The more than 120 cities in the Philippines as of 2010 have taken their names from a variety of languages both indigenous (Austronesian) and foreign (mostly Spanish). The majority of Philippine cities derive their names from the major regional languages where they are located including Tagalog (Filipino), Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Kapampangan and Pangasinense. They are written using Spanish orthography in most cases, but a few have also retained their indigenous spellings. The names of thirty-six cities derive exclusively from the Spanish language while at least three have taken their names from the old Sanskrit language.
Of the 120 cities, fourteen are named in honor of an individual while ten are named after saints.
| City name | Province | Name origin |
|---|
| Alaminos | Pangasinan | Juan Alaminos y Vivar, Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines. |
| Angeles | Pampanga | a contraction of its original Spanish name El Pueblo de los Angeles which means "The Town of Angels." |
| Antipolo | Rizal | Hispanicized form of the Tagalog phrase ang tipolo which means "the breadfruit" in reference to the tree that grew abundantly in the city. |
| Bacolod | Negros Occidental | Hispanicized form of bakolod, an old Hiligaynon word for "hill" in reference to the hilly area in the city that is now the barangay of Granada. |
| Bago | Negros Occidental | from bago-bago, a local shrub. |
| Baguio | Benguet | Hispanicized corruption of the Ibaloi word bagiw which means "moss." |
| Bais | Negros Oriental | Cebuano for "large, edible fresh-water eel." |
| Balanga | Bataan | Pampango for "clay pot." |
| Batangas | Batangas | from batang, Tagalog for "log", in reference to the trunks of logged trees that used to be floated down the Calumpang River which runs through the city. |
| Bayawan | Negros Oriental | from bayaw, a Cebuano word which means "to hoist" or "to elevate."[1] |
| Biñan | Laguna | Hispanicized corruption of binyagan, Tagalog for "baptismal place." |
| Bislig | Surigao del Sur | from bizlin, an ancient gold currency. |
| Butuan | Agusan del Norte | from batuan, a Visayan sour fruit. |
| Cabanatuan | Nueva Ecija | from banatu, a sturdy vine that grew along the swampy banks of Rio Grande de Pampanga.[2] |
| Cabuyao | Laguna | from cabuyao, common name for Citrus macroptera, a species of wild orange |
| Cadiz | Negros Occidental | the Spanish city of Cádiz.[3] |
| Cagayan de Oro | Misamis Oriental | Cagayan, the Philippine province in northern Luzon, and the Spanish phrase de oro which means "of gold." |
| Calamba | Laguna | Hispanicized corruption of kalan-banga, Tagalog for "clay jar." |
| Calapan | Mindoro Oriental | Hispanicized form of the old Tagalog word kalapang which means "branch."[4] |
| Calbayog | Samar | from bayog, a Visayan word for the "Pterospermum diversifolium" tree that grew in abundance in the city.[5] |
| Caloocan | Metro Manila | Hispanicized form of the Tagalog root word lo-ok; kalook-lookan (or kaloob-looban) which means "innermost area." |
| Candon | Ilocos Sur | from kandung, an Ilocano sandalwood tree believed to be extinct; or the Spanish municipality of Candón in Huelva, Andalucia. |
| Canlaon | Negros Oriental | Kanlaon Volcano. |
| Cauayan | Isabela | Hispanicized form of kawayan, Tagalog for "bamboo." |
| Cavite | Cavite | Hispanicized form of kawit or corruption of kalawit, Tagalog words for "hook," in reference to the small hook-shaped peninsula jutting into Manila Bay. |
| Cebu | Cebu | Hispanicized corruption of sugbu, Cebuano for "to walk on shallow waters," referring to the shallows through which one had to wade in order to reach dry land from the port of the city. |
| Cotabato | Maguindanao | Hispanicized form of kuta wato, Maguindanao for "stone fort." |
| Dagupan | Pangasinan | from pandaragupan, a Pangasinense word which means "gathering place", due to the city's history as a market center.[6] |
| Danao | Cebu | Hispanicized form of danawan, a Cebuano word for "small lake."[7] |
| Dapitan | Zamboanga del Norte | Cebuano for "to invite."[8] |
| Dasmariñas | Cavite | Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, the seventh Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines. |
