Filipino names
Filipino names reflect layered history: Spanish colonial rule left behind saints' names like Maria and Jose, American influence added English favorites, and a strong nickname culture layers playful pet names like Toto or Ining on top. Increasingly, parents also draw on Tagalog and other Philippine languages for names rich in original meaning.
Aldrin old, wise friend (popularized by astronaut Buzz Aldrin)
Alon wave (Tagalog word-name; coincides with Hebrew Alon, oak)
Althea wholesome, healing (Greek). The runaway favorite for Filipino girls of the 2010s and 2020s, topping Philippine civil-registry lists year after year, and soft on the tongue in both Tagalog and English.
Alyssa noble, rational
Amihan north wind (goddess of Philippine mythology, unisex)
Analyn a Filipino coinage joining Ana to the beloved -lyn ending, the same pattern behind Jonalyn, Rowelyn, and Jerlyn. The -lyn suffix was the workhorse of Filipino girl-name invention from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Andrea brave (from Greek andreios, 'manly, courageous'); a feminine classic across the Spanish-speaking world and one of the Philippines' most beloved girls' names
Andres manly, brave (national hero Andres Bonifacio)
Angel messenger of God (popular Filipino unisex name)
Angelica angelic, messenger of God
Antonio the Spanish form of Anthony, from the Roman name Antonius, of uncertain Etruscan origin (national hero Antonio Luna)
Apolinario belonging to Apollo (revolutionary general Apolinario Mabini)
Bagani warrior, hero (Mindanao indigenous word-name)
Bayani hero (old Tagalog word-name)
Bianca white, fair (Italian cognate of Blanche)
Bituin star (old Tagalog word-name)
Bonifacio good fate (surname honoring the revolutionary hero)
Camille attendant, young ceremonial helper
Corazon heart (worn by President Corazon Aquino)
Dalisay pure (old Tagalog word-name)
Danica morning star
Danilo God is my judge (form of Daniel); a midcentury Filipino staple, nickname Danny
Datu chief, leader (pre-colonial title-name)
Diego supplanter (Spanish colonial classic)
Diwa spirit, essence (old Tagalog word-name)
Diwata fairy, nature deity
Emilio rival, industrious (President Emilio Aguinaldo)
Faith faith, trust (popular virtue name)
Fe faith (Spanish). Anchor of the beloved sister trio Fe, Esperanza, and Caridad, faith, hope, and charity, a classic Filipino Catholic pattern for naming daughters. One syllable that reads instantly in Spanish, Tagalog, and English. Across Brazil it doubles as Fê, the affectionate short of Fernanda
Ferdinand bold voyager (Spanish colonial classic)
Florante flowering (Spanish); the hero of Balagtas's 1838 Tagalog epic Florante at Laura
Gabriel God is my strength
Grace grace, favor (beloved Filipino virtue name)
Habagat the southwest monsoon wind (Tagalog), paired in legend with Amihan
Hiraya an old Tagalog word for the fruit of one's hopes and dreams, known from the blessing hiraya manawari, may your wishes come true. A defining pick of the 2020s Tagalog-revival cohort, chosen by parents reaching past the Spanish classics to precolonial words.
Isabela God is my oath (Spanish colonial classic)
Isagani meaning uncertain, often linked to Tagalog sagana, abundant. The idealistic young poet of Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo, which makes it the literary-patriot pick among Filipino boy names, hero credentials without a Spanish saint.
Jasmine jasmine flower
Jejomar a Filipino coinage compressing Jesus, Jose, and Maria into one name. The most maximal example of the blend tradition, familiar nationwide through former vice president Jejomar Binay.
Joaquin God will establish (Spanish form of Joachim)
Jomar a Filipino coinage blending Jose and Maria
Jose God will increase (national hero Jose Rizal)
Josh God is salvation (short form of Joshua, common casual name)
Joy joy, happiness (popular virtue name)
Juan God is gracious (Spanish form of John); Juan dela Cruz is the Filipino everyman
Jun short for Junior, the everyday name of countless Filipino firstborn sons given their father's exact name. Less a name than an institution: every barangay has a Jun, a Junjun, and Jun's dad, also Jun.
