What is the Philippines original name?

Did the indigenous not have a name for their homeland or do we only count the names given by European colonisers?

That doesn't sound like the original name- just sounds like the same name in Spanish.

My Filipino wife disagrees.

So...until 1543 the islands had no name at all! Seriously? I don't think so!

A single name for this group of islands prior to colonization is simply incorrect. Each island and in some cases groups of islands would have had their own indigenous name and some would have more than one dependent on the languages spoken.

Player, Well said...looks like a classic example of history being written (solely) by the conqueror..

Maybe the original, indigenous, people should have been consulted before the term "original" was used?

Russ Dobell, I'm sure the colonizers didn't care.

Raewyn Mcintosh, that makes more sense.

Michael David M, I would too. What does she say it was?

Player, I'm sure they did.

Michael David M, i do too.

krkyates, the Wikipedia don't say that name

Not the correct name.

Noelito, and of the name given by one imperial, conquering coloniser being replaced by the name given by a second imperial, conqering coloniser

Player, a good question but I beg to differ on the second part. Before the arrival of the Spaniards there was no country or nation as such, just a cluster of islands, each with its own native tribes. The ambitious "conquistadores", disregarding ethnic and religious differences, bundled everyone and every island under the name of Phillip, the Prince of Asturias. Twenty years into the colonisation, a Tagalog chieftain tried to overthrow the Spaniards with help from other chieftains, Japanese merchants, and a coalition of Muslim rulers from Borneo and Jolo.

earlepg, How do you figure "the Amercans, as usual, insisted on their 'right' to do the naming."? Do you really think that in the immediate wake of the Spanish-American War the Americans would insist on naming the country for a Spanish king? Don't you think it's more likely they merely accepted the name already on the maps?

In Biblical times it was known as Ophir. It's where King Solomon sourced out gold to build his temple.

Dubious question! It is a pity that the paragraphs in the link preceding the stated answer were not included. The Philippines history is far more complex than the "answer" implies!

Raewyn Mcintosh, no, if does not! The Majapahil kingdom may have had some influence on the western part of Mindanao, but no further. Certainly not any further than that. Manila is almost a thousand kilometres away!

Bridy4u, no, if does not! "Ophir is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a cargo from Ophir every three years (1 Kings 10:22)". It is thought by some that the name may apply to the Philippines.