First Female Supreme Court Chief Justice Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro and Her Genealogy

With the voiding of the term of Lourdes Sereno as chief justice, JUSTICE TERESITA J. LEONARDO-DE CASTRO thus became the first female Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice on August 28, 2018. This article explores the surnames of CJ de Castro as well as present a brief genealogy.

Origin of Surnames

The newest Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, JUSTICE TERESITA J. LEONARDO-DE CASTRO, carries very significant family names. She is unique in the sense that both her maternal and paternal surnames - JOSE and LEONARDO - are more popularly carried as first, and less as last, names.

Her maternal surname, Jose, is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese name JOSÉ, itself from Ioseph, the Latin form of the Greek Ιωσηφ, which is taken from the Hebrew name Yosef meaning "he will add". Her paternal surname, Leonardo, on the other hand is from the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese name Leonardo which is derived from the Germanic lewo, meaning "lion" (of Latin origin), and hard, which means "brave, hardy".

Even her married surname, de Castro, stands for something lofty. It is derived from the Galician, Portuguese, Italian, and Jewish (Sephardic) topographic name Castro, from the word castro which means “castle” or “fortress” and derived further from the Latin castrum which means “fort” or “Roman walled city”.

Brief Genealogy

It is interesting to note that the Jose, Leonardo, and de Castro families are all local to the City of Parañaque. While both the Jose and Leonardo surnames are common Filipino names, both surnames have existed in Parañaque way before the Claveria surname decree. 

The Leonardos of Parañaque were classified as indios and belonged to the gremio de naturales. All their relatives were also classified as such. The earliest traceable ancestor of Chief Justice Teresita L. de Castro on the paternal line is ESCOLASTICO LEONARDO who was born in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. He married Juana Santos and at least one child has been recorded so far: Sinforoso Leonardo. While it is not indicated if he carried a position in the locality, in later records Sinforoso Leonardo was listed a few times with the title “Don”. It is very highly likely that he was an elected cabeza de barangay.

Don Sinforoso Leonardo married Juana Cruz, also from Parañaque, the daughter of Agapito Cruz and Severina Silvestre, both also born in Parañaque. They had at least five children: Juan Leonardo (born sometime in the 1870s); Francisca Leonardo, born on August 20, 1882; Justo Leonardo, born on October 18, 1885; Cesaria Leonardo, born on February 27, 1888; and Gregoria Leonardo, born on December 23, 1890.

Juan Leonardo married Patricia Rodriguez on August 24, 1891. Patricia was the daughter of Don Domingo Rodriguez and Doña Melchora Salvador. Don Domingo Rodriguez served as a cabeza de barangay in the 1890s. Their children were Honorata Leonardo, born in January 1894; Crispina Leonardo, born in October 1896; and Fortunato Leonardo, born on December 18, 1906.

Fortunato Leonardo, the father of Chief Justice de Castro, married Maxima Jose. One of their children is the current Chief Justice. Teresita Leonardo was born on October 10, 1948 in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. She married Eduardo Asansa de Castro and they have three children: Ma. Cherell de Castro, born in 1975; Christine Genevieve de Castro, born in 1977; and Edoward de Castro, born in 1979.

The Race to Halalan 2016: Presidential Candidates' Family Names and their Meanings

As a second installment to the series The Race to Halalan 2016, this article will discuss the meaning and origins of the family names of the 2016 presidential aspirants.

Language of Origin

It is interesting that they are as different as black and white even with just the origin of the last name of the presidential candidates. 

Vice President Jejomar Binay's last name, for instance, is Filipino in origin, specifically Tagalog. Senator Grace Poe's last name (albeit her adopted last name, as her birth surname is currently unknown) is of Spanish origin, specifically Catalan, and not American or English as many think it is. Two other Spanish surnames are Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago's and Secretary Mar Roxas's. The latest to join the race, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, has a surname with French origin.

