Abra(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Ilocano, Tagalog From Spanish abra meaning "opening, gap", so named for a topographic feature in the region. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Agusan(Political Subdivision & River)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog Derived from Manobo agusan meaning "where the water flows". This is the name of two provinces of the Philippines (Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur), as well as a the name of a former province and a river.
Aklan(Political Subdivision & River)Filipino, Hiligaynon, Tagalog Derived from Aklanon akean meaning "where there is boiling or frothing", in reference to the flow of water at the shallow mouth of the Aklan River. This is the name of a province of, as well as a river in, the Philippines.
Alabang(Political Subdivision)Filipino Alabang is a lively business district and transport hub, with stations for commuter trains and intercity buses around Starmall shopping center. The long-standing Festival Supermall houses mid-range boutiques and department stores, plus indoor amusement parks and a multiplex movie theater... [more]
Albay(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Central Bikol, Tagalog From Spanish al baye meaning "the bay", shortened from the former names La Baye la baye and Bay la Bay. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Angono(Settlement)Filipino Angono, officially the Municipality of Angono, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Antipolo(Settlement)Filipino Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo, is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Antique(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon, Tagalog Hispanicized form of Kinaray-a hamtik or Hiligaynon hantik both referring to a species of large red ant. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Apayao(Political Subdivision & River)Filipino, Itawit, Ilocano, Tagalog Derived from the word apa'yaw meaning "overtaking" in numerous Cordilleran languages, referring to the swift-flowing waters of the Apayao River. This is the name of a province of, as well as a river in, the Philippines.
Bangsamoro(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog From Malay bangsa meaning "nation, country, race" combined with Moro, the collective term for the thirteen predominantly Muslim ethnic groups of the Philippines, which is ultimately of Spanish origin... [more]
Basilan(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tausug, Cebuano, Tagalog, English Probably from Tausug basi'-lan meaning "iron way, iron road" or basi'-balan meaning "magnetic iron". This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Bataan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the word batan of unclear indigenous origin, which was used to refer to the peninsula across Manila Bay. It may be related to the Malayo-Polynesian root bataŋ meaning "tree trunk, log"... [more]
Batanes(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Ivatan, Ilocano, Tagalog Most likely from a Hispanicized plural form of the Ivatan endonym Ibatan or Batan, which is of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Batangas(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English Derived from Tagalog batangan meaning "timberland, place of wooden rafts", itself from batang meaning "log" combined with the place marker suffix -an. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, the Philippines.
Benguet(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Ilocano, Pampangan, Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Tagalog, English Hispanicized form of Kankanaey benget meaning "edge", originally used as the name for a village at the edge of a swamp. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Biliran(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Waray, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Waray biliran meaning "edge" or "something that forms corners or tips", likely referencing a local topographic feature. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Binangonan(Settlement)Filipino Binangonan, officially the Municipality of Binangonan, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Bocaue(Settlement & River)Filipino Bocaue, officially the Municipality of Bocaue, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Bohol(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Cebuano bo-ol referring to a type of fruiting tree found on the island. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Bucharest(Settlement)English, Malay, Tagalog From Romanian București, which is believed to be derived from the given name Bucur (referring to a figure in Romanian legend) combined with the suffix -ești used for place names... [more]
Bukidnon(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Bukid, Higaonon, Ilocano, English From Cebuano bukidnon meaning "mountaineers, people of the mountains", referring to the indigenous tribes of the Central Mindanao highlands. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Bulacan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the name of a town called Bulakan, derived from Tagalog bulak meaning "cotton" and the place marker suffix -an. This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Bulakan(Settlement)Filipino Bulakan, officially the Municipality of Bulakan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Cagayan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Ilocano, Ibanag, Itawit, English From Spanish Cagayán, itself derived from the word kagayan meaning "place near or on a river" in various indigenous languages. This is the name of a province and administrative region of the Philippines (called Cagayan Valley).
Cagayan De Oro(Settlement)Filipino Cagayan de Oro, officially the City of Cagayan de Oro, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Northern Mindanao, Philippines... [more]
Cainta(Settlement)Filipino Cainta, officially the Municipality of Cainta, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Calabarzon(Region)Filipino Calabarzon, sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog and designated as Region IV‑A, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urbanized city, Lucena... [more]
Calamba(Settlement)Filipino Calamba, officially the City of Calamba, is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines... [more]
Caloocan(Settlement)Tagalog, English Derived from Tagalog kalookan meaning "interior, inland, innermost region". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Camarines(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Central Bikol, Tagalog, English Either from a Hispanicized plural form of Bikol kamalig meaning "shelter, hut, storage shed" or the plural form of Spanish camarín meaning "alcove, niche". This is the name of two provinces of the Philippines, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.
