Parents-to-be interested in choosing a Filipino baby name might consider Sofia or Jacob.
Baby naming consultant Taylor Humphrey of What’s In a Baby Name shared with TODAY Parents that Filipino boy names and girl names often have Spanish influence.
"As the Philippines were a Spanish colony for 333 years, there’s a wide overlap between Filipino names and Spanish names, which are really popular in the U.S.," Humphrey said.
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According to Humphrey, distinctly Spanish names like Mateo, Santiago, Camila and Sofia have been rising rapidly in the U.S. popularity charts in recent years.
A PDF released in 2022 by the Vital Statistics division of the Philippines Statistics Authority broke down the most common baby names in the Philippines.
10 most popular Filipino boy names with meanings
Jacob — supplanter
Nathaniel — gift of God
Gabriel — God is my strength
Nathan — given
Ethan — strong, firm
Ezekiel — God strengthens
Angelo — angel, messenger
James — supplanter
Joshua — the Lord is my salvation
Kyle — narrow spit of land
"All but three of the names — Nathaniel, Angelo and Kyle — fall within the U.S.’s top 100 most popular name list," Humphrey told TODAY Parents.
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10 most popular Filipino girl names with meanings
Althea — with healing power
Angel — angel
Samantha — told by God
Princess — princess
Nathalie — birthday of the Lord
Sofia — wisdom
Sophia — wisdom
Jasmine — gift from God
Andrea — strong and manly
Angela — angel
"Of these 10, only Sofia and Sophia fall within the U.S. top 100," Humphrey said.
Humphrey added that of these other names Samantha, Nathalie and Jasmine were most popular in the mid-to-late 90s, while others like Andrea and Angela reached peak popularity in the late 70s.
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