What is interesting also among these 5 surnames is that it is clear that all 5 are pre-Claveria decree family names; that is, even before Filipinos were forced to adopt a legal family name these family names were already existing.

Grace Poe's last name, though American sounding, was originally spelled Pou by her adoptive great-grandfather (FPJ's grandfather), Lorenzo Pou, is directly inherited from him. Lorenzo Pou, originally from Majorca, Spain, brought the surname to the Philippines. This was later bastardized into Poe, which remains as such today.

The Roxas family name is also an old surname, which can be traced as far back as the 1700s in the Philippines, and to the 1600s in Mexico, then Spain. It was originally spelled Rojas and today both surnames appear in both forms.

Duterte's last name, as discussed in an earlier article, was spelled du tertre, indicating a French origin. It has been in usage in the Philippines as late as the mid-1700s, again another last name that is clearly not taken from the Claveria decree.

Binay's and Defensor-Santiago's family names are the same forms as they were in the past. The Defensor last name appears in pre-1849 records in Iloilo and like many last names in Iloilo appear to be old, pre-Claveria decree. Binay's is the only last name that needs further research, though in its current form it appears to be of indigenous origin and could very well have been used before 1849.

Meaning of Last Names

Who would have thought that Vice President Binay, who has been hounded by case after case of corruption, has a last name that means "goodness" or "kindness"? Or that Grace Poe's last name, in its original form, means "well" or "pool", which could allude to something deep, clearly an allusion to the saying "silent water runs deep". Senator Santiago's maiden name, Defensor, evokes her stand to defend the constitution and the rule of law all the time, making her an "advocate", a "defender". Roxas's last name means "red", though while it may jokingly indicate Secretary Roxas going red in the face and still not winning the presidency, the color red also signifies "courage", "auspiciousness", and "freedom" according to the Romans, Chinese, and the French during the French Revolution. Duterte's last name means "hillock" or a "small mound", but is also an allusion to "rising above others" or "prominence" or "elevation" (clearly, hours after announcing his presidential bid, he has surged to the top of election surveys). 

Clearly, one can get quite a lot of "feel" from the surname of the presidential candidates.

Pacquiao's Surname and the Catalogo

As the nation, in fact the whole world, prepares for the most-awaited boxing match of the century, Filipinos all over the globe wait to see their champion, Manny Pacquiao, bring honor and glory to the nation.

As we do a countdown to this historic fight, allow the genealogist to also offer his small contribution to all this celebration.

The surname of Manny Pacquiao is one of the thousands taken from the Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos which accompanied Governor-General Claveria's decree of 1849.

As seen in above's photo, Manny's surname was originally spelled PAQUIAO (without the "c") in the Catalogo. The surname can be found on page 26 of the catalogo, first column, the 52nd surname in the column.

Love and Family Names in the Philippines

While not really feeling particularly romantic on this day of hearts, I thought it would be a little fun to find out where “love” resides in the Philippines.  Of course, this is a geographic genealogy approach to love, not an emotional or spiritual one. So if you are expecting to read about the heart and soul, I’m afraid you are reading the wrong story on this day.

I recently wrote a brief tribute to the Fallen44 Police Officers using the concept of geographic genealogy. In that article I mapped out where the 44 were from and counted how many people in the Philippines carried the same family name as these heroes. Today would be something similar, albeit a little lighter in topic.

On this day when people share their heart to the ones they love I thought it would be nice to find out where we can find surnames associated with Valentine’s Day in the country. Because my list of current surnames are limited to the top 50 in each municipality or city in the country, the list of surnames here related to Valentine’s Day would be limited only to the available top 50 surnames.

In the Philippines today there are exactly 10 family names that relate to love. These surnames are spread across 26 provinces among 54 towns and cities in the Philippines. 

As can be seen below 8 of the 10 are Spanish while 1 is Cebuano and the last 1 is Tagalog. Seven of the Spanish words are conjugations of the word Amar, which means “to love”. 

