Surnames 4: our old, the catálogo and present spellings
Let us now take stock of our surnames. I was given this wonderful Comelec’s List of Voters (alphabetical) and with it, we can compare my old records with how families at present spell their surnames.
Like every town in the country, Carcar was handed its surnames based on the catálogo (catálogo de apellidos), a compiled list. The list was sent throughout the country as annex to the decree issued by Spanish Governor-General Narciso Clavería in 21 November 1849. Surnames were to follow the list, with some exceptions of course. But what is often written about the decree — that one letter was assigned to each town, if true — can not be said of Carcar.
In fact, Carcar surnames can be grouped not just by Al- but also the Bar-, Cam-, Can-, Day-, Em-, Fan-, Gem-, Gen-, Lao, Lap-, Man-, Nav-, Oa-, Qui-, Rem-, Sat- and Sau-, and Tang- surnames. Maybe even some other groups that escaped me. There are actually quite a number of surnames in each of these alphabetical groups, and townspeople today express surprise when apprised of this fact, possibly long conditioned by the preponderance of the Al- surnames, so that many are even unaware that there are these other alphabetical groupings.
Evolution. Many Lao- surnames have evolved to Lau-, presumably with the influence of English. But, they were all Lao- before, even Laogan, Laoron, Laoronal, Laosa–except Lauglaug, which was spelled that way ever since even if it was Laoglaog in the catálogo. Lauron also appeared in the catálogo but was not grouped with known Carcar surnames.
That is also the case of the Oa- names — Oamar, Oaper, Oasaoas, etc. Since these take the sound of the modern English “w” most of these are now spelled with ‘W”. But during the Spanish era, the letter “w” would have been pronounced “v” (and it’s even now still called doble-v, which is what it looks like anyway).
That same “v” explanation can also be given for the Barawidan surname, which was formerly spelled Barauidan. As well as the barangay Bolinawan, an old locality formerly spelled Bolinauan.
The Fan- surnames presently in Carcar count with it Fano, Fantonial, Fantilgan, Fantilgone (also Fantilgoni, the original spelling). But present-day Pantilgone, Panugaling, Panugalinog, Panon, Panonci, Panuncial, Panuncialman were once upon a time all Fan-, too: Fanugaling, Fanugalinog, Fanun, Fanunci, Fanuncial, Fanuncialman–in the catálogo. I guess, we just fronounced our ep into fee.
Surname myths. The surnames in Carcar also have developed myths to them. Usually, the family story is that their patriarch just decided to separate, for any number of reasons, with the main family and so accounted for the variations in the spelling, and even the present pronunciation, of the name.
Many have asked whether it was true that Varga and Bargamento were the same family. The question hints some knowledge about the origin of the surnames–that Varga used to be Barga. But no, Barga and Bargamento were different families, and my first generation Barga in fact had a Bargamento wife, which coincidence may have started the myth itself.
A similar myth has enveloped the Abella- surnames of San Nicolas: That Abella, Abellana, Abellaneda, Abellanosa were actually just one surname–Abella–and individuals just decided on getting adventurous with embellishments on the name, that resulted in the proliferation of these similar names. Not true either.
But variations in the spellings did indeed occur in Carcar. Many times it must have been the result of clerks using different spellings for the same name. Spelling was not very meticulously kept, one can safely say.
The following is a list just of surnames that have significant changes from what was prescribed in the catálogo, to what was written in the books, and to what now virtually appears today.