What is the real name of Jose Rizal?
“José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda” or “Jose Mercado” – He was advised to change his last name to Rizal (his middle name) to protect his identity as being related to the Mercados who at that time were targeted by the Spaniards. read more below: “Rizal is the descendant of Domingo Lam-co, a Chinese immigrant who sailed to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the mid 17th century (see Chinese Filipino). Lam-co married Inez de la Rosa, a Sangley native of Luzon. To free his descendants from the racist anti-Chinese policies of the Spanish authorities, Lam-co changed the family surname to the Spanish surname “Mercado” (market) so that they would not forget their Chinese merchant roots. As José became more embroiled in controversy, his elder brother and mentor Paciano advised him to change his name to protect the Mercados from Spanish authority. José changed his surname from Mercado to his middle name, “Rizal.” The name is derived from Spanish “rizal” or “ricial,” meaning “verdant
