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What is a last name?
A last name, also known as a family name or surname, is typically passed down from one generation to the next. Surnames can provide insights into a person's ancestry, cultural background, or geographic origin
Where do Filipino last names come from?
Most Filipino surnames have Spanish origins. Others come from indigenous languages like Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano, and Cebuano or surrounding countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Some Filipinos even combine parts of their parents' surnames to create something uniquely their own
What is the Catálogo alfabético de Apellidos?
This was a published book of 61,000 Spanish last names that was published in the mid-19th century to give surnames to colonial population who did not already have a surname. The use of this book explains why so many Filipinos have many of the same last names as people from Spain and Latin America.
See if your surname is in the Catálogo
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