Surnames from the Philippines and Spain The names are a result of the Spanish invasion of the Philippine Islands and the establishment of a Spanish naming system. As a result, many individuals have surnames like "de Los Santos" ("of the Saints"), "de la Cruz" ("of the Cross"), "del Rosario" ("of the Rosary"), "Baptista" ("Baptist"), and so on. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, there were already many names in use in the Philippines. The majority of these names were derived from plants, animals, and objects found in daily life such as "Agbayani" ("agbanum flower") for a woman named Agatha or Agapita, or "balete tree" for a man named Baltazar. There were also names that had meaning like "Manao" which means brave in Tagalog. These names were given to children before they were baptized which indicates that the Filipinos had a culture with no need for surnames until later on. After the conquest, the Spaniards adopted the native customs of the people they came into contact with and continued to use names that were present before their arrival. This is why you can still find names like "Alfonso" and "Rosa" among the Filipino population even though they were not used by anyone before the Spaniards arrived. The fact that most Filipinos have Spanish names has caused some confusion for foreign visitors who think that all Filipinos share this common ancestry.