Portuguese surnames
Encyclopedia
A typical Portuguese name is composed of one or two given name
s, and two family names
. The first surname is usually the mother's family surname and the second surname is the father's family surname, however, the order of the surnames can be reversed and it is common to find people with three or four surnames.
For practicality, usually only the last surname is used in formal greetings or in scientific papers indexing, but in a list of persons, the first given name, not the surname, is used for alphasorting. A married woman may add her husband's last surname(s) to the end of her own name, but this is not mandatory. The same may happen with men, though this is extremely rare.
In ancient times it was common practice for daughters to receive the mother's family name and sons to take their father's. For example, from Vasco da Gama
's marriage with Catarina de Ataíde, there were six sons who bore the surname da Gama and one daughter who took the surname de Ataíde. Even these days, among the older population, it is still not unusual to find siblings with completely different combinations of surnames.
To add to this basic pattern, a second given name, or other paternal or maternal surnames are optional, up to the aforementioned limit of two given names and four surnames. Both limits are sometimes not respected, especially among the former aristocracy. Usually, the maternal surnames precede the paternal ones, but the opposite is also possible; naturally, if the father is unknown, or has not acknowledged the child, only the mother's family name(s) is/are used. A child can also receive surnames from his/her parents' ancestors, even if those surnames are not part of the parents' names, under the condition that the parents prove those names were used by their ancestors.
Most Portuguese-speaking people use only their last surname (usually the paternal one) in their daily and professional life, but the regular usage of a middle surname or of a combination of two surnames is also widespread.
Complete names are formed generally as in Western Europe
, i.e., by first names, followed optionally by one or more middle name
s, followed by the mother's family surname, followed by the father's family surname. Examples:
For example, if José Santos Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo had a daughter, her name could simply be Joana Melo Almeida (given name + mother's last name + father's last name). However, they could give her two given names, for example Joana Madalena, and combine their surnames in various ways, such has Joana Madalena Melo Almeida, Joana Madalena Abreu Melo Almeida (two surnames from the mother, one from the father), Joana Madalena Abreu Santos Almeida (one name from the mother, two from the father), or even Joana Madalena Abreu Melo Santos Almeida (two names from each parent). It would also be possible to use surnames that are not part of either parent's legal name, but which the parents would be entitled to use, i.e., a surname from a grandparent or a great-grandparent that was not transmitted to the father or the mother. This child would probably become known by her final surname, Joana Almeida. However, her parents could decide to change the order of surnames and name her Joana Almeida Melo, etc. In this case she would probably be known as Joana Melo.
It is quite common for a person to go by one of their surnames which is not the last one in order, especially if it very common. For example, Aníbal Cavaco Silva
is commonly called "Cavaco" and Ayrton Senna da Silva chose to be known just as Ayrton Senna
because Silva is a very common surname.
Some Portuguese family names are made of two words, most often not hyphenated, but are not composite names, as they were not the result of combining two family names in past generations and constitute a single logical unit. These include toponyms (e.g. Castelo Branco), religious references (e.g. Espírito Santo, Santa Rita), or other expressions (e.g. Corte Real, Mil-Homens). In this case both words must be cited (e.g. writer Camilo Castelo Branco is never referred to as Camilo Branco, and in alphabetical order goes under 'C') and they count as just one vocable in what relates to the legal limit of four surnames.
Middle names (second given names and surnames that are not the final name) and suffixes can be abbreviated, but usually the first name and the surname are not abbreviated. A notable exception was writer Ruben A., whose complete name was Ruben Andresen Leitão. Example: José E. C. Lima (Jr.). This differs from rules in Spanish names, which use the mother's family name at the end. Example: Norberto García C.
Today one can find people who use two Italian surnames (like "Guglielmo Bianchini") or two Japanese surnames (like "Sugahara Uemura"), a practice that is unusual in Italy and nonexistent in Japan. Having two surnames from non-European immigrants is also common, like "Sato Rahal
", a Japanese and an Arab surname, respectively.
