there are two hypotheses on the original meaning of "surigao" among linguists, depending on the original root word. if the root word was taken to be "sulig" ("sprout" or "spring up"), then surigao may have derived from "suligao" ("spring water"), likely referring to the surigao river (known as "suligaw" in mandaya) that empties at the northern tip of the island of mindanao. early historical accounts record the name of the river as suligao, surigao, or zurigan.