1. Amaba. Is an imperfect indicative conjugation of amar.
2. Amado is a participle.
3. Aman is a present indicative conjugation.
4. Amar is a verb which means to love.
5. Amaran is a future indicative conjugation.
6. Amas is another present indicative conjugation.
7. Ame is a preterite indicative conjugation.
8. Amor is a noun which means love.
9. Gugma is a Cebuano noun that means love.
10. Puso is a Tagalog word that means heart.

Though there were other family names that were conjugations of Amar, like Amen, it would be difficult to prove if the surname was chosen (assuming this was adopted during the 1849 Claveria decree) to mean to love or if it has a more religious intent. So I stuck with the 10. Here are some interesting trivia about these 10 names:

The surname AMAR (verb, “to love”) appears the most in the Philippines and may be found in the following areas:

• Tibiao, Antique
• Culasi, Antique
• Looc, Romblon
• Bago City, Negros Occidental
• La Carlota City, Negros Occidental
• Tulunan, North Cotabato
• Roxas, Oriental Mindoro
• Hamtic, Antique
• Pamplona, Camarines Sur
• Barbaza, Antique
• Pulupandan, Negros Occidental
• Candoni, Negros Occidental
• Ferrol, Romblon
• Pontevedra, Negros Occidental
• Valladolid, Negros Occidental
• Arakan, North Cotabato

This is followed by the noun, AMOR (“love”), which appears in 12 towns in the Philippines:

• Alimodian, Iloilo
• San Isidro, Northern Samar
• San Jacinto, Masbate
• Allen, Northern Samar
• Compostela, Cebu
• Biri, Northern Samar
• Bayugan, Agusan Del Sur
• Las Nieves, Agusan Del Norte
• Bayog, Zamboanga Del Sur
• San Roque, Northern Samar
• Tampakan, South Cotabato
• Rosario, Northern Samar

It appears that in terms of number of times they are found within the top 50 surnames, “to love” and “love” have the most count. The rest of the surnames: Amado, appears in 9 towns; Aman, appears in 7 towns; Amaba, appears in 2 towns; Amas, appears in 2 towns; Gugma, appears in 2 towns; Puso, appears in 2 towns; Amaran, appears in 1 towns; Ame, appears in 1 towns.

Central Visayas is the region with the most number of “love” surnames. Most regions have 2 or 3 “love” surnames but Central Visayas has 4; these are AMOR, Amado, Amaba, and Amas.

Other interesting trivia are:

Amar and Amor, the surnames that appear the most in the Philippines, also have the highest number of people carrying them as surnames; 3614 for Amar and 1838 for Amor.

Amaran and Ame appear only once as part of the top 50; Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur for Amaran and Mina, Iloilo for Ame. Only 62 people carry both surnames.

Gugma, which is Cebuano for “love”, appears as one of the top 50 surnames in non-Cebuano towns of Culion and Linapacan, both in Palawan.

Puso, Tagalog for “heart”, appears only in 2 non-Tagalog places, Kolambugan, Lanao Del Norte and Matag-ob, Leyte.

These are the little and interesting gems of information I can find so far in the list of top 50 surnames in each municipality in the country. Perhaps more insights can be gained if a more comprehensive study can be made in the future.

Happy Hearts' Day! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

EDSA and the use of Surnames

During this time of the year I always look back to that time when Filipinos of all ages and occupation gathered in and around a stretch of land called Epifanio de los Santos to protest the Marcos regime. My generation is perhaps one of the last few to still truly hold this peaceful uprising close to our hearts; the current younger activists who were still infants or not yet even born at that time who continue to use the "spirit of EDSA" for their various causes are probably only aware of this event based on the recollections of others or from history books.

