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| Cities andmunicipalities of the Philippines |
|---|
 Highly urbanized cities Independent component cities Component cities Municipalities |
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The more than 140cities in the Philippines as of 2022 have taken their names from a variety of languages both indigenous (Austronesian) and foreign (mostlySpanish). The majority of Philippine cities derive their names from the majorregional languages where they are spoken includingTagalog (Filipino),Cebuano,Ilocano,Hiligaynon,Bicolano,Kapampangan andPangasinense. They are written usingSpanish orthography in most cases, but a few have also retained their indigenous spellings. The names of thirty-nine cities derive exclusively from the Spanish language while at least three have taken their names from the oldSanskrit language.
Of the 149 cities, sixteen are named in honor of an individual while twelve are named aftersaints.
| City name | Province | Name origin |
|---|---|---|
| Alaminos | Pangasinan | Juan Alaminos y Vivar, SpanishGovernor-General of the Philippines. |
| Angeles | none | a contraction of its originalSpanish nameEl Pueblo de los Ángeles which means "The Town ofAngels." |
| Antipolo | Rizal | named after thetipulo (Philippine Spanish:antipolo),Artocarpus blancoi, a tree with edible fruits related to thebreadfruit and thebreadnut |
| Bacolod | none | Hispanicized form ofbakolod, an oldHiligaynon word for "hill" in reference to the hilly area in the city that is now the barangay of Granada. |
| Bacoor | Cavite | named afterBacoor Bay, originally from thePhilippine Negrito languages, meaning "circle", referring to the shape of the bay.[1] Another possible origin of the name of Bacoor is fromTagalogbakood for "highlands" or "plateau" (cf.Bacolor andBacolod).[2] |
| Bago | Negros Occidental | frombago-bago, a local shrub. |
| Baguio | none | Hispanicized corruption of theIbaloi wordbagiw which means "moss." |
| Bais | Negros Oriental | Cebuano for "large, edible fresh-water eel." |
| Balanga | Bataan | Pampango for "clay pot." |
| Baliwag | Bulacan | Old Kapampangan word for "untouched." |
| Batac | Ilocos Norte | Multiple origins, however, it was believed that the place gets its name frombatak, anIlocano word which means "pull", in reference to pulling efforts together or the assistance given to another who is in need of help. Hence, the name must have been derived from the common trait of the people who are ever ready to extend a helping hand to anybody.[3] |
| Batangas | Batangas | frombatang,Tagalog for "log", in reference to the trunks of logged trees that used to be floated down theCalumpang River which runs through the city. |
| Bayawan | Negros Oriental | frombayaw, aCebuano word which means "to hoist" or "to elevate."[4] |
| Baybay | Leyte | Cebuano word for "shore."[5] |
| Bayugan | Agusan del Sur | Manobo word for "pathway" or frombayug, the local name forbayur tree.[6] |
| Biñan | Laguna | Hispanicized corruption ofbinyagan,Tagalog for "baptismal place." |
| Bislig | Surigao del Sur | frombizlin, an ancient gold currency. |
| Bogo | Cebu | frombogo, an incense tree.[7] |
| Borongan | Eastern Samar | fromborong, aWaray word for "fog", referring to the heavy fog that once covered the place.[8] |
| Butuan | none | frombatuan, aVisayan sour fruit. |
| Cabadbaran | Agusan del Norte | frombadbad, aCebuano word which means "to untie."[9] |
| Cabanatuan | Nueva Ecija | frombanatu, a sturdy vine that grew along the swampy banks ofRio Grande de Pampanga.[10] |
| Cabuyao | Laguna | fromcabuyao, common name forCitrus macroptera, a species of wild orange |
| Cadiz | Negros Occidental | theSpanish city ofCádiz.[11] |
| Cagayan de Oro | none | Cagayan, the Philippine province in northernLuzon, and theSpanish phrasede oro which means "of gold." |
| Calaca | Batangas | from the roofs of the houses made of bamboos halves arranged over top of one another. |
| Calamba | Laguna | Hispanicized fromTagalogkalamba, meaning a wide-mouthedearthenwater jar (also calledbalanga orbanga).[12][13][14] |
