Unusual Names in the Philippines

Naming conventions differ the world over, but for the most part have remained rather traditional in the US.  That’s slowly changing, but for now you’ll still find plenty of people named John, David, Heather, and Lesley.

In the Philippines, names are a lot more creative.  I’ve seen a girl named Cherry Pie, another named Happy, and my brother-in-laws and my wife are all named after Catholic saints.  Seriously.  Most of my brother-in-laws have 3 ‘first’ names.  My wife has 2.

At first I was a little turned off by the idea, because I had a rather conservative upbringing and lived in a repressive American subculture called the US Army.  Now, though, I think it’s interesting how people here break traditional boundaries and express their creativity through naming.

Here’s one sample I saw at the Jollibee in Antipolo, Rizal Province, inside the Shopwise store.

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2 thoughts on “Unusual Names in the Philippines”

  1. Those are some weird names. There's a joke in the US that parents are trying too hard, to the point that most kids can't spell their own name correctly until they're much older than other kids.

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  2. i now someone whose kids are named honey, bee and buzz. then there is pete's bestfriend named after food : mm, apple and lemon. but these are cute. i dont like it when people make their names sound cute by putting tons of H and E when not necessary. LIke a guy named June would spell his name as Jhunne. Or Rina spelled as Rheena. I even have a schoolmate named Christine but it was spelled as Khrysthynne. Wth.

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