In fact, there used to be surnames like asuang, ungu, and ungu, which all means “ monster” in the Tagalog language. While not many history books recognize this fact, there are few anecdotes that state that some of the Spanish surnames then were simply given by the government and were based on everyday words, indigenous terms, and a few derogatory remarks. When the Spaniards came, and the Philippines became a major trade route, several families have started adopting different last names. For this reason, there are names in the traditional family tree that sounds a bit odd. Prior to the prevalence of the Spanish culture in the Philippines, names are usually based on personal characteristics and physical traits. If you’d like to learn more about these, then you’ve come to the right place!Īs we have discussed in our previous post about the most common Tagalog names, there are different bases when it comes to earning your name back in the day. For instance, it is also common to hear Chinese, Portuguese, and Italian-sounding names.
But since the Philippines’ history shows that many other countries have conquered it, there is no surprise why some existing clan names have originated from its previous colonizers. Whenever we talk about apelyido or Filipino last names, what usually comes to mind are the popular Spanish-based surnames like Santos, Cruz, and Reyes.