Filipino Surnames Relating to Faith, Biblical and Religious Characters

 

                     

Some Filipino families have surnames taken from words specially from Spanish that have religious or spiritual connotation especially in relation to Jesus Christ and His mother, the Virgin Mary. There are also other surnames that are taken from Biblical characters and those taken from the name of saints that are not in the Bible. Although these names are used mostly as given names, there are Filipino families who used them as surnames. Below is a list:

Angeles- angels, Apostol- apostle, Asuncion- the ascension of Jesus to heaven, Banal- a Tagalog word for holy, Bautista- baptized, Concepcion- the Immaculate Conception, Contemplacion- contemplation is the act of thinking on spiritual things, Consolacion- refers to the Lady of Consolation, Cruz/de la Cruz- cross, Cuaresma- lent, Custodio- guardian angel, Divinagracia-Divine grace, Encarnacion- the incarnation of God’s spirit in human body, Espirito- spirit, Evangelista- evangelist, Gino-o- Cebuano for god, Iglesia- church, Infante- the infant Jesus, Martir-martyr, Martirez- plural of martyr, Mesias- messiah, Monasterio- monastery, Monge- monk, Natividad- nativity which refers to the birth of Jesus Christ, Nazareno- Nazarene, Obispo- bishop, Oracion- prayer, Papa- pope, Paraiso- paradise, Pascua- easter, Pastor- shepherd, in English, a church leader, Purisima- the Virgin, Querubin- cherubim, a kind of angel, Resurreccion- Resurrection, Rosario/del Rosario- rosary, Sabado- sabbath, Salvacion- salvation, Salvador- savior or redeemer which is Jesus Christ. Santos/de los Santos- saints, Trinidad- trinity (the God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), Veneracion- veneration

Biblical characters from Old and New Testaments are also adopted by Filipino families as surnames. The names come mostly from the account of Jesus life and ministry. They are always used as given names, but they are used too as surnames. Most are in Spanish. Below is a list with their English equivalent. If there is no name translation, it means that the spelling in Spanish and English is the same.

Adan- Adam, Andres- Andrew, Alejandro- historically, Alexander the Great. He is also mentioned in the Catholic Bible in the Book of Maccabees, Baltazar- Balthazar, Bartolome- Bartholomew, Alejo- short for Alexander, Dario- Darius, David, de Jesus- of Jesus, Diego- variant of Santiago, Eleazar, Esteban- Stephen, Emmanuel- God with us, Felipe- Philip, Gabriel, Gaspar- Caspar, Isaac, Ismael- Ishmael, Israel, Jacob, Jaime- James, Jose- Joseph, Juan- John, Judith, Lazaro- Lazarus, Levi, Lucas- Luke, Manuel- short for Emmanuel, Marcos- Mark, Mateo- Matthew, Melchor- Melchior, Miguel- Michael, Pablo- Paul, Pedro- Peter, Rafael- Raphael, Samson, San Diego- Saint James, San Jose- Saint Joseph, San Juan- Saint John, San Miguel- Saint Michael, Santa Ana- Saint Anne, the mother of Saint Mary, Santa Maria- Saint Mary, Santiago- variant of Jaime, Simeon, Simon, Solomon, Tadeo- Thaddeus, Tobias, Tomas- Thomas, Zacarias- Zacharias

Below is list of other religious figures not in the Bible. They are mostly popes and patron saints in different places in the world.

Adriano- Adrian, Agustin- Augustine, Albano- Albans, Alberto- Albert, Antonio- Anthony, Antonino- Antoninus, Basilio- Basil, Benedicto- Benedict, Bernardo- Bernard, Bonifacio- Boniface, Casimiro- Casimir, Clemente-Clement, Cristobal- Christopher, Domingo- Dominic, Eugenio- Eugene, Eusebio- Eusibius, Felix, Francisco- Francis, Gregorio- Gregory, Guillermo- William, Ignacio- Ignatius, Jacinto- Jacinto, Javier- from St. Francis Xavier, Marcelino- Marcellinius, Martin, Mauricio- Maurice, Nicolas- Nicholas, Pascual- Paschal, Quirino- Quirinius, Roque- Roche, Sebastian, Silvestre- Sylvester, Sixto- Sixtus, Teodoro- Theodore, Vicente- Vincent

Related blogs that you may also like:

 Filipino Family Names

https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2013/08/filipino-family-names.html

Surnames Derived from Names of Places

http://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2025/09/filipino-surnames-derived-from-names-of.html

The Types of Love

Love as defined in the Webster Dictionary means “(1) Strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties,( 2) attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers, (3.)affection based on admiration, benevolence or common interest.” That definition of love is in the context of affectionate relationship between one person to another which is interpersonal love. A love that is directed other than a person is impersonal love.  A person may also love an inanimate object, goal or endeavor and other things for his own gratification. Interpersonal love may be a mutual feeling between persons, but a feeling of one person may not be reciprocated by another person. This is unrequited love.

