Spanish/Filipino Patronymic Surnames

 

More than fifty percent of Filipino surnames are of Spanish origin as a result of more than three hundred years of Spanish colonization and influence in the Philippines. Spanish surnames are generally categorized as patronymic (based on the name of the father or an ancestor), topographic or geographic (based on an ancestor's place of origin), occupational (derived from a person's occupation), descriptive (based on physical features or character traits), and theophoric (related to God or spirituality).

The adoption of patronymic surnames is a long-standing European tradition. Examples include English surnames such as Johnson and Peterson, in which the suffix -son is added to a male given name. Thus, John becomes Johnson, and Peter becomes Peterson. Adding the letter -s to a given name also signifies "son of," as in Williams ("son of William") and Adams ("son of Adam"). In Irish and Scottish traditions, the prefixes Mac or Mc are added to a given name to mean "son of," as in McDonald, meaning "son of Donald." Likewise, the prefix O' means "grandson of" or "descendant of," as in O'Brien.

In the Spanish patronymic tradition, the suffix -ez is added to a given name. For example, the final letter o in Sancho is replaced with -ez, producing the surname Sanchez. Not every Spanish surname ending in “ez” has a strictly patronymic origin, as a few developed through other historical linguistic processes.

In 1849, during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, Governor-General Narciso Clavería required native Filipinos without hereditary surnames to adopt one from the Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos, a government-issued list containing Spanish and indigenous surnames from which families could choose.

Almost all patronymic surnames borne by Filipinos today are of Spanish origin. This is probably because it was not customary among pre-colonial Filipinos to adopt the given names of their fathers or ancestors as family surnames. Instead, most patronymic surnames were acquired from Clavería's catalog. In some cases, however, these surnames were inherited through Spanish ancestry. Over time, they were passed down through generations and came to be regarded simply as Filipino surnames despite their Spanish origin.

Below is a list of patronymic surnames together with selected notable Filipinos who bear them.

Alvarez — son of Alvaro. Heherson Alvarez (senator); Pantaleon Alvarez (former Speaker of the House of Representatives)

Benitez — son of Benito. Helena Benitez (senator)

Bermudez — son of Bermudo. Patricia Bermudez-Hizon (television host)

Diez — son of Diego. Dann Diez (eco-advocate)

Dominguez — son of Domingo. Carlos Dominguez III (Secretary of Finance)

Enriquez — son of Enrique. Mike Enriquez (television and radio broadcaster)

Estevez — son of Esteban

Fernandez — son of Fernando. Ramon Fernandez (basketball player); Ramon C. Fernandez (Associate Justice of the Supreme Court); Pops Fernandez (singer and actress)

Galindez — son of Galindo. Ambrosio "Boy" Galindez (priest)

Galvez — son of Galve, a medieval personal name. Carlito Galvez Jr. (retired general and presidential adviser)

Godinez — son of Godino. Becca Godinez (singer and actress); Alex Godinez (actress and model); Christine Godinez-Garcia (poet and educator)

Gomez — son of Gome, a name derived from the Visigothic word guma, meaning "man." Fr. Mariano Gomez (hero and martyr); Rita Gomez (actress)

Gonzales — son of Gonzalo. Luis Gonzales (actor); Norberto Gonzales (National Security Adviser); Neptali Gonzales (senator)

Gutierrez — son of Gutierre, the Spanish form of Walter. Eddie Gutierrez (actor); Ruffa Gutierrez (actress); Barry Gutierrez (lawyer)

Hernandez — son of Hernando. Amado V. Hernandez (National Artist, poet, and labor leader)

Iñiguez (Yñiguez) — son of Íñigo. Nicanor Yñiguez (delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention)

Jimenez — son of Jimeno. Ramon Jimenez Jr. (Secretary of Tourism); Joyce Jimenez (Filipino-American actress and television personality)

Juarez — a variant of Suarez

Lopez — son of Lope. Fernando Lopez (former Vice President)

Manriquez — son of Manrique

Marquez — son of Marcos. It may also refer to a descendant of a marquis, a noble title. Alfonso Marquez (basketball player and Olympian); Melanie Marquez (Miss International 1979)

Martinez — son of Martin. Primitivo Martinez (basketball player and Olympian); Liezl Martinez (actress)

Melendez — son of Melendo. Aiko Melendez (actress)

Melendrez — variant of Melendez

Mendez — variant of Melendez. Melissa Mendez (film and television actress)

Menendez — variant of Melendez

Nuñez — son of Nuño, a medieval personal name. Harry James Nuñez (professional football player)

Ordoñez — son of Ordoño. Sedfrey Ordoñez (Secretary of Justice)

Ortiz — son of Orta, a Basque personal name. Constancio Ortiz (basketball player and Olympian); Arturo Ortiz (retired lieutenant general)

Pelaez — son of Pelayo or Pelagio. Emmanuel Pelaez (the first person from Mindanao to become Vice President of the Philippines)

Perez — son of Pedro. Leonardo Perez (senator and COMELEC chairman); Barbara Perez (actress)

Ramirez — son of Ramiro. Cesar Ramirez (actor)

Rodriguez — son of Rodrigo. Rufus Rodriguez (congressman from Cagayan de Oro); Eulogio Rodriguez (politician); Celia Rodriguez (actress)

Romualdez — son of Romualdo. Imelda Romualdez Marcos (former First Lady); Martin Romualdez (Speaker of the House of Representatives)

Ruiz — son of Ruy. St. Lorenzo Ruiz (the first Filipino saint)

Sanchez — son of Sancho. Korina Sanchez-Roxas (television host); Caridad Sanchez (actress)

Suarez — son of Suero, a medieval given name. Danilo Suarez (politician)

Teves (Tevez) — son of Teve. Lorenzo Teves (senator)

Valdez — son of Valdo. The surname may also mean "from the valley." Fidel V. Ramos (12th President of the Philippines); Basil Valdez (singer); Alyssa Valdez (professional volleyball player)

Vasquez — son of Vasco. Romeo Vasquez (actor)

Velasquez — son of Velasco. Regine Velasquez (singer)

Velez — son of Vela. Vivian Velez (actress); Apolinar Velez (former mayor of Cagayan de Misamis); Jose Mari Velez (lawyer)

Ybáñez (Ibáñez) — son of Juan or Iban. Paulino Ybáñez (politician); Elihu Ybáñez (Presidential Commission on Good Government commissioner)

Although these surnames originated in Spain, they have become an integral part of Filipino identity. Today, millions of Filipinos bear patronymic surnames without necessarily having Spanish ancestry, reflecting the lasting influence of Spanish colonial rule and the implementation of the Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos in 1849. These surnames are not only family identifiers but also reminders of an important chapter in Philippine history and the rich cultural heritage shared by Spain and the Philippines. :