| Davao | Davao del Sur | Hispanicized form of dawaw, a Guiangan name for the Davao River. |
| Digos | Davao del Sur | Hispanicized corruption of padigus, a Lumad word which means "to take a bath" in reference to the Digos River. |
| Dipolog | Zamboanga del Norte | from dipag, Subanon for "across the river." |
| Dumaguete | Negros Oriental | from dagit, a Cebuano word which means "to snatch", in reference to the frequent marauding attacks of pirates in the past and the city's power to charm and keep tourists and visitors. |
| Escalante | Negros Occidental | the Spanish municipality of Escalante.[9] |
| Gapan | Nueva Ecija | from gapang, a Tagalog word which means "crawl." |
| General Santos | South Cotabato | Paulino Santos, Filipino Commanding General of the Philippine Army. |
| Gingoog | Misamis Oriental | Hispanicized form of hingoog, a Manobo word which means "good luck." |
| Himamaylan | Negros Occidental | from hima babaylan, a Hiligaynon phrase which means "foot doctor." |
| Iligan | Lanao del Norte | Higaonon for "fortress". |
| Iloilo | Iloilo | Hispanicized corruption of irong-irong, Hiligaynon for "nose-like," referring to the shape of the delta formed by what are now called the Iloilo and Salog Rivers. |
| Iriga | Camarines Sur | from i raga, a Bicolano phrase which means "there is land." |
| Isabela | Basilan | Isabella II, Queen of Spain. |
| Kabankalan | Negros Occidental | from bangkal, a Philippine Leichhard tree. |
| Kidapawan | Cotabato | from tida pawan, a Manobo phrase which means "highland spring". |
| Koronadal | South Cotabato | from koron nadal, a B'laan phrase which means "grass plain." |
| La Carlota | Negros Occidental | the Spanish municipality of La Carlota. |
| Laoag | Ilocos Norte | Ilocano for "light or clarity." |
| Lapu-Lapu | Cebu | Lapu-Lapu, the ancient ruler of Mactan. |
| Las Piñas | Metro Manila | Spanish for "The Pineapples"; the city's old name however is "Las Peñas" meaning "The Rocks".[10] |
| Legazpi | Albay | Miguel López de Legazpi, the first Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines. |
| Ligao | Albay | from ticao, a Bicolano word for a tree with poisonous leaves. |
| Lipa | Batangas | from lipa, a Philippine linden tree. |
| Lucena | Quezon | The Spanish municipality of Lucena.[11] |
| Maasin | Southern Leyte | Cebuano for "salty." |
| Makati | Metro Manila | from kumakati, Tagalog for "ebbing tide"; shortened and Filipinized form of its original Spanish name "San Pedro de Macati." |
| Malaybalay | Bukidnon | from a Cebuano phrase which means "house of the Malays". |
| Malolos | Bulacan | from paluslos, a Kapampangan word which means "downstream" in reference to the Calumpit River. |
| Mandaluyong | Metro Manila | from daluyong, Tagalog for "big waves from the sea"; the city's original name is San Felipe Neri. |
| Mandaue | Cebu | Hispanicized form of mantawi, a Cebuano variety of vine.[12] |
| Manila | Metro Manila | Hispanicized corruption of the Tagalog-Sanskrit phrase may nila which means "there is nila" (indigo tree in Sanskrit) referring to the prevalence of the tree. |
| Marawi | Lanao del Sur | from rawi, a Maranao word which means "reclining" in reference to the lilies that bend northward on the banks of the mouth of the Agus River. |
| Marikina | Metro Manila | Félix Berenguer de Marquina, the Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines. |
| Masbate | Masbate | Hispanicized corruption of masabat, Bicolano for "to meet along the way," referring to the strategic position of the city within Philippine maritime trade routes. |
| Meycauayan | Bulacan | Hispanicized form of the Tagalog phrase may kawayan meaning "a place full of bamboos." |
| Muntinlupa | Metro Manila | munting lupa, Tagalog for "small land." |
| Muñoz | Nueva Ecija | Francisco Muñoz, Spanish politician and former gobernadorcillo of Nueva Ecija.[13] |
| Naga | Camarines Sur | Bicolano for narra, a type of rosewood tree. |
| Naga | Cebu | Cebuano for the narra tree. |
| Navotas | Metro Manila | Hispanicized form of the Tagalog word nabutas which means "breached" or "pierced through" in reference to the formation of the Navotas River. |
| Olongapo | Zambales | Hispanicized corruption of olo nin apo, a Zambal phrase which means "head of the elder." |
