Filipino Last Names
Most Filipino last names sound Spanish, and there’s a precise reason: in the middle of the 19th century Governor-General Narciso Clavería ordered every family to take a surname from an official Catálogo alfabético de apellidos. Towns were often assigned a single letter of the catalog, which is why a whole municipality can be full of surnames starting with the same letter. Native names survived too, especially the Tagalog Dima- and Maca- names, and Chinese-Filipino families kept Hokkien surnames like Tan and Lim.
Below are more than 90 Filipino last names with meanings and origins. Pair them with first names from our Filipino boy names and Filipino girl names lists, go back to the Filipino names hub, or compare with Spanish last names from Spain itself.
Most common Filipino last names
These surnames top Philippine civil registry and voter lists. Many were religious or everyday Spanish words taken from the Clavería catalog.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Dela Cruz | “Of the cross” | Spanish, religious |
| Santos | “Saints” (All Saints’ Day) | Spanish, religious |
| Reyes | “Kings” (the Three Kings) | Spanish, religious |
| Garcia | Possibly Basque, “young” or “bear” | Spanish |
| Mendoza | Basque, “cold mountain” | Spanish (Basque) |
| Cruz | “Cross” | Spanish, religious |
| Bautista | “Baptist” (John the Baptist) | Spanish, religious |
| Ocampo | “Of the field” (from Galician campo) | Spanish |
| Gonzales | “Son of Gonzalo” | Spanish patronymic |
| Aquino | From Thomas Aquinas / Aquino, Italy | Spanish-Italian |
| Ramos | “Branches” (Palm Sunday) | Spanish, religious |
| Castillo | “Castle” | Spanish |
| Rivera | “Riverbank” | Spanish |
| Villanueva | “New town” | Spanish |
| Flores | “Flowers” | Spanish |
| De Leon | “From León” | Spanish, place |
| Torres | “Towers” | Spanish |
| Fernandez | “Son of Fernando” | Spanish patronymic |
| Lopez | “Son of Lope” (“wolf”) | Spanish patronymic |
| Del Rosario | “Of the rosary” | Spanish, religious |
| Hernandez | “Son of Hernando” | Spanish patronymic |
| Perez | “Son of Pedro” | Spanish patronymic |
| Diaz | “Son of Diego” | Spanish patronymic |
| Martinez | “Son of Martín” | Spanish patronymic |
| Sanchez | “Son of Sancho” | Spanish patronymic |
| Rodriguez | “Son of Rodrigo” | Spanish patronymic |
Religious surnames from the Catholic calendar
A striking share of Filipino surnames are feast days, sacraments and Marian titles, a legacy of the friars who registered families.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dela Paz | “Of peace” | Our Lady of Peace |
| Natividad | “Nativity” | Birth of Christ or Mary |
| Concepcion | “Conception” | Immaculate Conception |
| Asuncion | “Assumption” | Assumption of Mary |
| Espiritu | “Spirit” | Holy Spirit |
| Sacramento | “Sacrament” | Also common in Spain |
| Evangelista | “Evangelist” | The Gospel writers |
| Salvador | “Savior” | Christ the Savior |
| Domingo | “Sunday; of the Lord” | Also a first name |
| Pascual | “Of Easter” | Paschal feast |
| Santiago | “Saint James” | Patron of Spain |
| De Jesus | “Of Jesus” | Devotional surname |
Spanish surnames from nature and places
Plants, animals and Spanish towns filled much of the catalog, too.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Dela Rosa | “Of the rose” | Spanish |
| Del Mundo | “Of the world” | Spanish |
| Del Monte | “Of the mountain” | Spanish |
| Robles | “Oak trees” | Spanish |
| Aguilar | “Eagles’ nest” | Spanish |
| Morales | “Mulberry trees” | Spanish |
| Soriano | “From Soria” | Spanish, place |
| Navarro | “From Navarre” | Spanish, place |
| Zamora | “From Zamora” | Spanish, place |
| Tolentino | “From Tolentino,” Italy (Saint Nicholas of Tolentino) | Italian via Spanish |
| Valdez | “From Valdés” | Spanish, place |
| Mercado | “Market” | Spanish |
Native Tagalog and other Filipino surnames
Some families kept or chose native names, often built on prefixes: di- (“not, cannot”), maka- (“able to”) and mang-/pang-. Ilocano surnames often start with Ag-.