The Spanish pattern is to use both the father's and mother's family surnames, but in reverse order compared to Portuguese pattern. Almost all of the first Spanish-Brazilian born generation were named in order of the family surnames of the Portuguese pattern.
This pattern is most used among Japan
ese and Syria
n-Lebanese
immigrants sons and grandsons. So one can find names like "Paulo Salim Maluf" where Paulo is a Portuguese given name, Salim is an Arabian given name, and Maluf is his father's surname; or "Maria Heiko Sugahara" where Maria is a Portuguese given name, Heiko a Japanese given name and Sugahara is her father's surname. This practice allows the person to be recognized as "Paulo Maluf" or "Maria Sugahara" (in the large Brazilian society) or as "Salim Maluf" or "Heiko Sugahara" (in the immigrants' social community).
This pattern became almost a general rule in São Paulo
and other southern states. Miscegenation slowed down this use; but it is commonly used when both father and mother belong to the same ethnicity. Younger generations tend to use both the father and the mother family name, thus giving four names to their sons (like "Paulo Salim Lutfalla Maluf" or "Maria Heiko Sugahara Uemura").
In Portugal
, a person may adopt his or her spouse's surname(s), but nevertheless the original birth surnames are always kept. For example, if Maria Abreu Melo marries José Santos Almeida, she could choose to become Maria Abreu Melo Almeida or Maria Abreu Melo Santos Almeida.
In Brazil, a woman may adopt her husband's surname(s) and choose to keep or exclude her birth names. For example, when Maria Abreu Melo marries José Santos Almeida, she could choose to become Maria Abreu Melo Almeida, Maria Abreu Melo Santos Almeida, Maria Santos Almeida, Maria Almeida, etc. Usually, in these cases, a woman kept part of her birth name and use part of her husband's surname, in order to avoid having long names. So, the most used combination from the above example should be Maria Melo Almeida.
The mandatory adoption of the new name led to unusual combinations, like in the (not uncommon) case of both spouses having the same surname, when the woman surname was kept. Another confusing situation was, for example when a woman named Ana Lima Silva married a man named João Lima, her name could legally become Ana Lima Silva Lima.
Nowadays, fewer women adopt, even officially, their husbands' names, and among those who do so officially, it is quite common not to use it either in their professional or informal life.
In Portugal, since 1977, and in Brazil
, since the 1970s, a woman has the option of whether or not to change her name after marriage. In Portugal, since 1977, and in Brazil, since 2002, a husband can also adopt his wife's surname. In Portugal, when this happens, usually both spouses change their name after marriage (for example, José Santos Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo could become José Santos Melo Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo Almeida or even "José Santos Almeida Melo" and "Maria Abreu Melo Almeida"). In Brazil, there is not yet a perceived pattern.
This custom has been fading since the 1970s and nowadays it is rarely found, due to the cumbersome need to update registries, documents, etc., after the name change and back again in the event of divorce.
, that a married woman has two given names and six surnames, two from her mother's family, two from her father's family and the last two coming from her husband. In addition, some of these names may be made of more than one word, so that a full feminine name can have more than 12 words. For instance, the name "Maria do Carmo Mão de Ferro e Cunha de Almeida Santa Rita Santos Abreu" would not be surprising in a married woman. Mão de Ferro (iron hand) and Santa Rita (after Saint Rita of Cascia) count only as one surname each. In this case, Santos Abreu would probably have come from this woman's husband.
In Portugal, the custom of giving a child four last names is getting popular, since this way a child can have each of their grandparents' last name. In Portugal and Brazil some people view this as a sign of snobbery, since it used to be the noble families who had a large number of surnames (for instance, the 4th Duke of Lafões
(1797–1851), whose full name was Caetano Segismundo de Bragança e Ligne de Sousa Tavares Mascarenhas da Silva). For the sake of simplicity, most Portuguese people have two surnames.