Camiguin(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English Derived from Cebuano kamagong meaning "velvet apple", referring to a type of fruiting tree found on the island. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Capiz(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Capiznon, Hiligaynon, Tagalog, English From Spanish Cápiz, itself from Capiznon kapis referring to the shell produced by the windowpane oyster (genus Placuna). This is the name of a province of the Philippines.
Catanduanes(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Central Bikol, Tagalog, English From a Spanish plural form of Bikol katanduan either meaning "place of tandu", referring to a type of beetle, or "place of tando", referring to a type of tree. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Cavite(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Other)English (Hispanicized), Filipino (Hispanicized) Hispanicized form of Tagalog kawit, meaning "hook". This name originally referred to a peninsula where Cavite City is located in, but usage eventually expanded to the entire province.
Cebu(Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Cebuano Sugbo, derived from Old Cebuano sibu or sibo meaning "trade", itself a shortened form of the phrase sinibuayng hingpit meaning "place for trading". This is the name of an island, province and city (Cebu City) in the Philippines.
Cotabato(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Tagalog, English From Maguindanao Kutawatu meaning "stone city", from kuta meaning "city, fort" and wato meaning "stone, rock". This is the name of both a province and a city in the southern Philippines.
Dasmariñas(Settlement)Filipino Dasmariñas, officially the City of Dasmariñas, is a 1st class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines... [more]
Davao(Region, Settlement & River)Filipino Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of 2,443.61 km2, making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area... [more]
Dinagat(Political Subdivision & Island)Filipino, Cebuano, Surigaonon, Waray, Tagalog, English From Cebuano dinagat meaning "of the sea", ultimately from dagat meaning "sea". This is the name of an island in the Philippines, as well as a province (called Dinagat Islands).
Dumaguete(Settlement)Cebuano, Tagalog Derived from Cebuano dagit meaning "snatch, abduct, carry away", so named because the area was frequently raided by pirates. This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Guimaras(Political Subdivision & Island)Filipino, Hiligaynon, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of the name Himal-us of uncertain origin and meaning. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Iloilo(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Hiligaynon, Tagalog, English Derived from Hiligaynon Ilong-Ilong, itself from ilong meaning "nose" referring to the nose-like shape of a landform in the region. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city in, the Philippines.
Imus(Settlement)Filipino Imus, officially the City of Imus, is a 1st class component city and de jure capital of the province of Cavite, Philippines... [more]
Jeddah(Settlement)English, Danish, Dutch, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Swedish, Tagalog From Arabic جدة (Jiddah) derived from the word جَدَّة (jaddah) meaning "grandmother", perhaps referencing the folk belief that the Tomb of Eve (who is considered the 'grandmother' of humanity) is located there... [more]
Jolo(Settlement & Island)Filipino, Tagalog, English Probably derived from Hokkien 好儂 (hó lâng) meaning "good people", named by Chinese traders to reflect how they perceived the native people of the region. This is the name of an island in the southern Philippines as well as the capital city of the province of Sulu.
Kyiv(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Ukrainian, English, Danish, Indonesian, Malagasy, Malay, Norwegian, Tagalog From Old East Slavic Киевъ (Kievŭ) of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally attributed to the given name Кий (Kyi) referring to one of the three legendary founders of the city, although another theory suggests that it is derived from Ukrainian кий (kyi) meaning "stick, pole" (so named because the city was palisaded by poles)... [more]
Lagunaᜎᜄᜓᜈ(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)English, Filipino Means "lake" or "lagoon" in Spanish. In the Philippines, it refers to a lake (Laguna de Bay) or a province which is adjacent to the lake.
Lanao(Political Subdivision & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Maranao ranaw meaning "lake, body of water". This is the name of a lake and two provinces in the southern Philippines.
Las Piñas(Settlement)Filipino The City of Las Piñas was founded on either 1762 or 1797. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 32.69 km2 and has 588,894 people living in it as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Lebanon(Country & Mountain)English, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai Derived from the Pro-West Semitic root laban meaning "white". This is the name of a country and mountain range in Western Asia.