| Calapan | Mindoro Oriental | Hispanicized form of the oldTagalog wordkalapang which means "branch."[15] |
| Calbayog | Samar | frombayog, aVisayan name for thePterospermum diversifolium tree that grew in abundance in the city.[16] |
| Caloocan | none | Hispanicized form of theTagalog root wordlo-ok; kalook-lookan (or kaloob-looban) which means "innermost area." |
| Candon | Ilocos Sur | Unknown. Probably named after theSpanish municipality of Candón inHuelva,Andalucia; or from aHispanicization of Ilocanokandong (Cyrtophyllum fragrans), a species of tree with very hard wood |
| Canlaon | Negros Oriental | Kanlaon Volcano. |
| Carcar | Cebu | the Spanish municipality ofCárcar.[17] |
| Carmona | Cavite | theSpanish municipality ofCarmona. |
| Catbalogan | Samar | frombalaug, a type of shrub that used to thrive along the seashore and mouth of the Antiao River.[18] |
| Cauayan | Isabela | Hispanicized form ofkawayan,Tagalog for "bamboo." |
| Cavite City | Cavite | Hispanicized form ofkawit or corruption ofkalawit,Tagalog words for "hook", in reference to the small hook-shaped peninsula jutting intoManila Bay. |
| Cebu City | none | Hispanicized corruption ofsugbu,Cebuano for "to walk on shallow waters", referring to the shallows through which one had to wade in order to reach dry land from the port of the city. |
| Cotabato City | none | Hispanicized form ofkuta wato,Maguindanao (from Malay "Kota Batu") for "stone fort." |
| Dagupan | none | frompandaragupan, aPangasinense word which means "gathering place", due to the city's history as a market town.[19] |
| Danao | Cebu | Hispanicized form ofdanawan, aCebuano word for "small lake."[20] |
| Dapitan | Zamboanga del Norte | fromdapit,Cebuano for "to invite."[21] |
| Dasmariñas | Cavite | Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, the seventhSpanishGovernor-General of the Philippines. |
| Davao City | none | Hispanicized form ofdawaw, aGuiangan name for theDavao River. |
| Digos | Davao del Sur | Hispanicized corruption ofpadigus, aLumad word which means "to take a bath" in reference to the Digos River. |
| Dipolog | Zamboanga del Norte | fromdipag,Subanon for "across the river." |
| Dumaguete | Negros Oriental | fromdagit, aCebuano word which means "to snatch", in reference to the frequent marauding attacks of pirates in the past and the city's power to charm and keep tourists and visitors. |
| El Salvador | Misamis Oriental | Spanish for "TheSaviour."[22] |
| Escalante | Negros Occidental | theSpanish municipality ofEscalante.[23] |
| Gapan | Nueva Ecija | fromgapang, aTagalog word which means "crawl." |
| General Santos | none | Paulino Santos,FilipinoCommanding General of the Philippine Army. |
| General Trias | Cavite | Mariano Trías, Filipino revolutionary and politician. |
| Gingoog | Misamis Oriental | Hispanicized form ofhingoog, aManobo word which means "good luck." |
| Guihulngan | Negros Oriental | fromguihulugan,Cebuano for "a place where something was dropped."[24] |
| Himamaylan | Negros Occidental | derived fromMamaylan, one of the ancient pre-colonial names ofNegros Island byCebuano-speakingVisayans.[25] |
| Ilagan | none | According to Fr. Julian Malumbres, Ilagan derived its name from the wordlaga, anIbanag word for "smallpox", of which there was anoutbreak during the town's founding in 1686.[26] |
| Iligan | none | Higaonon for "fortress". |
| Iloilo City | none | Hispanicized corruption ofirong-irong,Hiligaynon for "nose-like", referring to the shape of the delta formed by what are now the Iloilo and Salog Rivers. |
| Imus | Cavite | Old Tagalog word for "a piece of land cutting into the junction of two rivers." |
| Iriga | Camarines Sur | fromi raga, aBicolano phrase which means "there is land." |
| Isabela | Basilan | Isabella II,Queen of Spain. |
| Kabankalan | Negros Occidental | frombangkal, a Philippine Leichhard tree. |
| Kidapawan | Cotabato | fromtida pawan, aManobo phrase which means "highland spring". |
| Koronadal | South Cotabato | fromkoron nadal, aB'laan phrase which means "grass plain." |
| La Carlota | Negros Occidental | theSpanish municipality ofLa Carlota. |
| Lamitan | Basilan | fromlami-lamihan, aYakan word which means "merry-making."[27] |
