How long are Filipino surnames?

The concept of surnames is one deeply rooted in the evolution of human societies. Originating from the need to distinguish individuals within growing communities, the use of surnames developed differently across cultures and regions. Surnames often tell us more than just the identity of its bearer. It lets us know the story of a people.

In the Western world, surnames began to emerge in the Middle Ages, around the 11th and 12th centuries. As societies expanded and populations increased, merely using first names became insufficient to differentiate one person from another. In China, the use of family names dates back thousands of years, deeply intertwined with Confucian values of lineage and ancestry. The earliest Chinese surnames were established by the ruling classes and then disseminated through the population over time. By the Qin Dynasty, the government mandated the use of family names to facilitate census-taking and tax collection.

In Japan, surnames were not commonly used among the general population until the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century as part of modernization efforts. In the Philippines, the Spanish colonial administration required Filipinos in 1849 to adopt surnames from an approved list. Countries like Indonesia often feature a blend of traditional and modern naming practices, influenced by indigenous customs and colonial history. In Korea or China, most surnames are extremely short. In fact, the world's shortest surname, O, is found in Korea. Experts say that the average number of letters in the surnames of most people is 7 to 12, though the longest recorded last name belongs to Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff, his family name consisting of 40 characters! Curious about this feat, I wanted to check also if we have such interesting surnames.

Ilocos Region has several surnames that appear to be quite long, such as RAMEZANITORANPOSHTI, which has 19 letters. But only one person carries it, so it could be simply an error. The surname with the most letters is TRANSFIGURACION, which has 15 letters. Regions 2 and 3 have TRANSFIGURACION and SAN BUENAVENTURA with 15; Regions 4A and 4B have DEL ESPIRITU SANTO, with 16, though a few in 4B have the variation DEL ESPIRITU SANTOS, with 17; Region 5 has DE LA PROVIDENCIA, with 15; Region 6 ha DE LA CONCEPCION, with 14; Region 7 has RAMAS UYPITCHING, with 15; Region 8 is DE LA CONCEPCION with 14; Region 9 has SAN BUENAVENTURA and LACANILAO SANTOS, at 15; Region 10 has QUILONGQUILONG and DE LA CONCEPCION, with 14; Region 11 has CONSTANTINOPLA and DE LA CONCEPCION, with 14; Region 12 has STUART DEL ROSARIO, at 16; Region 13 has DE LA CONCEPCION, with 14; ARMM has ABDULMANDANGAN, with 14 letters; and CAR has FAMINIALAGAO with 12. Thus, overall, the longest single-word surname in the Philippines is Transfiguracion (15) while Stuart Del Rosario (16) for compound surnames or surnames with more than one word.

Finally, as this article is our third installment this month to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the enactment of Claveria’s surname decree, we also looked at the Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos and discovered the following information: CASANCGCAPSANGCAP and JARMILLOSJARAMAGO are the longest surnames in the list with 17 letters each, followed by CAPANYARIHANONMO, DIMAPIGUILPIGUIL, MANAGQUIGQUIGTUT, and LAPUISANABOLOHAN with 16, and BALICASMATALING, CAGUINOGUINOLAN, CASINTASINTAHAN, and CARILINIDILINAN with 15. Per letter, we have the following: A: Anicelendeque, B: Balicasmataling, C: Casancgcapsangcap, D: Dimapiguilpiguil, E: Escobang-Bilog, F: Faminialalangao, G: Gujilinggujusa, H: Hornachulalba, I: Ipilitina, J: Jarmillosjaramago, K: Kacambra, L: Lapuisanabolohan, M: Managquigquigtut, N: Nombrehermosao, O: Olhaverriagne, P: Paguiguiguihin, Q: Quilacioquilala, R: Recapitulacion, S: Salingsingdang, T: Tangatangtatian, U: Undabarrena, V: Villamedianna, Y: Ynchaurrandieta, and Z: Zois-Zolaque.

Is your last name one of the longest?