Leyte(Region, Settlement & Island)Filipino Leyte is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census... [more]
Lucena(Settlement)Filipino Lucena, officially the City of Lucena, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines... [more]
Luzon(Island)Filipino, Tagalog, Ilocano, Pampangan, English Of uncertain meaning, probably from Tagalog lusong meaning "mortar (for pounding rice)". This is the name of the largest island in the Philippines.
Maguindanao(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From Spanish Maguindanao, a corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from the word danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Makati(Settlement)Tagalog, English Derived from the phrase makati na, kumakati na meaning "ebbing tide". This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Malabon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino The City of Malabon was founded on May 21, 1599. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 15.71 km2 and has 365,525 people living in it as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Malolos(Settlement)Filipino Malolos, officially the City of Malolos, is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Manchuria(Region)English, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish, Tagalog Likely from a Dutch calque of Japanese 満州 (Manshū) derived from the name of the Manchu people, ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ (manju), of uncertain origin. The ethnic name is probably derived from the name of the bodhisattva Manjushri in Buddhist tradition... [more]
Mandaluyong(Settlement)Filipino Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong, is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Located directly east of Manila, Mandaluyong was originally a barrio of Santa Ana de Sapa called San Felipe Neri... [more]
Manila(Settlement)Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Maranao, English, Spanish From Tagalog Maynila, which is derived from the term may-nila meaning "where indigo is found", ultimately from Sanskrit नील (nila) referring to the indigo plant as well as indigo dye... [more]
Marawi(Settlement)Filipino, Maranao, Tagalog From Maraghui or Marahui, the name of a Maranao fort that was seiged in 1895. This is the name of the capital city of the Philippine province of Lanao del Sur.
Marawi(Settlement)Filipino, Maranao, Tagalog From the name of the 19th century Fort Maraghui, itself from Maranao rawi' meaning "bend, part, recline", referring to the Agus River. This is the name of a city in the Philippines.
Marikina(Settlement & River)Filipino Marikina, officially the City of Marikina, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Located along the eastern border of Metro Manila, Marikina is the main gateway of Metro Manila to Rizal and Quezon provinces through the Marikina-Infanta highway.
Marilao(Settlement)Filipino Marilao, officially the Municipality of Marilao, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines... [more]
Marinduque(Island & Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of Tagalog malindig meaning "elegant, tall", also referring to a volcano on the island. This is the name of an island province of the Philippines.
Micronesia(Country & Region)Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish, Tagalog From Greek μικρός (mikrós) meaning "small, little" and νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island". This is the name of a subregion of Oceania as well as an island country... [more]
Mindanao(Island)Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, English From a Spanish corruption of Magindanaw, the endonym of the Maguindanao people. The ethnic name means "people of the flood plains" or "people of the lake" from Maguindanao danao meaning "lake"... [more]
Muntinlupa(Settlement)Filipino The City of Muntinlupa was founded in 1601. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 39.75 km2 and has 504,509 people living in it as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Muscat(Settlement)English, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Tagalog From Arabic مسقط (Masqat) of disputed meaning, perhaps of Arabic or Old Persian origin. This is the name of the capital city of Oman.
Navotas(Settlement)Filipino The City of Navotas was founded on December 20, 1827. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 10.77 km2 and has a population of 249,463 as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Negros(Island)Filipino, Hiligaynon, Cebuano Upon arriving on the island in April 1565, the Spanish colonizers called the land Negros, after the dark-skinned natives they observed.... [more]
Pampanga(Political Subdivision & River)Filipino, Pampangan, Tagalog From Kapampangan pampang meaning "riverbank". This is the name of a province of, as well as a river in, the Philippines.
Panay(Settlement & Island)Filipino Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 12,011 km2 and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census... [more]
Pangasinan(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Pangasinan, Ilocano, Tagalog, English From the name of the Pangasinan people meaning "place of salt" or "land of salt", derived from Pangasinan pang- meaning "for", asin meaning "salt" and the place marker suffix -an... [more]
Parañaque(Settlement & River)Filipino The City of Parañaque was founded on November 30th, 1572. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has a land area of 47.69 km2 and has 665,822 people living in it as of the 2015 census... [more]
Pasay(Settlement)Filipino Pasay, officially the City of Pasay, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Due to its location just south of Manila, Pasay quickly became an urban town during the American colonial period... [more]
Pasig(Settlement & River)Filipino The City of Pasig was founded in 1573. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has an area of 31.00 km2 and has 755,300 people living in it as of the 2015 census. The city shares its name with the Pasig River... [more]
Pateros(Settlement)Filipino Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros, is the lone municipality of Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 63,643 people. This municipality is famous for its duck-raising industry and especially for producing balut, a Filipino delicacy, which is a boiled, fertilized duck egg... [more]
Quezon(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog, English From the surname Quezon. This is the name of both a province and city in the Philippines, which were named in honour of Manuel Quezon (1878-1844), the second president of the Philippines.