| Laoag | Ilocos Norte | Ilocano for "light or clarity." |
| Lapu-Lapu | none | Lapulapu, the ancient ruler of Mactan. |
| Las Piñas | none | Spanish for "The Pineapples"; the city's old name however is "Las Peñas" meaning "The Rocks".[28] |
| Legazpi | Albay | Miguel López de Legazpi, the firstSpanishGovernor-General of the Philippines. |
| Ligao | Albay | fromticao, aBicolano word for a tree with poisonous leaves. |
| Lipa | Batangas | fromlipa, a Philippinelinden tree. |
| Lucena | none | TheSpanish municipality ofLucena.[29] |
| Maasin | Southern Leyte | Cebuano for "salty." |
| Mabalacat | Pampanga | frombalakat, a species of tree endemic to the Philippines.[30] |
| Makati | none | fromkumakati,Tagalog for "ebbing tide"; shortened and Filipinized form of its original Spanish name "San Pedro de Macati." |
| Malabon | none | fromTagalogmalabon, meaning "having manysilt deposits". The name was previously also used for two other places inCavite during the earlySpanish colonial period: Santa Cruz de Malabon (nowTanza) and San Francisco de Malabon (nowGeneral Trias).[2] |
| Malaybalay | Bukidnon | named after a spring of the same name along theSawaga River[31] |
| Malolos | Bulacan | frompaluslos, aKapampangan word which means "downstream" in relation to the Calumpit River. |
| Mandaluyong | none | fromdaluyong,Tagalog for "big waves from the sea"; the city's original name wasSan Felipe Neri. |
| Mandaue | Cebu | Hispanicized form ofmantawi, aCebuano variety of vine.[32] |
| Manila | none | Hispanicized corruption of theTagalog-Sanskrit phrasemay nila which means "there is nila" (indigo tree in Sanskrit) referring to the prevalence of the tree. |
| Marawi | Lanao del Sur | fromrawi, aMaranao word which means "reclining" in reference to the lilies that bend northward on the banks of the mouth of theAgus River. |
| Marikina | none | Félix Berenguer de Marquina, the SpanishGovernor-General of the Philippines. |
| Masbate | Masbate | Hispanicized corruption ofmasabat,Bicolano for "to meet along the way", referring to the strategic position of the city within Philippine maritime trade routes. |
| Mati | Davao Oriental | frommaa-ti, aMandaya word which means to "dry quickly", referring to the Mati Creek which dries up quickly even after a heavy rain.[33] |
| Meycauayan | Bulacan | Hispanicized form of theTagalog phrasemay kawayan meaning "a place full of bamboos." |
| Muntinlupa | none | Hispanization ofTagalogmuntíng lupà, literally meaning "small land" or alternatively, "little soil". |
| Muñoz | Nueva Ecija | Francisco Muñoz, Spanish politician and formergobernadorcillo of Nueva Ecija.[34] |
| Naga | Camarines Sur | Bicolano fornarra, a type of rosewood tree. |
| Naga | Cebu | Cebuano for thenarra tree. |
| Navotas | none | Hispanicized form of theTagalog wordnabutas which means "breached" or "pierced through" in reference to the formation of the Navotas River. |
| Olongapo | none | Hispanicized corruption ofolo nin apo, aZambal phrase which means "head of the elder." |
| Ormoc | none | Hispanicized corruption ofogmok, aCebuano word which means "lowland" or "plain." |
| Oroquieta | Misamis Occidental | the settlement of Oroquieta (Orokieta) inNavarra,Spain[35] |
| Ozamiz | Misamis Occidental | José Ozámiz, aFilipino politician fromMindanao. |
| Pagadian | Zamboanga del Sur | frompadian, anIranun word for "market." |
| Palayan | Nueva Ecija | Tagalog for "rice field." |
| Panabo | Davao del Norte | fromtaboan, aCebuano word which means "marketplace." |
| Parañaque | none | Hispanicized corruption ofPalanyag, the oldTagalog name of theParañaque River. |
| Pasay | none | Dayang-dayang Pasay, aNamayan princess. The city's old name was Pineda, after Spanish horticulturist Cornelio Pineda. |
| Pasig | none | an archaicTagalog word referring to the shore. Compare "dalampasigan", "pasigan", or Malay "pasir" ("sand") |
| Passi | Iloilo | frompassis, aKinaray-a word which means "unhusked rice." |
| Puerto Princesa | none | a contraction of its originalSpanish namePuerto de la Princesa which means "Port of the Princess" named afterPrincess Eulalia ofSpain.[36] |
