List of Philippine provincial name etymologies

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The provinces of the Philippines are mainly named after geographic features like rivers and islands, after people or individuals, or they bear a name of older local origin.

Contents

[edit] Directions in Spanish

Some provinces are prefixed/suffixed with a Spanish word denoting one of the four cardinal directions. These are:

  • Norte = "north" (del Norte means "of the north")
  • Sur = "south" (del Sur means "of the south"
  • Oriental = "east"
  • Occidental = "west"

[edit] Provincial names

Province's name Language of origin Word of origin Meaning and notes
Abra abnir "To open".
Agusan del Norte agasan "Where the water flows".
Agusan del Sur
Aklan Akean "Where there is boiling/frothing".
Albay albaybay "shore".
Antique lantik-lantik Refers to red ants found in the province.
Apayao After the Apayao people.
Aurora Spanish given name; after Aurora Quezon, wife of Manuel Quezon.
Basilan basilan "Iron trail".
Bataan From the Bataan Peninsula.
Batanes After the Ivatan people.
Batangas batang "log".
Benguet Ibaloi benget "head scarf".
Biliran biliran A species of grass, used for weaving mats.[1]
bilir With alternate spellings biliran and bildan, a "corner or edge of a boat, vase or anything protruding, like veins, or the furrow made by the plow,"; based on the Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya, by Fr. Mateo Sanchez, S.J., in the 17th century.[2] The island of Biliran was the site of a large shipyard in the 16th to 17th centuries.[2]
Bukidnon Cebuano bukid + -non "People of the mountain".
Bulacan Tagalog 1. bulak
2. "bulaklakan"
3."burak"		 1. "Cotton"[3]
2. "Garden full of flowers
3. Kapampangan word for "swampy and muddy." (see History of Bulacan)
Cagayan Ilocano carayan "River".
Camarines Norte camarin "granary".
Camarines Sur
Camiguin kamagong A type of tree located on the island.
Capiz kapis "pearl shell".
Catanduanes tando A type of tree located on the island.
Cavite Tagalog kawit "hook".
Cebu sugbo "to walk in the water"[4]
Compostela Valley Spanish From Santiago de Compostela.
Cotabato kuta + bato "Stone fort"; kuta means "fort" while bato means stone.
Davao del Norte Bagobo davoh "beyond the high grounds", referring to the settlement found at the mouth of the Davao River.
Davao del Sur
Davao Oriental
Dinagat Islands dagat "sea".
Eastern Samar samad "wound" or "cut", referring to the island's terrain.
Guimaras
Ifugao From the Ifugao people.
Ilocos Norte look (pronounced as "lu-OK") "bay".
Ilocos Sur
Iloilo Datu Irong-irong (the legendary founder of the baranggay
Isabela Spanish given name; after Isabella II of Spain.
Kalinga From the Kalinga people.
La Union Spanish la unión "The union", referring to the merging of towns from southern Ilocos Sur, northern Pangasinan and western Benguet.
Laguna Spanish laguna "lagoon".
Lanao del Norte ranao "Lake".
Lanao del Sur
Leyte
Maguindanao From the Maguindanao people.
Marinduque Tagalog given names; after Marina and Duque, characters from a legend stating how the island was formed.
Masbate
Misamis Occidental kiyamis or kuyamis "coconut".[5]
Misamis Oriental
Mountain Province English mountain "A high point of land"
Negros Occidental Spanish From the Negritos
Negros Oriental
Northern Samar samad "wound". See Eastern Samar, above.
Nueva Ecija Spanish nueva + Écija "New Ecija"; Nueva means "new", and Ecija after Écija, Spain.
Nueva Vizcaya Spanish nueva + Biscay "New Biscay"; Nueva means "new", and Vizcaya after Biscay, Spain.
Occidental Mindoro Spanish mina + oro "gold mine"; mina means "mine" while oro means "gold".
Oriental Mindoro
Palawan Chinese palan yu "beautiful harbor".[6]
Pampanga pampang "river bank".
Pangasinan asin "salt"
Quezon Spanish given name; after former President of the Philippines Manuel Quezon
Quirino Spanish given name; after former President of the Philippines Elpidio Quirino
Rizal Spanish surname; after national hero José Rizal
Romblon lomlom "A hen nesting to warm her eggs".
Northern Samar samad "wound". See Eastern Samar, above.
Sarangani sangir The name of a language spoken in the province.
Shariff Kabunsuan Malay surname; after Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan
Siquijor si Kihod "It is (Datu) Kihod", pertaining to a former ruler of the island.
Sorsogon solsogon "To follow the river upstream"
South Cotabato kuta + bato "stone fort". See Cotabato above.
Southern Leyte
Sultan Kudarat surname; after Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat
Sulu
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Sur
Tarlac Sambal tarlak "weed".
Tawi-Tawi Malay jaui "far". When a word is doubled, the meaning is extended; in this case, it will mean "far away".
Zambales From the Zambal people.
Zamboanga del Norte sampaga "flower".
Zamboanga del Sur
Zamboanga Sibugay "Zamboanga" (see above) + sibuguey "Sibuguey Bay"

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Borrinaga 1999
  2. ^ a b Borrinaga 2002
  3. ^ Veneracion 1986
  4. ^ Morales, Resil B. (1997). "KAAGI: The History of Cebu", Cebu:More than an Island. Ayala Foundation Inc., 8. 
  5. ^ Soriano 1981
  6. ^ University of Manila Journal of East Asiatic Studies 1953, p. 446

[edit] References

[edit] Books

[edit] Journals

  • University of Manila Journal of East Asiatic Studies, 1953, p. 446 

[edit] Other sources