Filipino Girl Names
Filipino female names draw mainly from Tagalog and other Philippine languages, alongside strong Spanish and English influence due to colonial and missionary history. Female forms commonly end in -a and use Spanish diminutives such as -ita (for example, Nenita, Nonita). Compounded saint-based names with Maria or Mary are frequent, often abbreviated as Ma. or combined into blends (Maricar, Marycel, Maryzol). Nicknames or clipped forms are widely used as formal given names (Imee, Lilet, Tita).
Recent usage shows more indigenous or lexical Tagalog choices and respellings alongside hybrids, seen in names like Likha, Malayah, Pinay, Maica, Maita, Simeona.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malayah | Often interpreted as "free" (from Tagalog malaya); also used as a melodic variant of Malia/Maliyah. | Arabic, English, Filipino, Hawaiian, Tagalog | Girl | 2,415 #1 | |
| Maleni | Diminutive of Maria Elena or Magdalena; commonly understood as "beloved light" or "little bright one" (combining senses of Maria and Elena/Helena) | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | 679 #2 | |
| Samary | A blended meaning combining themes of 'God has heard' (Samuel) and 'beloved' or 'wished-for child' (Mary); broadly interpretable as 'beloved by God' or 'God has heard'. | Filipino | Girl | 161 #3 | |
| Imee | Diminutive of Imelda, meaning "universal battle" (from Germanic elements for "whole/universal" + "battle") | Filipino, Germanic | Girl | — | |
| Likha | Creation; one who creates | Filipino | Girl | — | |
| Lilet | Little lily (flower) | Filipino, French | Girl | — | |
| Lilis | Lily (the flower) - associated with purity and innocence | Filipino, Indonesian | Girl | — | |
| Maica | Often a diminutive of María - 'beloved' (older etymologies also give 'sea of bitterness'); in Japanese Maika can mean combinations such as 'dance + fragrance' or 'dance + flower' depending on the kanji. | Filipino, Japanese, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Maita | Diminutive of María/Margarita or Maria Teresa - 'little Mary' or 'little pearl'; also associated with Basque 'maite' meaning 'beloved'. | Basque, Brazilian, Filipino, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Mari Nenita | Derived from Maria ('beloved' / 'sea of bitterness') + 'nenita' ('little girl', affectionate diminutive) - 'beloved little girl' or 'little Maria'. | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Maricar | Compound of Maria ('Mary') and a 'Car-' element - broadly 'Mary + [Car‑name]', often interpreted as related to or devoted to Mary | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Mariling | Diminutive of Maria - "little Mary" or "beloved Mary". | Filipino | Girl | — | |
| Marycel | A blend of Mary ('beloved' or 'sea of bitterness') and Cel (from Celia/Celeste, 'heavenly') - roughly 'heavenly beloved' or 'beloved of heaven'. | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Maryzol | Blend of Mary and Spanish sol ('sun') - 'Mary of the sun' or 'sunny Mary' (connotes beloved/sacred sun) | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Nipa | In Thai often 'splendid' or 'beautiful'; in Malay/Filipino refers to the nipa palm (a mangrove/coastal palm). | Filipino, Indian, Malay, Sanskrit, Thai | Girl | — | |
| Nonita | Affectionate diminutive meaning 'little Nonie' or 'little one' (can also imply 'little grandmother' from Nona/Nonna or a pet form of Antonia). | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Pily | Diminutive of Pilar ('of the pillar') or derived from Tagalog 'pili' meaning 'chosen' / related to the pili tree/nut. | Filipino, Spanish, Tagalog | Girl | — | |
| Pinay | Informal term meaning a Filipina - a woman of Filipino nationality or descent. | Filipino, Tagalog | Girl | — | |
| Simeona | God has heard | Filipino, Hebrew | Girl | — | |
| Tita | Affectionate diminutive; associated with 'aunt' in Spanish/Filipino contexts; used as a pet name | Filipino, Spanish | Girl | — |
Filipino Girls name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Filipino-origin name in our dataset.