Quiapo(Political Subdivision)Filipino Quiapo is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Known as the “Old Downtown of Manila", the district’s most famous landmark is Quiapo Church, a minor basilica enshrining Asia's most sacred Black Nazarene image, which has been processed every January in the historic district, attracting millions of devotees from all over the country and region.
Rizal(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog, English The name of a province of the Philippines, named for Filipino nationalist and writer JoséRizal (1861-1896).
Rodriguez(Settlement)Filipino Rodriguez, officially the Municipality of Rodriguez and commonly known by its former name Montalban, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Samar(Region & Island)Filipino Samar is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines... [more]
San Juan(Settlement)Filipino San Juan, officially the City of San Juan, is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. It is geographically located at Metro Manila’s approximate center and is also the country’s smallest city in terms of land area... [more]
Santa Cruz(Political Subdivision, Settlement & River)Filipino Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Laguna, Philippines... [more]
Seychelles(Country)French, English, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Malay, Maltese, Romanian, Spanish, Tagalog From the name of Jean Moreau de Séchelles (1690-1761), a French politician who served as Minister of Finance during the reign of King Louis XV. This is the name of an East African island country in the Indian Ocean.
Siargao(Island)Filipino, Cebuano, English Derived from Cebuano saliargaw referring to a type of flowering plant (genus Premna). This is the name of an island in the Philippines.
Simunul(Settlement)Filipino, Sama-Bajau, Tagalog The name of a city in the Philippines, derived from the Arabic phrase اسمي نور (ismi nur) meaning "my name is light".
Sulu(Political Subdivision, Region & Body of Water)Filipino, Tagalog, English From Suluk, the Malay name for the Tausug people, in turn derived from Tausug Tau Sūg meaning "people of the current", from tau meaning "man, person" and sūg meaning "(sea) current, flow of water"... [more]
Taal(Body of Water, Mountain & Settlement)Filipino, Tagalog The name of a lake, volcano and municipality in the Philippines, meaning "true, genuine, native" in Tagalog.
Taguig(Settlement & River)Filipino The City of Taguig was founded on April 25, 1587. It is one of the 16 cities making up the NCR of the Philippines. It has an area of 53.67 km2 and has 804,915 people living in Taguig as of the 2015 census.... [more]
Tarlac(Political Subdivision, Settlement & River)Pampangan, Pangasinan, Ilocano, Tagalog, English Derived from Pampangan malatarlak referring to a type of grass. This is the name of a province of, as well as a city and river in, the Philippines.
Tawi-Tawi(Political Subdivision & Island)Filipino, Tausug, Tagalog, English From Sinama Jawi Jawi, which is derived from Malay jejawi meaning "banyan tree". This is the name of an island and province in the southern Philippines.
Taytay(Settlement)Filipino Taytay, officially the Municipality of Taytay, is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines... [more]
Tondo(Political Subdivision)Filipino Tondo is a district located in Manila, Philippines. It is the largest, in terms of area and population, of Manila's sixteen districts, with a census-estimated 654,220 people in 2020... [more]
Trece Martiresᜆ᜔ᜍᜒᜐᜒ ᜋᜍ᜔ᜆᜒᜍᜒᜐ᜔(Settlement)English, Filipino Means "thirteen martyrs" in Spanish, referring to the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite. This is name of the de facto capital city of Cavite, Philippines.
Valenzuela(Settlement)Filipino Valenzuela, officially the City of Valenzuela, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,918 people... [more]
Villaviciosa(Settlement)Spanish, Filipino Combination of villa meaning "small town" and viciosa meaning "vigorous; abundant" (usually "vicious, profligate").... [more]
Visayas(Region & Body of Water)Filipino The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao... [more]
Zamboanga(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Filipino, Chavacano, Cebuano, Tagalog, English, Spanish Spanish form of Sinama Samboangan meaning "mooring place", derived from samboang meaning "mooring pole" and the place marker suffix -an. This is the name of a peninsula in the Philippines, as well as three provinces and a city located on the peninsula.