'barangay' originates from Tagalog (or other Philippine languages), specifically the word 'balangay', where the root 'baŋay' meant 'boat'.

'barangay' changed from the Austronesian/Old Malay word 'balangay'; during Spanish colonial rule it appeared in records with spellings such as 'baranggay' and it eventually became the modern Filipino/English form 'barangay'.

Initially, it meant 'boat' (or the crew/people of a boat), but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a local community or smallest administrative unit in the Philippines'.