Kian ancient, enduring (anglicized spelling of the Irish Cian); also matches a Persian name meaning king, royal; a modern trendy import in the Philippines
Kidlat lightning (Tagalog); carried by pioneering filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik
Kobe from the Japanese port city of Kobe; honoring Kobe Bryant, widely adopted in the Philippines
Kyla feminine form of Kyle, or a blend of the sounds ky and la
Lakan lord, chief (pre-colonial Tagalog title-name)
Ligaya joy, happiness (old Tagalog word-name)
Liwayway dawn (old Tagalog word-name)
Lourdes Marian name from the French pilgrimage town, a Filipino Catholic classic
Lualhati heavenly bliss, glory (Tagalog). One of the Tagalog word-names of the 1920s to 1940s nationalist generation, alongside Liwayway and Ligaya, and carried by the novelist Lualhati Bautista.
Luningning brightness, radiance
Luzviminda a patriotic Filipino coinage fusing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the country's three island groups. Coined in the flush of independence, it marks the mid-century cohort whose parents wanted the whole archipelago in one daughter's name.
Makisig dashing, handsome (Tagalog word-name)
Malaya free, independent (Tagalog word-name, rising among heritage-minded Filipino and Filipino-American parents)
Manuel God is with us (Spanish colonial classic)
Marcelo young warrior (propagandist Marcelo del Pilar)
Maria beloved, star of the sea (near-universal Filipino given/middle name)
Maricel a Filipino coinage blending Maria and Celia (the generation of actress Maricel Soriano)
Marikit beautiful, lovely (old Tagalog)
Marites a Filipino coinage blending Maria and Teresa, a staple of the 1960s and 1970s cohort. Internet slang later turned Marites into a byword for the neighborhood gossip, a fate real bearers carry with humor.
Marivic a Filipino coinage blending Maria and Victoria. A textbook example of the Filipino blend tradition, where parents fuse their own names, or a mother's and a grandmother's, into a new name for the baby. A signature of the 1960s to 1980s cohort, the generation of today's titas.
Mayumi gentle, beautiful (cross-cultural favorite)
Miguel who is like God
Mutya pearl, muse (old Tagalog word-name)
Nathaniel God has given (Hebrew). The top boys' name in the Philippines through the late 2010s, part of the modern cohort's turn from Spanish classics toward English-Bible picks that work seamlessly for Filipino-American kids.
Paolo small, humble (Italian form of Paul); a spelling favored by modern Filipino families
Paraluman muse (old poetic Tagalog); the name of a 1940s Filipino screen star, back in circulation after a 2021 hit song
Pilar pillar (Spanish), honoring Our Lady of the Pillar
Precious precious, cherished
Princess princess (used as a given name, not a title)
RJ initials-turned-given-name (very common Filipino naming style)
Rafael God has healed
Ramon wise protector
Remedios remedy, healing (Spanish colonial classic)
Rizal patriotic surname-name honoring national hero Jose Rizal; from Spanish ricial, a field of new green shoots
Romeo pilgrim to Rome (Italian); a midcentury Filipino favorite
Sampaguita the sampaguita jasmine, national flower of the Philippines
Tagumpay victory, triumph (Tagalog word-name of the nationalist generation)
Tala star (Tagalog), the goddess of the morning and evening star in Tagalog mythology. Revived hard by Filipino parents in the 2010s and 2020s, it does double duty as a heritage statement and an easy two-syllable fit in English.
Teresita little Teresa (Spanish diminutive); Teresa's meaning is uncertain, possibly Greek for summer or harvest
Yuan beginning, foremost
Zayn beauty, grace (modern trendy import)
Zion highest point, heavenly city
Which of these fits YOUR family? →