Ancient Greeks categorized love into four types which are eros, philios, estorge and agape. Eros is a romantic relationship between a man and a woman. Philios is a dispassionate love such as loyalty to a friend, family or community. Estorge is natural affection such as that felt by parents to offspring, and Agape is a divine love or love of the soul.

Erotic or romantic love is the most widely talked about type of love because it concerns about the relationship between two persons of opposite sex. There are instances though that a romance may involve same sex persons. A situation may arise when a man is instantly attracted to a woman or he feels in love at her at first sight. And there is love that develops overtime through interaction or communication between two persons. A feeling of attraction or affection may diminish or lost because of several reasons or intervening factors. A relationship that just starts with friendship may develop into a full blown romance in the long run.

                                                                                                               

A man’s carnal desire to a woman that is not accompanied with an intention to commit to her is not love but lust. Love is a positive feeling while lust is not. But lust can also be a component of love. A man might just be sexually attracted with a woman at first, but a frequent exposure to her might later evolve into a genuine feeling of affection and commitment for both of them. 

                                                           

Since time immemorial, people have recognized love’s contribution to our societies. Love is an instrument for the perpetuation of life in this world. In connection with it, societies have come up with the institution of marriage to cement the bond of relationship between a man and a woman, to give that relationship a legal or religious recognition and to protect it under existing laws.

                                                                                                                     

Love has many forms and extends beyond romantic relationship. Philios is a dispassionate love to a friend, family or community. It requires virtue, equality and familiarity. The act of charity is an example of an expression of this love. People driven by their benevolent desire unselfishly use their own resources to help other people in need. Other people help others because it delights them to see their fellowmen or friends become successful and happy.

Parents and their offspring have natural instinct to feel affection and attachment to each other. A mother’s love to her child drives her to protect it from disease, hunger and danger that may imperil its life. Love is the mutual feeling of parents and children to motivate them in the building of a better and a harmonious family.                                                                                                                                                                    

It is a fact of life that all living creatures to include humans will die. Since ancient times people have created the notion that life continues even after death. They also created the belief in a god to complement such an idea. The love of god or agape is a feeling or act that would cleanse one’s soul in this world and the hereafter. Christians believe that agape is mutual feeling of love between God and man. God loves his people and, therefore, they should also love Him in return.

Christian theologians said that God is the source of love and that God is love. This statement is supported by Bible verse John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believed in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Jesus said in Mathew 5:43-44: “You have heard that it was said ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”  In that statement Jesus told us to even go beyond the frailties of our human nature to do good to other people whether they are our friends or not.

In the Bible, a certain lawyer in order to tempt Jesus asked what he should do to inherit an eternal life. Jesus has this answer in Luke 10:27:”Love the Lord thy God with all of your heart and with all of your soul, with all of your strength and with all of your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” So the key to an eternal life according to Jesus is LOVE.                                                                                                                                                                 

Some people believe in God others do not because they think that believing in an unseen, imaginary all-powerful being is absurd. But in our short stay as temporary resident of this world, what would we lose if we believe in Him?

Amazing Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecies on Alexander the Great

Christians turn to the Bible for moral and spiritual inspirations and guidance. They also refer to it for the study of Biblical histories and of prophecies and their fulfillment especially on Jesus who Christians believe is God’s promised Messiah. Moreover, there are also prophesies on famous persons in history and events that already happened or are expected to come. 

There are chapters and verses in the Bible in the Book of Daniel that some Biblical scholars believe to be prophecies on Alexander the Great, the King of Greece and Macedonia who was born in Pella in 356 BC. The prophet Daniel wrote his book about two centuries before the birth and the reign of Alexander of his empire. Following paragraphs are the Biblical verses (King James Version) and the recorded historical events that fulfilled the prophecies:

Daniel Chapter 8: 1-8

“In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at first. And I saw a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was in Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, a he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake the two horns: and there was no power in the ram, to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and he stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”

Daniel Chapter 8: 19-22 identified the vision’s meaning of the ram and the he goat

“And he said, behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.”

