Origin of the Philippine names

Answer 1

The Philippines is a country of many names.

Early Chinese traders who visited Mindoro called it Ma-yi or Ma-i which means land of gold, Liu-Sing, San Hsii or San Tao and Haitan.

In a map of Claudius Ptolemy, a famous ancient geographer of Alexandria it was named Maniolas.

Europeans who visited our country gave names Islas del Poniente and Islas del Oriente.

When Magellan came in 1521 , he named the Philippines Archipelago of St. Lazarus but the name did not come popular.

The most romantic name of the country remains that of Pearl of the Orient Seas, given by a Spanish Jesuit missionary-historian, Fr. Juan J. Delgado in 1751 and popularized by Philippines' National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

The name Felipinas was given by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, a Spanish explorer in 1543 to honor Prince Philip OS Asturias , who later became Philip II, King of Spain.

Felipinas later became the Filipinas during the Spanish colonial era.

Then it became Philippine Islands during the American colonial era then the Republic of Philippines after its independence.