| Ormoc | Leyte | Hispanicized corruption of ogmok, a Cebuano word which means "lowland" or "plain." |
| Oroquieta | Misamis Occidental | the barrio of Oroquieta in the district of Villaverde in Madrid, Spain. |
| Ozamiz | Misamis Occidental | José Ozámiz, a Filipino politician from Mindanao. |
| Pagadian | Zamboanga del Sur | from padian, an Iranun word for "market." |
| Palayan | Nueva Ecija | Tagalog for "rice field." |
| Panabo | Davao del Norte | from taboan, a Cebuano word which means "marketplace." |
| Parañaque | Metro Manila | Hispanicized corruption of Palanyag, the old Tagalog name of the Parañaque River. |
| Pasay | Metro Manila | Dayang-dayang Pasay, a Namayan princess. The city's old name is Pineda, after Spanish horticulturist Cornelio Pineda. |
| Pasig | Metro Manila | from pasi, a Sanskrit word meaning "riverbank." |
| Passi | Iloilo | from passis, a Kinaray-a word which means "unhusked rice." |
| Puerto Princesa | Palawan | a contraction of its original Spanish name Puerto de la Princesa which means "Port of the Princess" named after Princess Eulalia of Spain.[14] |
| Quezon | Metro Manila | Manuel Luis Quezon, the second president of the Philippines. |
| Roxas | Capiz | Manuel Acuña Roxas, the fifth president of the Philippines. |
| Sagay | Negros Occidental | from sigay, a Hiligaynon word for "shell." |
| Samal | Davao del Norte | Sama, an indigenous ethnic group in Mindanao. |
| San Carlos | Negros Occidental | Saint Charles Borromeo. |
| San Carlos | Pangasinan | Saint Charles Borromeo. |
| San Fernando | La Union | Saint Ferdinand, King of Spain. |
| San Fernando | Pampanga | Saint Ferdinand, King of Spain. |
| San Jose | Nueva Ecija | Saint Joseph |
| San Jose del Monte | Bulacan | Saint Joseph of the Mountain. |
| San Juan | Metro Manila | Saint John the Baptist; the city's longer official name is San Juan del Monte, Spanish for "Saint John of the Mountain." |
| San Pablo | Laguna | Saint Paul the First Hermit. |
| Santa Rosa | Laguna | Saint Rose of Lima. |
| Santiago | Isabela | Saint James the Apostle. |
| Silay | Negros Occidental | from kansilay, a local Philippine tree. |
| Sipalay | Negros Occidental | Suludnon for "there is rice"[15] |
| Sorsogon | Sorsogon | Hispanicized form of sogsogon, a Bicolano verb meaning "to continuously follow a course, such as a trail or a river." |
| Surigao | Surigao del Norte | Hispanicized corruption of suligan, a Manobo word for "where there is sulig," a species of fish. |
| Tabaco | Albay | Spanish for "tobacco." |
| Tacloban | Leyte | Hispanicized corruption of tarakluban, a Waray-Waray word which means "to catch fish." |
| Tacurong | Sultan Kudarat | Hispanicized corruption of talakudong, a Maguindanao word which means a traditional "head covering" or "hat." |
| Tagaytay | Cavite | Tagalog for "ridge". |
| Tagbilaran | Bohol | from tagubilaan, a Boholano phrase which means "to hide from the Moros."[16] |
| Taguig | Metro Manila | Hispanicized form of the Tagalog word taga-giik meaning "rice thresher." |
| Tagum | Davao del Norte | from magugpo, a Mandaya word which means "tall tree." |
| Talisay | Cebu | from talisay, a Visayan variety of Indian almond tree. |
| Talisay | Negros Occidental | from talisay, a Visayan variety of Indian almond tree. |
| Tanauan | Batangas | Hispanicized form of the Tagalog word tanawan which means "vista" or "view." |
| Tangub | Misamis Occidental | from tangkob, a Subanon word which means "rice basket."[17] |
| Tanjay | Negros Oriental | Multiple origins, however, it was said that the place was named after Tan Hai, a benevolent Chinese trader who settled in the place. He was said to be very generous and very supportive to the welfare of the people that when he died, the people decided to name the place after him.[18] |
| Tarlac | Tarlac | Hispanicized rendering of tarlak, Aeta term for a certain grass related to talahib (cogon) and tanglar (Zambal for lemongrass). |
| Tayabas | Quezon | from bayabas, a Tagalog word for the "guava" fruit.[19] |
| Toledo | Cebu | the Spanish city of Toledo. |
| Trece Martires | Cavite | Spanish for "thirteen martyrs." The city was named in honor of the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite. |
| Tuguegarao | Cagayan | Hispanicized form of the Ibanag phrase tuggui gari yaw meaning "this used to be fire." |