In recent years I have also realized one little flaw in the naming of this historic street. Or rather, the use of the acronym based on Epifanio de los Santos's name. The Spanish naming pattern has always been very structured. Many of our indigenous ancestors who mimicked their Spanish masters did not probably know how the Spaniards named their children. For instance, many churches in the country list the names of their Spanish-era parish priests wrongly. Many local historians based their list on the church records. The problem here is that when they started listing down these friars' names, they read these names in the same way modern Filipinos write their names: FIRST NAME, MOTHER'S FAMILY NAME, LAST NAME. This was not how the Spanish friars, or any Spaniard for that matter, wrote their name. When they wrote, for instance, Jose Santos Gomez, this meant that Jose's last name was Santos and Gomez was his mother's surname. This is actually a variation of the more traditional naming pattern using the particle "y", meaning "and", such that the name would be written as JOSE SANTOS Y GOMEZ. In most cases and in most records he would have signed himself as Jose S. Gomez. These type of records would have definitely made modern local historians think that the last name was Gomez.

Another common mistake modern Filipinos make when looking at and using Spanish names lies in the use of particles. Common particles in family names are "de", "de los", and "de la". In modern times, Filipinos have simply lumped these particles together, such that surnames using "de" followed by a name beginning with a vowel are usually combined (such as Deparine from de Parine, Deabordo from Deabordo, Delima from de Lima, and so on). "de los" and "de la" have also transformed into "Delos" and "Dela"; thus, Epifanio Delos Santos. If we were to be really strict about it, the acronym for Epifanio de los Santos should have been EDSLA and NOT EDSA.

* * * * * * * * * *

Because of the Claveria edict, many Filipino surnames are Spanish in form and origin. This means that while most people may carry a Spanish family name, the chances of being of Hispanic descent are not always high. If one can prove that their surname existed in their family prior to 1849, then chances are that they have some Spaniards lurking in their family trees.

Aside from the common surname types enumerated in a previous post, Philippine surnames also include everyday objects and nouns, such as Estrella, “star”, Sales, “salt”, and others. The list below shows the most common Spanish surnames in the country (notice that most can be seen even among movie stars):

1. García
2. Fernández
3. González
4. Rodríguez
5. López
6. Martínez
7. Sánchez
8. Pérez
9. Martín
10. Gómez
11. Ruiz
12. Hernández
13. Santos
14. Jiménez
15. Díaz
16. Álvarez
17. Moreno
18. Muñoz
19. Alonso
20. Gutiérrez

As can be seen, there is an abundance of patronymics in the list of most common Spanish names. There are other surnames that exist in the Philippines, and, other than the list above the other most common surnames are of indigenous origin. These are authentic Filipino surnames culled from various dialects and languages in the country that have been used prior to the 1849 decree. Many of these were also incorporated into the Catalogue of Surnames. It is difficult to have a clear list of these names, because only Spanish and Chinese surnames have thus so far been studied in depth. Maybe someday, someone will have the patience to do a statistical work on indigenous Filipino surnames.

Surname Spotlight: GO

One of the most common Filipino surnames is GO. The Filipino-Chinese family name GO is a variant of an old Chinese last name, WU, which also comes in the forms of Gao, the Cantonese Ngo, Ngor, or Gor, Ng, Ang, Eng, and Ing. The family name is traced to the town of Wu Jin of the Jiang Su Province in China and is considered by most experts of Chinese genealogy as the top 10 most common Chinese last name. The word WU means “men of brotherly love”, "god-like" or "the highest."

According to official records, the surname Wu is from any of the following sources: first, that they are descendents of Wu Quan, who was an official of Zhuan Xu (2,513 – 2435 B.C.); second, that they are descendents of Yu Shun (2,255 – 2,205 B.C.); third, that they are descendents of the famous archer of Xia Shao Kang (2,079-2,057 B.C.); and fourth, that they are descendents of the kings of the Wu Kingdom established by Tai Bo and Zhong Yong. Most researchers agree that the last source is the most credible and plausible origin of the family.

In one of the earlier articles here, The Pedro Gotiaoco Family, many of the descendants of the Wu or Go clan in the Philippines has taken on different variations of the name: Gotiaoco, Gotianun, Gotianuy, & Gokongwei.