A few of you will remember this photo:
It’s from when my 3rd baby was born. The baby who gave my wife pre-eclampsia and caused “strict bedrest” for my wife. The baby who set me on a path to work 17 hours/week for the past 12 years. The baby who forced me to really learn what OFS were capable of.
She’s now 15:
Her name is Bailey.
Names can get pretty interesting.
My OFS at the time were named Joven (left) and Paul (right).
Since then I’ve seen a lot of Filipino names. These aren’t unusual…just names:
Dianne Rose Malvar Singson
Aurea Esquivel Orbina
Don William Rosaupan Fabella
Dorothea Mae Pacatang Zaldarriaga
Lord Jason Campos Jose
Again…nothing abnormal about those names.
For most of us here in the US, the way we get our names is pretty straightforward.
Our last name is our parents’ last name. Then our parents choose a first name and a middle name if they want to.
In the Philippines, most get their last names from their father too. But the parents don’t get to choose the middle name, just the first name. The mother’s maiden last name is automatically assigned as the middle name. The only name parents can choose is the first name, and the first name can be as long or as short or composed of several names, as long as it fits on the birth certificate.
So, from above, the first names chosen were:
Dianne Rose
Aurea
Don William
Dorothea Mae
Lord Jason
For people who like tracing their lineage, this system makes things easier.
Because the parents can only choose the first name, you’ll find a lot of interesting choices, like multiple first names or names spelled differently. Take this baby born in 2021. He has three first names, and there’s no vowel to be found: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7eenx/baby-name-philippines-glhynnyl-hylhyr-yzzyghyl-why
Like I said, names can get interesting.
John