BBC Points Out Unusual Filipino Names are Unusual

Leave it to a well respected media entity like the BBC to devote a whole article to the wacky names Filipinos have. Being the token Intsik in my group of Pinoy friends, I’ve had opportunities to meet plenty of old people named Junior, Boy and Girlie, so I can at least appreciate the article writer trying to figure why Filipinos don’t bat an eye at first names like JeJoMar, Fraternidad and Girlie: a combination of a need for individualization with the natural result of a culture assimilated with Spanish, American, Chinese and Muslim cultures. That said, I’m still kinda WTF about my friend who named his kid Xavier solely so he could call him “X-MAN.” Or Atom, pronounced Adam. Or my former co-worker named Cherry, middle name Cola. (Hat tip: Vera D.)