Above verses hinted that the ram with two horns was the Persian and the Medo-Persian Empire. And the he goat was the succession of Greek Kings that would rule empires in Asia and parts of Europe and Africa. The first horn which represented the first king was believed to be Alexander the Great. That the goat came from the west and came not touching the ground was a figurative interpretation of the geographical location of Greece and Macedonia relative to Persia the former being west from Persia and are separated by sea to Asia. At age 20 Alexander quelled rebellions in Greece and unified the forces of Greece and Macedonia under his control as king. He then launched his campaigns beyond Greece and against the Persian Empire which perennially threatened Greece with invasion. Alexander’s forces defeated King Darius III much numerically superior forces in every battle. The fall of the Persian Empire also went with it her dominions such as Persia, Babylonia, Syria, Israel, Egypt and Asia Minor among others. The Persian Empire, the ram, was completely crushed.  Alexander, considered a highly educated man in his time, he being a student of Aristotle, endeavored to introduce the Greek culture, knowledge and language to his subjects in conquered territories. Greek became the lingua franca of the known ancient world. Despite his success, Alexander would not rest on his laurel. He launched more military campaigns to conquer India. However, his troops were pushed to the limits of their endurance. At the river Hyphasis in northern India his battle-weary troops which comprised Greek, Macedonians and other nationalities from his empire mutinied and refused to go any further. Alexander was forced to capitulate, and together with his troops marched back to Babylon through sea and desert routes. The hostile and difficult terrains back to Babylon took a heavy physical and morale toll to the troops and their king. They suffered many casualties in their march because of disease, hunger and thirst. The troops’ oneness with the king, and their willingness to endure hardship with him showed their loyalty and admiration to him despite their previous misunderstandings. The wounds that Alexander had sustained in battles, his exposures to harsh environments in his campaigns, his years of excessive drinking and the death of Hephaestion, his close friend and confidante might have affected his psychological and physical well being. In Babylon, after a drunken spree, Alexander was suddenly afflicted with fever. And not the best physicians at that time could save him from death. He was just 32 years old. This fulfilled the prophecy that when the he goat waxed very great, and was strong its first horn was broken.   

                     

Daniel Chapter 11:3-4

“And the mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.”

Previous verses said of four notable horns to replace the first horn that was between the eyes of the he goat. When he died Alexander left no clear will as to who should replace him when he would be gone. With the power vacuum, his generals promptly fought among themselves to secure a territory from the still undivided empire left by Alexander for them to rule as king and establish their own dynasty. This fulfilled the prophecy that four horns would arise to replace the one that was broken. Alexander’s son, Alexander IV, his wife Roxana, and his mother Olympias fall victims to his generals’ ambitions to rise to power. Alexander’s family was murdered by Cassander who then became the king of Greece and Macedonia. This fulfilled the prophecy that none of Alexander’s heirs would inherit his throne or his empire.

Related posts:

Alexandria, Egypt, the Eternal City of Alexander the Great https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2015/03/alexandria-egypt-eternal-city-of.html

History’s Great Love Story: Cleopatra and Anthony https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2016/02/historys-great-love-story-cleopatra-and.html

The Glory and the Death of Alexander the Great https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-glory-and-death-of-alexander-great.html

The Love of God, Our Greatest Gift on Christmas

Luke 2:8-14 says that when Jesus Christ was born an angel of Lord appeared before the shepherds who were watching over their flocks at night. They were at first terrified, but he assured them saying that he was bringing good news that will bring great joy to mankind. “Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord,” he said. “This will be a sign to you: you will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger,” he added. Suddenly, a large army of good angels joined him and praised God. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests,” they said.                                                                                                                                              

Based on the account of Luke the birth of Christ is a reason of great joy to us according to an angel sent by God. Even a great company of the heavenly host joined the angel who had announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds to praise God on the great event that took place on that very momentous evening. If the good angels did that to please God, why should not we be joyful and celebrate the occasion of Christmas?                                                                                                                                     

The Old Testament is replete with prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah who is to be the savior of mankind. Christians believed that over 360 of those prophecies were fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Some of the significant prophesies that were fulfilled through him were: he was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, he would live a sinless life, he would be rejected by his own people, he would be called a King, he would be betrayed, he would be falsely accused, he would be hated without a cause, his hands and feet would be pierced, soldiers would gamble on his garment, his bones would not be broken and many others.                                                                                             

Christians viewed the birth of Jesus as fulfillment of God’s promise of sending a Messiah which he made through the Biblical prophets thousands of years before Christ was born. The act by the Heavenly Creator was a manifestation of his love to mankind despite their sinful ways. Because of his love God gave us a gift which the Apostle John wrote in his book in chapter 3, verse 16: “For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but will have an everlasting life.”