| Quezon City | none | Manuel Luis Quezon, the secondpresident of the Philippines. |
| Roxas | Capiz | Manuel Acuña Roxas, the fifthpresident of the Philippines. |
| Sagay | Negros Occidental | fromsigay, aHiligaynon word for "shell." |
| Samal | Davao del Norte | Sama, an indigenous ethnic group in Mindanao. |
| San Carlos | Negros Occidental | Saint Charles Borromeo. |
| San Carlos | Pangasinan | named afterCharles III of Spain, who ordered Spanish forces to raze the town of Binalatongan (its former name) to the ground. |
| San Fernando | La Union | Saint Ferdinand,King of Spain. |
| San Fernando | Pampanga | Saint Ferdinand,King of Spain. |
| San Jose | Nueva Ecija | Saint Joseph |
| San Jose del Monte | Bulacan | Saint Joseph of the Mountain. |
| San Juan | none | Saint John the Baptist; the city's longer official name is San Juan del Monte,Spanish for "Saint John of the Mountain." |
| San Pablo | Laguna | Saint Paul the First Hermit. |
| San Pedro | Laguna | Saint Peter, the Apostle |
| Santa Rosa | Laguna | Saint Rose of Lima. |
| Santiago | none | Saint James the Apostle. |
| Santo Tomas | Batangas | Saint Thomas Aquinas |
| Silay | Negros Occidental | fromkansilay, a local Philippine tree. |
| Sipalay | Negros Occidental | Suludnon for "there is rice"[37] |
| Sorsogon City | Sorsogon | Hispanicized form ofsogsogon, aBicolano verb meaning "to continuously follow a course, such as a trail or a river." |
| Surigao | Surigao del Norte | Hispanicization ofSuligaw (historically also rendered as "Suligao" or "Zurigan"), the native name for the Surigao River |
| Tabaco | Albay | fromtabak ko,Bikol for "my bolo" |
| Tabuk | Kalinga | fromtobog,Ilocano for "living stream."[38] |
| Tacloban | none | Hispanicized corruption oftarakluban, aWaray-Waray word which means "to catch fish." |
| Tacurong | Sultan Kudarat | Hispanicized corruption oftalakudong, aMaguindanao word which means a traditional head covering (also known assalakot) |
| Tagaytay | Cavite | Tagalog for "ridge". |
| Tagbilaran | Bohol | fromtagubilaan, aBoholano phrase which means "to hide from theMoro pirates."[39] |
| Taguig | none | Hispanicized form of theTagalog wordtaga-giik meaning "rice thresher." |
| Tagum | Davao del Norte | frommagugpo, aMandaya word which means "tall tree." |
| Talisay | Cebu | fromtalisay, theVisayan common name for the native beach almond tree |
| Talisay | Negros Occidental | fromtalisay, theVisayan common name for the native beach almond tree |
| Tanauan | Batangas | Hispanicized form of theTagalog wordtanawan which means "vista" or "view." |
| Tandag | Surigao del Sur | fromtangad,Cebuano forlemongrass. |
| Tangub | Misamis Occidental | fromtangkob, aSubanon word which means "rice basket."[40] |
| Tanjay | Negros Oriental | Hispanicized corruption oftaytay, aCebuano word which means "bamboo bridge."[41] |
| Tarlac City | Tarlac | Hispanicized rendering oftarlak,Aeta term for a certain grass related totalahib (cogon) andtanglar (Zambal for lemongrass). |
| Tayabas | Quezon | frombayabas, aTagalog word for the "guava" fruit.[42] |
| Toledo | Cebu | theSpanish city ofToledo. |
| Trece Martires | Cavite | Spanish for "thirteen martyrs." The city was named in honor of theThirteen Martyrs of Cavite. |
| Tuguegarao | Cagayan | Hispanicized form of theIbanag phrasetuggui gari yaw meaning "this used to be fire." |
| Urdaneta | Pangasinan | Andrés de Urdaneta, Spanish friar, circumnavigator and explorer. |
| Valencia | Bukidnon | Named by the first local Barrio school teacher in the village, who hailed from Valencia, Bohol. |
| Valenzuela | none | Pío Valenzuela, aFilipino patriot. |
| Victorias | Negros Occidental | fromNuestra Señora de las Victorias,Spanish for "Our Lady of Victories". |
| Vigan | Ilocos Sur | fromIlocanobigàan (orkabigàan), literally "the place wherebíga (Alocasia macrorrhizos) abounds"[43][44] |
| Zamboanga City | Zamboanga del Sur | Hispanicized form ofsamboangan,Sinama for "anchorage", or literally, "place of mooring poles", referring to the settlement and port town at the southern tip of Mindanao's western peninsula. |
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