In Portugal, having only one surname is rare, and it usually happens when both the parents have the same last name, to avoid repetitive combinations such as António Santos Santos (which would, however, be a perfectly legal name). In Brazil, having only one surname is common in areas with large communities of non-Portuguese immigrants.
and orthographical
rules of the Portuguese language
. The spelling of many names has evolved through times and with orthography reforms, and archaic forms of names are considered misspellings and have little use in Portugal.
In Portugal – Given names have a standard spelling that is considered the norm (even for non-contemporary figures). Misspelt and archaic forms are considered incorrect (e.g., Isabel and not Izabel; Luís and not Luiz). Names containing foreign letters - k
, y
, w
- are usually not allowed, but this is slowly changing (e.g., Katia, rejected by the Civil Registration Office in 1969, is nowadays acceptable as a variant of the more standard spelling Cátia). However, older people who were registered with archaic forms have continued to use them (examples include Manoel de Oliveira
– the modern spelling would be Manuel). Regarding surnames, there is no legal restrictions, and as such many people continue to use archaic spellings of family names, as in Athayde (modern form Ataíde), Telles (modern form Teles). This is usually done in the upper classes, with the purpose of making the surname look more unusual or dignified.
In Brazil – There are no laws concerning names, and as such many archaic spellings and cognat forms of the same names coexist (Teresa [the only right form by the current orthography], Thereza, Tereza). Names of international inspiration are common and diacritics
are also omitted at times. The parents can make up any type of name, and the economic lower classes usually use suffixes to give foreign allure to their offspring names, such as "-son" for boys and "-elly" for girls (Deividson, Joeldson, Maiksson, Nadrielly, Andrielly, Marcelly, Nathyelly etc.). This phenomenon can be easily seen on Brazilian soccer players' names.
Mary
, from Hebrew
Miryam, via Latin
Maria) is extremely common as a feminine given name and even combined with masculine names. It was so widely used that nowadays it is considered tacky in Brazil, and it is rare to find women and men under forty years of age using it combined or alone. In Portugal it has always been common and in recent years, with a new wave of traditional given names, it has had an increase in popularity.
Traditionally Maria is more common as the first part of a double first name combination; these may be formed by several different elements.
Religious predicates (often honouring one of the Virgin Mary's denominations):
Other types of combinations:
Many names that are etymologically
related to Maria are also used. The most common one is name Mariana, a contraction of Maria and Ana (introduced in Portugal by Spanish-born Queen Mariana Vitória de Bourbon
and often used in the Portuguese Royal Family). Other international aglutinations of Maria combinations have been introduced in more recent times. These include Marisa (from Spanish
María Isabel), Marlene (from German
Maria Magdalene), and Marília.
As Maria is so widely used, women are most likely to be addressed by just the second element of their name: Conceição (Conception), Dores (Sorrows), Céu (sky/heaven), Luz (light), Lurdes (Lourdes
), Fátima
, Salete, Aparecida (appeared one), Madalena, Antónia, Teresa, etc. A woman named Maria de Jesus would be called "Jesus", even though the second name is masculine.
A similar thing happens with the name Ana
(English Anne
or Hannah
), also very common in double-name combinations especially in the younger generations. A woman called Ana Paula would be usually called 'Paula', Ana Carolina would be 'Carolina' and so on.
A similar procedure occurs with masculine names, but using a reverse order. It is not unusual to find masculine names like João Maria, José Maria, Manuel Maria, etc. In this case, Maria would always be the second given name, in honour of Virgin Mary, and the first name would be a masculine name. This custom is fashionable among the Portuguese nobility and the upper classes, but is considered tacky in Brazil.
n president José Eduardo dos Santos
, who is referred to as President Dos Santos, even among Portuguese-speaking people and in Portuguese language media.
