Ponorogo was previously called Wengker. Ponorogo is one of the Indonesia’s cultural icons with its Reog and is famous as the city of santri (students of Islamic boarding schools), has a dark past. The name of Ponorogo was coined by Bathara Katong in 1496 as a manifestation of his preachings. It was also the sign of the end of the old order, which was full of negative stigma, and the beginning of the better new order. Using philosophical and ethnosemantic approaches, this qualitative research examined the underlying reasons why Bathara Katong changed the name Wengker into Ponorogo. The new name contains philosophical meaning, that is, Ponorogo endeavours to become dynamic and creative civil society which upholds the values of civilization.