'barong' originates from Tagalog, specifically the word 'baro', where 'baro' meant 'clothing' or 'shirt'.

'barong' changed from the Tagalog word 'baro' with the linker '-ng' producing 'barong', and the term entered English through contact with Tagalog speakers (including during the Spanish colonial period).

Initially, it meant 'clothing' or 'shirt', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a traditional Filipino embroidered formal shirt'.