However, in areas such as a telephone directory or bibliography, the practice of using the (last) surname is preferred. The conjunctives and affixes preceding or following it, such as "da" and "Filho", are not used. When a full composite surname is known, it is alphabetized according to the first name even if not separated by a hyphen. When it is not known, the last name should be used. Because of this, many errors are committed in the alphabetization of Portuguese surnames, such as in a telephone directory. For example:
These rules may change if the Portuguese name has been absorbed into a different culture, as in Anglo-Saxon countries. In the United States
, for example, where many Portuguese have emigrated since the 18th century to New Jersey
and New Hampshire
, alphabetising rules use "da" and "de" as part of the surname. The Portuguese-American author John Dos Passos
, who is referred to as having the surname Dos Passos, is a good example.
becomes Teresinha (meaning "little Teresa"), and Carlos
becomes Carlinhos ("little Carlos"). In some cases, a nickname is formed by adding zinho(a) or -zito(a) - to the actual name. For example, João
becomes Joãozinho ("little João") or Sofia
becomes Sofiazinha ("little Sofia").
Augmentative suffixes may be used as well, with "Marcos" becoming "Marcão", for example.
Other practices include the repetition of a syllable (Nonô from Leonor
, Zezé from José
), a simple shortening of the name (Fred from Frederico, Bea or Bia from Beatriz), the contraction of the name (Manel from Manuel), or of a fraction of it (Beto from Alberto or Roberto, Mila from Emília or Camila). A mix of shortening and adding a suffix may also occur (Leco from Leonardo). Sometimes, a foreign-language nickname is used for the corresponding Portuguese name ("Rick" for Ricardo, "Maggie" from Margarida). Most given names have one or more standard diminutives.
Some typical Portuguese hypocoristic
s (the ones marked with * are almost exclusively Brazilian):
Other hypochoristics are associated with common two name combinations:
A hypocoristics can receive the suffix -inho (meaning "little") giving a more intense feeling of protection or intimacy, such as Chiquinho (from Chico, the hypocoristics for Francisco - Francis), Xandinho (from Xando, for Alexandre - Alexander), Zequinha (form Zeca, for José = Joseph).
n (Casae), Iberian (Sunua) or Conii (Alainus). The names were clearly ethnic and some typical of a tribe or region. A slow adoption of the Roman onomastic
occurred after the end of the first century a.c. with the adoption of a Roman name
or of the tria nomina:praenomen (given name), nomen (gentile) and cognomen
.
Most of Portuguese surnames have a patronymical, locative or religious origin.
In Portuguese, patronymics are surnames like Henriques
, Rodrigues, Lopes
, Nunes
, Mendes
, Fernandes
, Gonçalves
, Esteves and Álvares
, where the ending -es- means (son of). The meaning is the same of the -ez suffix used in Spanish
patronymics.
Some surnames originated in this way do not end in es; instead they end in iz, like Muniz (son of Monio) and Ruiz, (son of Ruy), or ins, like Martins (son of Martim).
Although most Portuguese surnames ending in -es are former patronymics, some family names with -es- endings are not patronymics, but toponymics, such as Tavares, Pires, Cortês and Chaves.
In the beginning of the surname formation, the ending -es- was not used. So, Joana daughter of Fernando could be called Joana Fernando, as like as André João meant André son of João. One can find today in Portugal and Brazil people who still use surnames that for other people are just given names, although were passed from parents to sons for generations and do not have the ending -es-, such like Valentim, Alexandre, Fernando, Afonso (note the family name de Melo Afonso) and Antonio (note de Melo Antonio). Names like Dinis, Duarte, Garcia and Godinho were originally given names, but today they are used in Brazil almost exclusively as surnames, although Duarte and Dinis are still common given names in Portugal.
Matronymics (surnames derived from female given names) are almost never used in Portuguese, but surnames such as "Catarino" (from Catarina
) and "Mariano" (meaning related to Maria
) could originate from the name of a real mother or from a spiritual mother, the Virgin Mary.
