It’s graduation season once again, and if you are thus transitioning, you may be wondering what to do with your life. The Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung insisted that there are no coincidences. He pointed out that his own surname (meaning ‘young”) was quite relevant to his work, concerning the rebirth of the self, while that of his colleague, the Austrian Sigmund Freud (meaning “joy”) was about the Pleasure Principle, and their Austrian contemporary Alfred Adler (meaning “eagle”), wrote about the human desire for power. A later contemporary, Erik Erikson (meaning “son of Erik”) wrote about the importance of identity, and coined the term “identity crisis”. Closer to home, the name Quezon can be translated as “big cheese”, and Manuel L. Quezon certainly was one. These days, Luis Liwanag (“light”) is a noted photographer. This doesn’t work in all cases, of course. For example, B.F. Skinner, another giant in the psychology field, was a behaviorist, not a leather craftsman or taxidermist. Again closer to home, Dr. Kenneth Sy MD of St. Luke’s (sounds like “cannot see”) chose oncology as his specialization, instead of opthalmology. The Paterno (meaning “paternal”) family, one of the oldest Filipino Chinese clans, is definitely a matriarchy. So, your name may not determine your destiny, but heck, it might give you a few ideas. I found an online list of the most common Filipino surnames, and added a few, including those of some of my friends. Have fun.
| If your surname is | this means or recalls | you should work as a/ an | but maybe not as a/ an |
| Anciano | Spanish: old, elderly | caregiver | youth sector representative |
| Andrada | Spanish: walking | pro golfer, caddy | race car driver |
| Aquino | Spanish: aqui, no = “not here” | Prefect of Discipline | location scout |
| Batungbacal | Tagalog: steel rock | geologist, miner or triathlete | glider pilot, scuba diver |
| Bautista | Spanish: baptist | swimming instructor | lifeguard |
| Castillo | Spanish: castle | contractor, chess player | sand and gravel supplier |
| Castro | Fidel Castro | dictator or cigar vendor | U.S.A. tour operator |
| Cruz | Spanish: cross | priest, or flyover contracor | pedestrian crosswalk painter |
| Delgado | Spanish: thin | dietician, personal trainer | sumo wrestler |
| de Veyra | Spanish: deveras = “indeed” | commentator or talk show host | yes man |
| Dimaandal | Tagalog: cannot be shoved | sumo wrestler (obviously) | acrobat |
| Dimaano | Tagalog: cannot have anything done to (him/her) | warlord | escort girl |
| Dimaculangan | Tagalog: will not be lacking | accountant, auditor | termite exterminator |
| Dimaguiba | Tagalog: cannot be destroyed | civil engineer | demolition expert |
| Dimayuga | Tagalog: cannot be shaken | customer service rep | disco dancer |
| Ermitaño | Spanish: 1. “hermit”. 2. “hermit crab” | monk, systems admin | talk show host |
| Flores | Spanish: flowers | florist (what else) | gynecologist |
| Garcia | Eddie Garcia, actor | movie contrabida | gay senior citizen (oh, wait) |
| Go | English: movement | pedicab, taxi, or truck driver | senator |
| Gonzalez | Visigothic: Gundesaelf = “battle elf” | bouncer at Hobbit House | AFP Chief Of Staff |
| Guinto | Spanish: gold | jeweller or miner | silversmith (confusing) |
| Honasan | Tagalog: O, nasaan? = “where is it/ he?” | fugitive | psychic finder of lost persons |
| Kalaw | Tagalog: hornbill (bird) | environmentalist | person with a large nose |
| Lim | Latin: “line, boundary, edge” | tennis official, surveyor | electrician, if your name is Andy |
| Luz/ Liwanag | Spanish/ Tagalog: light | electrician, photographer | mushroom farmer |
| Mabanta | Tagalog: ma banta = “threatening” | goon, bill collector | kindergarten teacher |
| Macapagal | Tagalog: pagal = “tired”, hence “tiresome” | politician, economist | endurance trainer |
| Macaraeg | Tagalog: “will conquer” or “will dominate” | sports coach | marriage counselor |
| Mendoza | Basque: mendi otza = “cold mountain” | gay shepherd | bikini designer |
| Mercado | Spanish: market | stockbroker or fish vendor | superhero (Supermercado?) |
| Navarro | Leah Navarro | singer | activist |
| Ocampo | Galician: o campo = “the fields” | farmer, rancher | urban planner |
| Ongpin | Hokkien:Ong = King, English: pin, “a pointy thing” | kingpin | bowling alley operator |
| Paredes | Spanish: walls | mason | jail warden |
| Paterno | Spanish: paternal | Doctor specializing in IVF | birth control advocate |
| Quezon | Spanish: big cheese | boss, president | delicatessen owner |
| Ramos | Latin: ramus = “branch” | branch manager (‘di ba?) | firewood dealer |
| Reyes, Khan, King | Spanish: kings | chess player | gay pride organizer (all ‘queens’) |
| Rivera | Spanish: ribera = “riverbank” | anything, but in Marikina | dam operator |
| Salazar | Spanish: sala = “hall” + Basque: zahar = “old” thus “old hall” | restoration architect | demolition contractor |
| San Juan | St John, author of the Gospels (New Testament) | author, writer | Mayor in Metro Manila (confusing) |
| Santos | Spanish: saints | priest, theologian | criminal, gambler |
| Súnico | Google Translate: Chinese pronunciation of “sonic” | sound engineer or designer | instructor at School for the Deaf |
| Tan | English: a yellowish or golden brown color | beach resort owner | glutathione dealer |
| Tomas | St. Thomas The Apostle, or “Doubting Thomas” | detective or external auditor | evangelist preacher |
| Torres | Spanish: towers | condo salesman | landfill contractor |
| Uy | Tagalog: “wow!” or “hey!” | game show or beauty contest host | proctologist |
| Villanueva | Spanish: new town | urban planner | forest conservation activist |
| Ysip | Tagalog: Isip = “think, thought” | intellectual, writer | man of action |
| Zaballero | Spanish:shepherd | ano pa? eh di, shepherd | anarchist |