Some people would say that December, let alone December 25 is not the birthday of Jesus while other people would say that Christmas celebration is a form of paganism. However, based on available facts and evidences gathered by religious scholars the actual birth date of Jesus is difficult to ascertain. Some people would also argue that Christ never celebrated his birthday. But had Jesus told people not to celebrate his birthday? During the time of Jesus people probably could not celebrate their birthday as we do today because ancient calendar was not as accurate as the modern one that we know and use today.

Celebrating Christmas is a show of our gratitude to God for the opportunity he gave us to have spiritual salvation and to have everlasting life which we could attain through Jesus Christ. Without his birth there would have been no salvation for us. Indeed, Jesus Christ is our greatest gift from God on Christmas.

Related posts:

Parol, a Traditional Philippine Christmas Decoration https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2014/12/parol-traditional-philippine-christmas.html

The 13 Round Fruits and Other New Year’s Eve Customs in the Philippines https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-13-round-fruits-and-other-new-years.html

Turn! Turn! Turn! (A Song from Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)

There are only few instances when the lyrics of a song are taken from the verses of the Holy Scriptures. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” is a song of the 60’s that was adopted almost verbatim from verses of the Old Testament Book Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 by an American folksinger and songwriter, Pete Seeger, who put them into music. The book of Ecclesiastes was ascribed to a King of Israel who was known for his wisdom, Solomon, who was the second son of King David. It can be assumed therefore that the writer of lyrics of the song of Pete Seeger was King Solomon.

“Turn! Turn! Turn!” was popularized by the American rock and roll band the Byrds in Colombia Records. The Byrds’ rendition put the song number 1 in 1965 in the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and number 26 in the UK Singles Charts. The Biblical verses were played by the band to the beat of rock and roll which was probably the reason of the song’s enduring success. Rock and roll was the popular genre of the 60’s which saw the rise of some of the greatest bands of all time such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Other artists who also covered the song included Peter, Paul and Mary, the Seekers, the Lettermen, Judy Collins and others.

The song says that there is a time or season for everything. It also says of the realities that we meet as we live our life in this world. We are bound to experience contrasting situations in the course of our life such as planting and reaping, laughing and weeping, dancing and mourning, casting and gathering stones, loving and hating, embracing and refraining from it and rending and sewing. And there are life’s ultimate realities – birth and death. Sometimes bad things need to happen to change a bad situation for the better. Examples are the need to kill in order to heal; the need to destroy in order to build; the need to lose in order to gain and the need to war in order to attain peace.                                                                                                                     

Pete Seeger made the first verse of Ecclesiastes 3 as the chorus, and rearranged the order of the others to suit his song. He added few words which are in the title of the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” that are also repeated in the chorus. He also inserted a clause in the last line of the song “I swear it’s not too late” after the phrase “a time for peace” to put emphasis on one of the central messages of the song which is peace.  

Following are the lyrics and video of the song:

To everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/byrds/turn+turn+turn_20026419.html ]

Can You Love Your Enemy?

Jesus said to his disciples, "You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you maybe son of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans doing that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mathew 5:43-48

It is contrary to our human nature to love our enemy. We hardly can. Jesus stood above other people of his time by preaching those verses when the practice was "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". During his ministry Jesus preached gospel whose central message was the love of our fellowmen. Many people have different views of Jesus. Some regard Him as just an another charismatic religious leader and nothing divine. Others especially the Christians consider Him as the promised messiah of the Old Testament. Whatever he was, he is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures of all time in history. Christianity is the largest religion of the world with about 2.1 billion adherents. Loving your neighbor, and even loving your enemy as Jesus preached irregardless of your religious belief would probably make you a better person and our world a better and safer place to live.

Related articles:

Jesus Saved a Sinful Woman from Death
Psalm 22 Says That Jesus Is the Promised Messiah
Alexander the Great in Daniel's Prophecy