Some former patronymics are not easily recognized, for two main reasons. Sometimes the given name that originated the patronymic became archaic, such as Lopo (that originated Lopes), Mendo or Mem (Mendes), Vasco (Vasques), Soeiro (Soares), Munio (Muniz), Sancho (Sanches). Also, often the given names or the related patronymic changed through centuries, although always some resemblance can still be noted - such as Antunes (son of Antão or Antonio), Peres (son of Pero, archaic form of Pedro), Alves (from Alvares, son of Álvaro), and Eanes (from mediaeval Iohannes, son of João).
, Barros, Bastos
, Castelo Branco, Cintra (from Sintra
), Coimbra
, Faria, Gouveia, Guimarães
, Lima (the name of a river, not meaning lime
), Lisboa (Lisbon
), Pacheco (from village of Pacheca), Porto (Oporto), Portugal
, Serpa
, etc., fit this rule. A surname like Leão (lion) may mean that an ancestor came from the old Iberian kingdom of León
(Northwestern Spain) or the French city of Lyon
.
Not all villages and towns that originated surnames exist, kept the same name, or are inhabited today.
Some names specify an ancestral location of the family's house within the village: Fonte (by the fountain), Azenha (by the water-mill), Eira (by the threshing-floor), Tanque (by the community cistern), Fundo (on the lower part of the village), Cimo/Cima (on the upper part of the village), Cabo (on the far end of the village), Cabral (near the field where the goats graze). In some cases, the family name may not be a locative, but an indication of ownership.
Some geological or geographical words were also used to name people like Pedroso (stony or full of peddles land), Rocha (rock), Souza/Sousa (from Latin saxa, a place with seixos, i.e. peddles, or the name of a Portuguese river), Vale (valley, dale), Ribeiro (little river, creek, brook), Siqueira or Sequeira (a non-irrigated land), Castro (castle or ruins of ancient buildings), Dantas (from d'Antas, a place with antas, i.e. prehistoric stone monuments or dolmens), Costa (coast of the sea), Pedreira (quarry), Barreira (clay quarry). The name Ferreira is a locative surname first used by people who lived in the many towns and villages named Ferreira, i.e. a place where one can find iron (ferro) ore.
Names of trees or plantations are also locative surnames, supposed originally to identify an ancestor who lived near or inside a plantation, an orchard or a place with a characteristic kind of vegetation. Names like Matos (woods, forest), Campos (grass fields, prairie), Teixeira (a place covered with yew trees), Queirós (a kind of grass), Cardoso (a place covered with cardos, i.e. with cardoons or thistles), Correia (a place covered with corriolas or correas, a kind of plant), Macedo (an apple tree garden), and Azevedo (a forest of azevinho, i.e. a holly wood) fit this pattern.
Tree names are very common locative surnames - Oliveira
(olive tree), Carvalho (oak tree
), Salgueiro (willow
), Pinheiro (pine tree), Pereira
(pear tree), Moreira (from amoreira, i.e. mullberry tree), Macieira (apple tree), Figueira (fig tree). These are not old Jewish-Portuguese surnames, as explained below, although this myth is often repeated.
Religious names includes de Jesus
(of Jesus), dos Reis (of the kings, from the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Day of the Wise Kings), Ramos (branches, from Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter), Pascoal (of Easter), da Assunção (of the Assumption of the Virgin Maryn), do Nascimento (of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary or the Nativity of Jesus - Christmas), da Visitação (of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary), da Anunciação (of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary), da Conceição (of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary), Trindade (from Trinity Sunday), do Espírito Santo (of the Holy Ghost, from the Feast of the Holy Ghost), das Chagas (of wounds, from the Feast of the Five Wounds of Christ), Graça (grace, from Our Lady of Grace), Patrocínio (patronage, from Our Lady of Patronage), Paz (peace, from Our Lady Mediatrix of Peace), Luz (light, from Our Lady of the Divine Light), Neves (snows, from Our Lady of the Snows), Penha (cliff, bluff, from Our Lady of the Bluff of France, that in Spanish is called Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia), das Dores (of sorrows, from Our Lady of Sorrows), Bonfim (good end, from Our Lord of Good Death), das Virgens (of the virgins martyrs), dos Anjos (of angels, from the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel day), São João (Saint John), Santana (Saint Ann), Santos (from 'Todos os Santos', i.e. from All Hallows or All Saints day) and Cruz (Cross, the most common surname among the Belmonte Jews
).
