The origin of the name "Dumanjug" is shrouded in several legends. The most popular version is of a story about a certain Roman, popularly called by his nickname Duman, who was a coconut plantation owner and producer of tuba (palm wine) that was popular with the villagers because of its taste and quality. His bamboo cleaners would beat on the coconut palms to gather the tuba. One dawn, the villagers were surprised when the sound was not heard. At the same time some Spaniards passed by the village. When the strangers asked about the place, the villagers responded, “Si Duman nahulog!” (Duman fell!) Not comprehending what the people were saying, the strangers thought that the name of the place was Dumanahug. Later, the name was hispanized and became Dumanjug.
Another legend from the pre-Spanish era is about a small bay along Tañon Strait with a village called ‘Dunggoan’ (meaning dock or wharf). This place is now called Barangay Tangil. ‘Dunggoan’ was used by fishermen from the nearby villages to dock their fishing boats along its shoreline after a day’s catch. Among the villagers in ‘Dunggoan’ was a certain Ka Doman, who had a big, loud, roaring voice that he would use to shout to his brother across the bay. He therefore earned the nickname ‘Ka Doman Dahunog’. Again, when a Spanish officer visited ‘Dunggoan’, he heard the loud call of Ka Doman and inquired from the villagers about the sound. Thereafter, the place ‘Dunggoan’ was known as ‘Kang Doman-Dahunog’, gradually shortened to Doman-dahunog and eventually to Dumanjug for better articulation.
