Filipino Family Names Derived from Occupations, Vocations, and Titles

  

Centuries of Spanish colonization in the Philippines have significantly influenced Filipino culture, traditions, and religion. Philippine languages such as Cebuano and Tagalog have borrowed many words from Spanish. Filipinos also adopted Spanish given names and surnames.

More than half of Filipino surnames are of Spanish origin, many of which were taken from the Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos, a list of surnames that native Filipinos were required to choose from under a decree issued by Governor-General Narciso Clavería during the Spanish colonial period. The catalog contains both Spanish and indigenous Filipino surnames.

Many surnames are related to a person's geographic origin, character traits, physical features, or the given name of an ancestor. Examples include Gonzalo, from which Gonzales is derived, and Pelagio or Pelayo, from which Pelaez originated. Some surnames signify the occupations, vocations, or titles of ancestors, which is the subject of this blog.

Below is a list of family names and their English meanings. Most are Spanish in origin. Native Filipinos in the past do not appear to have commonly adopted surnames based on their occupations. Three surnames in this list are italicized: two are indigenous Filipino names, while one is of Arabic origin.

• Abad — abbot
• Abogado — lawyer
• Abejero — beekeeper
• Aceñero (Filipino spelling: Aseniero) — steelmaker
• Alcaide — warden
• Alfarero — potter
• Alférez — ensign
• Almirante — admiral
• Apóstol — apostle
• Auditor — auditor
• Autor — author
• Ballesteros — crossbowman
• Barbero — barber
• Barrero (feminine: Barrera) — sweeper
• Botero — boatmaker
• Caballero — knight
• Cabrera (feminine of Cabrero) — goatherder
• Cardenal — cardinal
• Castellano — castle lord
• Cazador (also Casador) — hunter
• Claver — key keeper
• Clérigo — cleric
• Comendador — commander
• Conde — count
• Cordero — shepherd of lambs
• Coronel — colonel
• Custodio — custodian
• Datu — an indigenous Filipino title for a village or community ruler; it can also refer to a wealthy person.
• Defensor — advocate
• Diputado- deputy
• Doctor — doctor (also médico in Spanish)
• Duque — duke
• Ejercito- army
• Escribano — scribe
• Escudero — squire
• Espadero — swordsmith
• Ferrer — ironsmith
• Garzón — waiter
• Guerrero — warrior
• Herrero (feminine: Herrera) — smith
• Hidalgo — nobleman
• Hortelano — gardener
• Jurado — juror
• La Guardia — guard
• Labrador, Labradores — farmer, laborer
• Maestre — master
• Maestro — teacher
• Manulat — writer
• Márquez — marquis; it may also mean "son of Marco"
• Mercader — merchant
• Molina — miller
• Monje or Monge — monk
• Montero — huntsman
• Obispo — bishop
• Obrero (feminine: Obrera) — worker
• Papa — pope
• Pastor — shepherd
• Pastrano (feminine: Pastrana) — shepherd
• Peregrino (feminine: Peregrina) — pilgrim
• Pintor — painter
• Piquero — pikeman
• Posada or Posadas — innkeeper
• Quintero — farmer
• Regidor — councilor
• Reyes — kings (plural of king)
• Romero — pilgrim
• Sacristán — sacristan
• Sargento- sergeant
• Solon- solon
• Sultan — a title of Arabic origin meaning a Muslim ruler. This surname is also used by some Christians.
• Tejero — weaver
• Tendero- shopkeeper
• Tenorio — tenor; also used to mean an amorist or lady-killer
• Tesorero — treasurer
• Tutor — tutor
• Vanguardia — vanguard
• Vasallo — vassal

 

Filipino Surnames Derived from Names of Places

 

Majority of surnames carried by Filipinos are either Spanish or indigenous in origins. Some surnames of the Spaniards are names of places in Spain and other countries. With Spanish contacts especially during the era of colonization, some Filipinos have Spanish surnames  as a result of Spanish ancestry or adaptation of the decree on November 21, 1849, by Spanish Governor General of the Philippines Narciso Claveria Y Zaldua urging the inhabitants to select and adopt surnames based on the list provided in the Catalogo Alfabetico de Apilledos.

Below is a list of Spanish surnames that are derived from places in Spain that some Filipino families also carry as their own. Some of the names have changes in Spelling when used by Filipinos.

Abenoja (Abenojar), Agudo, Alava, Albarracin, Alcantara, Alcaraz, Alcazar, Alfaro, Almazan, Almonte, Aragon, Arevalo, Astorga, Atienza, Avila, Barcelona, Barrameda, Barriero, Bilbao, Brosas (Brozas), Burgos, Cadiz, Cartagena, Caspe, Collado, Cordova, Cuenca, Daymiel (Daimiel), Escatron, Espina (La Espina), Estremadura (Extremadura), Figueras, (Figueres), Figueroa, Fontanosas, Galvez, Garlito (Garlitos), Girona, Granada, Guadalupe, Jaca, Ledesma, Ligazpi, Linares, Logroӣo, Loyola, Lugo, Madrid, Manzaӣares, Martos, Mayorga, Molina, Mondejar, Monsanto, Monteroso (Monterroso), Montilla, Monzon, Navarra/Navarro, Olivenza, Onda, Oropesa, Palencia, Pamplona, Peӣafiel, Peralta, Poblete, Quezada, Quintanar, Quinto, Robledo, Sagunto, Sahagun, Salamanca, Salas, Salcedo, Saldaӣa, Santander, Sepulveda, Sevilla, Soria, Talavera, Teruel, Toledo, Tolosa, Tortosa, Trillo, Trujillo, Valdepeӣas, Valencia, Vigo, Villahermosa, Viloria, Zafra, Zamora, Zaragosa

Spaniards also bear surnames that are derived from other places or countries, and when they do, the word or the spelling of these names is Hispanized. Below is a list of some of those names that are also adopted by Filipinos including names of places in the Philippines that are only used by them as surnames.

Avelino (Avellino, a City in Italy), Babilonia (Babylonia), Bacolod, Baguio, Basilan, Bayona (Bayonne, a port in France), Beja (a Portuguese city), Belen (Bethlehem), Belgica (Belgium), Bohol, Bordeos (Bordeaux, a city of France), Braganza (Braganca, Portugal), Capistrano (Capestrano, a town in Italy), Cerdeӣa (Sardinia, an island of Italy), Chavez (Chaves, a city In Portugal), Cuba, Damasco (Damascus), Davao, Egipto (Egypt), de Asis (Assisi, a town in Italy), Evora (a city in Portugal), Filipinas, Florencio (Florence, a city in Italy), Gante (Ghent, a city in Belgium), Israel, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lamigo (Lamego, a city in Portugal), Luzon, Medina (a city in Saudi Arabia), Montenegro (a country in Southeast Europe), Napoles (Naples, a city in Italy), Padua (a city in Italy), Pedroso (a municipality in Portugal), Piamonte (Piemonte, a region in Italy), Rabat (the capital of Morocco), Ravena (Ravenna, a city in Italy), Surigao, Tiro (Tyre, a city in Lebanon), Tolentino ( a town in Italy), Valenzuela (little Valencia), Villareal (Vila Real, a city in Portugal)

related blogs that you may also like:

Filipino Family Names

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

Filipino Surnames Relating to Faith, Biblical and Religious Characters

http://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2025/09/filipino-surnames-relating-to-faith.html