List of Philippine place names of Spanish origin

As a result of more than three centuries of Spanish dominance in the islands that are now the republic of the Philippines, an overwhelming number of places in the country have Spanish or Hispanic names. As with Filipino surnames and many other aspects of Filipino culture, place names in the Philippines have received a great deal of Spanish influence, with many places in the former Spanish colony having been named after those in Spain and Latin America. The name Philippines itself originated from its old official name Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish language has also become one of the country's official languages from the late 16th century until 1986 when it was designated as a voluntary language and it remains so to this day.

Provinces

  • Abra (Spanish for "opening." Originally called El Abra de Vigan -- "The Opening of Vigan")[1]
  • Aurora (Spanish given name. Named in honor of Philippine First Lady Aurora Quezon)
  • Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur (Camarines is the plural form of the Spanish word camarín which means "boat sheds". Norte pertains to the former province's geographical location being on the north, and Sur pertains to the latter province's geographical location being on the south.)[2]
  • Compostela Valley (named after its main topographic feature, the valley on which the town of Compostela is located. The town's name in turn may have come from the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.)[3]
  • Isabela (Spanish given name. Named after Isabella II, the reigning queen of Spain at the time of the province's creation in 1856.)
  • La Union (Spanish for "the union," referring to the merging of towns from southern Ilocos Sur and northern Pangasinan that resulted in the creation of the province in 1854.)[4]
  • Laguna (Spanish for "lake," or "lagoon," referring to the large body of freshwater (Laguna de Bay, Spanish for "Lake of Bay") that was named after the province's first capital, the town of Bay.)[5]
  • Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental (Negros is Spanish for "blacks," referring to the dark-skinned Negritos that inhabited the island. Occidental refers to the former province's geographic location on the island's western half, and Oriental refers to the latter province's geographic location on the island's eastern half. The political division of the island was by a royal decree issued by the King of Spain and executed by the Governor General on January 1, 1890.[6])
  • Nueva Ecija (Spanish for "new Écija", after a town in province of Sevilla, whose topography Don Fausto Cruzat y Góngora associated to.)[7]
  • Nueva Vizcaya (Spanish for "new Biscay", after the province in the Basque Country of Spain.)
  • Quezon (Spanish surname. The province, formerly known as Tayabas, was renamed in 1949 in honor of Philippine president Manuel Quezon.)
  • Quirino (Spanish surname. Named after Philippine president Elpidio Quirino.)
  • Rizal (Spanish surname. Named after Philippine national hero José Rizal.)

Cities

Municipalities

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Z

Region

Barrios and districts

This is not an exhaustive list.

Islands

This is not an exhaustive list.

Mountains and hills

This is not an exhaustive list.

Streets and roads

This is not an exhaustive list.

Rivers

This is not an exhaustive list.

Bays and inlets

Lakes

See also

References

  1. ^ Provincial Profile of Abra
  2. ^ Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 179. ISBN 9715501354.
  3. ^ Comval, one untouched by the Spanish
  4. ^ Provincial Profile of La Union
  5. ^ Provincial Profile of Laguna
  6. ^ a b Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 253. ISBN 9715501354.
  7. ^ Abigan, Edmund R. (1998). The Philippine Atlas. Philippine Guides. p. 61.
  8. ^ Brief History Archived February 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine City Government of Cadiz. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  9. ^ Escalante City History Negros Occidental Provincial Government. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  10. ^ History LasPinas.com. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  11. ^ About Lucena Archived May 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Quezon Provincial Government. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  12. ^ All About Science City of Muñoz City Government of Muñoz. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  13. ^ History of Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa Resorts. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  14. ^ Aguilar Provincial Government of Pangasinan. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  15. ^ History Archived June 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine AlaminosLaguna.info. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  16. ^ History Archived February 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Municipal Government of Alburquerque. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  17. ^ Alcala Provincial Government of Pangasinan. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  18. ^ "Viajes por Filipinas: De Manila á Tayabas".