| Surname | Meaning | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Dimaculangan | “Cannot be lacking” | Tagalog |
| Dimaano | “Nothing can happen to him; unharmed” | Tagalog |
| Dimagiba | “Cannot be demolished” | Tagalog |
| Dimalanta | “Cannot wither” | Tagalog |
| Dimayuga | “Cannot be shaken” | Tagalog |
| Dimasalang | “Cannot be touched” (also a pen name of José Rizal) | Tagalog |
| Macaraig | “Able to defeat” | Tagalog |
| Macaraeg | Pangasinan surname; often explained as “capable” | Pangasinan |
| Macapagal | Tagalog-Kapampangan; meaning debated | Kapampangan |
| Magsaysay | “To tell, to narrate” | Tagalog / Zambal |
| Mangubat | “To wage war” | Visayan |
| Manalo | “To win” | Tagalog |
| Panganiban | “Danger” | Tagalog |
| Pangilinan | “To observe, keep holy; abstain” | Tagalog |
| Mangahas | “To dare” | Tagalog |
| Sumulong | “To advance, move forward” | Tagalog |
| Mabini | “Modest, humble” | Tagalog |
| Dalisay | “Pure” | Tagalog |
| Kalaw | “Hornbill” | Tagalog |
| Agbayani | “To be a hero” | Ilocano |
| Magdangal | “To honor” | Tagalog |
Chinese-Filipino surnames
Chinese Filipinos, many of Hokkien descent, carry short surnames or longer ones ending in -co (from Hokkien ko, “elder brother”), which fused a forebear’s name into a family name. Compare with Chinese last names.
| Surname | Chinese / meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tan | 陳 Chen, ancient state of Chen | Among the most common Chinese-Filipino names |
| Lim | 林 Lin, “forest” | Very common |
| Sy | 施 Shi, “to bestow” | Common in Manila |
| Uy | 黃 Huang, “yellow” | Hokkien pronunciation |
| Co | 許 Xu, “to promise, permit” | Short Hokkien form |
| Yap | 葉 Ye, “leaf” | Also common in Malaysia |
| Chua | 蔡 Cai, ancient state of Cai | Hokkien reading |
| Ong | 王 Wang, “king” | Hokkien reading |
| Go | 吳 Wu, ancient state of Wu | Hokkien reading |
| Ang | 洪 Hong, “vast, flood” | Hokkien reading |
| Cojuangco | Hokkien personal name + “-co” | Family of President Corazon Aquino |
Famous Filipino family names
Surnames of heroes and presidents, several with surprising stories. More on Philippine heroes in our Filipino boy names list.
| Surname | Meaning | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Rizal | From Spanish “ricial,” a green field of young crops | José Rizal, national hero (family surname was Mercado) |
| Aguinaldo | “Christmas gift, bonus” | Emilio Aguinaldo, first president |
| Bonifacio | Latin, “good fate” or “doer of good” | Andrés Bonifacio, Katipunan founder |
| Laurel | “Laurel tree” | José P. Laurel, wartime president |
| Roxas | Old spelling of Rojas, “red” | Manuel Roxas, first president of the Third Republic |
| Luna | “Moon” | Juan and Antonio Luna, painter and general |
| Del Pilar | “Of the pillar” (Our Lady of the Pillar) | Marcelo H. and Gregorio del Pilar |
| Marcos | From Mark, linked to Mars | Ferdinand Marcos and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. |
| Recto | “Upright, straight” | Claro M. Recto, statesman |
Tracing or choosing a Filipino last name
- Don’t assume Spanish ancestry from a Spanish surname. Most Filipino families received their surnames from the 1849 catalog, not from Spanish forebears.
- Check the letter pattern of the hometown. Because towns were often assigned one letter of the catalog, a cluster of surnames starting with the same letter can point to an ancestral municipality.
- Look at the middle name. Filipinos traditionally use the mother’s maiden surname as the middle name, which makes tracing both lines easier.
- Native prefixes like Dima-, Maca- and Ag- usually signal pre-Hispanic or regional roots worth researching in local parish records.
- Writing fiction? Pair a common surname like Santos or Reyes with a native first name from our Filipino girl names for a realistic character.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common last name in the Philippines?
Dela Cruz is widely reported as the most common, followed by names like Santos, Reyes, Garcia, Mendoza and Bautista.
Why do Filipinos have Spanish last names?
In 1849 Governor-General Narciso Clavería decreed that Filipinos take surnames from an official catalog of mostly Spanish words and names, to simplify tax and census records.
What are some native Filipino last names?
Native surnames include Dimaculangan, Dimaano, Magsaysay, Manalo, Panganiban, Pangilinan and the Ilocano Agbayani.
What does the Filipino last name Dela Cruz mean?
Dela Cruz means “of the cross” in Spanish. It’s so common that “Juan dela Cruz” is the Filipino equivalent of John Doe.
Why do Filipinos use their mother’s maiden name as a middle name?
Under Filipino custom and law, a child’s middle name is usually the mother’s maiden surname, so every person carries both family names.