| Urdaneta | Pangasinan | Andrés de Urdaneta, Spanish friar, circumnavigator and explorer. |
| Valencia | Bukidnon | Named by the first local Barrio school teacher in the village, who hailed from Valencia, Bohol. |
| Valenzuela | Metro Manila | Pío Valenzuela, a Filipino patriot. |
| Victorias | Negros Occidental | from Nuestra Señora de las Victorias, Spanish for "Our Lady of Victories". |
| Vigan | Ilocos Sur | Hispanicization of bî-gán (美岸), Hokkien for "beautiful shore". |
| Zamboanga | Zamboanga del Sur | Hispanicized form of samboangan, Sinama for "anchorage," or literally, "place of mooring poles," referring to the settlement and port town at the southern tip of Mindanao's western peninsula. |
|
1. ^Cultural Heritage {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616081149/http://www.bayawancity.gov.ph/tourism.php?code=CULTURE |date=2010-06-16 }} City Government of Bayawan. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
2. ^Our History City Government of Cabanatuan. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
3. ^Brief History {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217110023/http://www.cadizcity.gov.ph/BriefHistory.html |date=2012-02-17 }} City Government of Cadiz. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
4. ^General Information {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217150310/http://cityofcalapan.gov.ph/index.php/component/content/article/1-calapan/89-general-information |date=2011-02-17 }} City Government of Calapan. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
5. ^Calbayog {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20120724124056/http://www.calbayog.gov.ph/ |date=2012-07-24 }} City Government of Calbayog. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
6. ^History Part I - Spanish Rule {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403092021/http://www.dagupan.com/city/history1.htm |date=2010-04-03 }} Dagupan.com. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
7. ^Danao City Brief History {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20030514225423/http://www.ngkhai.com/pointcebu/facts/danao.htm |date=2003-05-14 }} Retrieved April 21, 2012.
8. ^Dapitan History Dapitan.com. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
9. ^Escalante City History Negros Occidental Provincial Government. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
10. ^History LasPinas.com. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
11. ^About Lucena {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502154103/http://www.quezon.gov.ph/about/lucena.html |date=2012-05-02 }} Quezon Provincial Government. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
12. ^History of Mandaue City {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122104958/http://www.mandauecity.gov.ph/aboutus/history.htm |date=2012-01-22 }} City Government of Mandaue. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
13. ^All About Science City of Muñoz City Government of Muñoz. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
14. ^History of Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa Resorts. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
15. ^About City of Sipalay {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302094559/http://www.sipalaycity.gov.ph/history.htm |date=2012-03-02 }} City Government of Sipalay. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
16. ^Tagbilaran City General Info {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20120913024651/http://www.tagbilaran.gov.ph/info/ |date=2012-09-13 }} City Government of Tagbilaran. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
17. ^City of Tangub History {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511091631/http://www.tangub.com/CityofTangubHistory.htm |date=2012-05-11 }} City Government of Tangub. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
18. ^https://tanjake.home.blog/2018/10/21/city-of-tanjay/
19. ^Tayabas Brief History {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20120903172831/http://www.explorequezon.com/tayabas.php |date=2012-09-03 }} ExploreQuezon.com. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
{{Place name etymologies}}