Editor’s note: Ever wondered why many, if not most, Filipino surnames are Hispanic? What were the native family names and what happened to them? Below is the first of excerpts from an article written by Penélope V. Flores, Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University, from this website. It gives an insight into why and how we got to the surnames we carry today.

What if the Catalogo never happened? We would have had a most interesting study of names indeed, a rich tapestry of an ancient, patriotic, indigenous and very non-Hispanic onomastic history.

In order to find out what our pre-Hispanic names were before Claveria’s Catalogue of Surnames went into effect, I had to dig deep into our legends and myths. There I discovered a very interesting naming truth. Some of our forebears were named after their grandfathers!

Let me start with the letters of the alphabet and just allow me to identify five indigenous surnames. Our readers may be familiar with some of them.

A: AponiTolau, AponiBolinaw, AponiAngara, AponiAndaya, AponiBakal
B: Buhay, Banaag, Bantug, Binay, Bitoon
C: Cabanituan, Cabangis, Calookan, Casaysay, Cuyapo
K: Kalaw, Katigbak, Kintanar, Kanlaon, Kawit
D: Dimapilis, Dimayuga, Datu, Dimaano, Dumaguit
G: Galang, Gatdula, Gatbonton, Gatmaitan, Gatchalian
H: Humabon-gabon, Habagat, Handiong, Hinumbian, Hagonoy
I: Indamat, Inciong, Ikaliwan, Ilaw, Indang
L: Lagumbay, Liwag, Lakandula, Lacaba, Lumanlan,
M: Magsalin, Mañaul, Makapagal, Manalo, Madamba
N: Nakpil, Nabis, Nagtahan, Nalundasan, Nilinaw
O: Odiongan, Oton, Olongapo, Otawis, Obando
P: Paquiao, Paquing, Panaligan, Padayao, Paramisuli
R: Roldan, Ranit, Ramit, Ranao
S: Sikatuna, Sabtang, Sumulong, Sikat, Sapnit
T: Tapales, Tatad, Tumaneng, Tupas, Talisay
U: Ulan, Untalan, Umali, Umano, Umangkat
W: Wigan, Waling-waling, Walan, Wika
Y: Yambot, Yambao, Yumbugan, Yumina, Yabonan

From Professor Flores: We enjoin our readers to submit to us more ancient names outside of the Catalogo. I promise that I will continue on with my cultural quest. In a future piece, I will expound and examine how, compared with other cultures that can trace their family tree for hundreds of years, we have lost the moral family authority to prolong and enhance our patronymic cultural capital for future generations (as if we never cared) because we had abandoned the onomastic practices of old.