ���’ (grandmother). Similarly, the terms ‘�վ��ٴ�’ (uncle) and ‘�վ��ٲ�’ (aunt) are used to refer to anyone around a generation older than you (roughly 10 to 20 years older).
• The terms ‘���ܲⲹ’ (elder brother) and ‘���ٱ�’ (elder sister) are used to show respect to any person slightly older than oneself but of similar status. These titles are the most common ways to refer to acquaintances, colleagues and strangers in daily life (e.g. shop assistants), as well as siblings and cousins.
• The prefix ‘K��’ is derived from the Tagalog term for ‘elder sibling’ (“Kapatid na”) and can be used to address adults of any gender. This honorific is more common in rural Tagalog-speaking areas where it is favoured as a substitute for ‘���ܲⲹ’ or ‘���ٱ�’, conveying camaraderie, companionship, and respect.
• It is common to refer to people by their professional title or job description (e.g. lawyer,��doctor, engineer,��teacher).
• Titles may be used with a person’s surname, first name or nickname depending on the relationship. Honorifics may also be used as a singular address without the person’s name. For example, one may refer to a middle-aged man as ‘Tito Emil’ or simply ‘�վ��ٴ�’.

Other Usage

• Friends of the same age or status may address one another using the first name or nickname alone in casual contexts (refer to Nicknames). However, it is inappropriate to call someone by a nickname unless you’ve been invited to do so.
• Filipinos rarely use a person's full name (i.e. Jose Mario BELLO PINEDA) unless in very formal settings. It is more common to drop the middle name and refer to someone by their first and last name (e.g. Jose Mario PINEDA).⁴
• It is best to address people with dual names using both first names if you don’t know them very well (e.g. Jose Mario).
• The middle name (mother’s paternal name) is rarely used in daily life and conversation. It is incorrect to address someone by this name alone.