Name Generator > Character Names > Filipino Names
Filipino Names
Writing a script? Have a character who you can't find the right name for? Choose a realistic and socially accurate name with our Filipino name generator.
About Filipino Names
Filipino names are based largely on Spanish naming conventions, but with a lot of extra complications on top. There is no one standard naming convention, as the Philippines has many different native traditions and ethnic groups. The Philippines is unusual in Asia for being one of the only countries that follows Western naming conventions of a given name followed by surnames. However, like the Spanish, Filipinos give their children a maternal and a paternal surname. The maternal name becomes a middle name and is not typically used in everyday naming.
Filipino women with two names will sometimes abbreviate multiple given names into one nickname – for example, Maritoni comes originally from the names Marie Antoinette. One popular combined name is Luzviminda, which links together the names of three regions of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Nicknames are very common in the Philippines, and some nicknames are carried for life while others will only be used with very specific groups of friends. Such nicknames can often simply be a repeated syllable from the person's own name – for example, 'Reyna' can become Na-Na.
Some Filipino families will follow strict naming conventions – it could be all family children will have the same initials, or the children will all be named after countries beginning with the letter 'A' (Aruba, Australia, Albania), or after car trademarks (Ford, Maserati, Mercedes). Some Filipino names are created by reversing English names – like Dranreb, which is 'Bernard' backwards. Others are often Spanish translations of Catholic saints – such as turning 'Michael' into Miguel. It's also quite popular for male children to eventually adopt the given name of their father, while also acquiring the suffix of Junior ('Jr.').
Thanks to the popularity of Catholic surnames and so many people in the Philippines having the same name, problems can often be encountered thanks to the country's notorious records system. If someone with the same name is wanted in connection with a crime, it can make something as simple as obtaining a bank loan surprisingly difficult. A large number of Filipinos even have to carry around a certificate from the National Bureau of Investigation as specific proof to anyone who checks that they're not wanted criminals.
We've done our best to stick to the Filipino naming conventions in our generator in order to make it historically and culturally realistic, and this means that it's ideal for writers, creators, and gamers who want to generate Filipino characters accurately.