An orphan with unknown parents or a converted (Jew, African slave or Native Brazilian
) could be baptized with the name of a saint, like João Baptista (from Saint John Baptist), João Evangelista (from Saint John the Evangelist), João de Deus (from Saint John of God), Antônio de Pádua (from Saint Anthony of Padova), João Nepomuceno (from Saint John of Nepomuk), Francisco de Assis (from Saint Francis of Assisi), Francisco de Paula (from Saint Francis of Paola), Francisco de Salles (from Saint Francis de Salles), Inácio de Loiola (from Saint Ignatius of Loyola), Tomás Aquino (from Saint Thomas Aquinas), José de Calanzans (from Saint Joseph of Calasanz), or José de Cupertino (from Saint Joseph of Cupertino). After that, they usually passed only the second given name (Batista, Evangelista, de Deus, Pádua, Nepomuceno, Assis, de Paula, Sales, Loiola, Aquino, Calanzans or Cupertino) to their sons as a surname.
A surname like Xavier could have originated from someone baptized after Saint Francis Xavier or from the old Portuguese family Xavier.
These include names like Peixoto ("little fish", applied to a nobleman who used a fish to trick his enemies during a siege), Peixe (fish, i.e. swimmer, or also fisherman or fishmonger), Veloso (wooly, i.e. hairy), Ramalho (full of tree branches, bushy, i.e. with a thick beard), Barroso (clay covered, i.e. with pimples), Lobo (wolf, i.e. fierce, savage), Lobato (little wolf, wolf cub), Raposo (fox, i.e. smart), Pinto (chick, i.e. gentle and kind), Tourinho (little bull, i.e. stout, strong), Vergueiro (that bends, i.e., weak), Medrado (grown-up, i.e. tall), Tinoco (short, small), Porciúncula (small part, small piece), Magro (thin), Magriço (skinny), Gago (stutterer, stammerer), Galhardo (gallant, chivalrous), Terrível (terrible), Penteado (hairdressing, the nickname of a branch of the German Werneck family whose members used to wear wigs), Romero (from romeiro, pilgrim, i.e. someone who had made a religious voyage to Rome
, Santiago de Compostela
or Jerusalem).
A common mistake is to suppose that the Portuguese surname Ferreira means blacksmith (ferreiro in Portuguese) since there is a similar surname in many languages (English Smith, German Schmidt, Arab Bittar, etc.). But Ferreira is the name of a river and of many villages and towns in Portugal.
or Brazil many centuries ago. They are so ancient that, despite their known foreign origin, they are an integrated part of Portuguese and Brazilian cultures.
Most of these names are Spanish, such as Toledo (a city in Spain), Ávila or Dávila (a city in Spain) and Padilha. Other common "foreign" surnames are Bettencourt or Bittencourt (from Béthencourt
, French), Goulart, Goulard or Gullar (French, original meaning is glutton), Fontenele or Fontenelle (French, from fountain), Rubim (from Robin, French), Alencastro, Lencastre (from Lancaster, English), Drummond (Scottish), Werneck, Vernek or Berneque (southern German, the name of the Bavaria
n city Werneck
), Wanderley (from van der Ley, Flemish), Dutra (from De Ultra, a Latin name meaning "from beyond" assumed by the Flemish family Van Hurtere), Brum (from Bruyn, Flemish), Bulcão (from Bulcamp, Flemish), Dulmo (from van Olm, Flemish), Acioli (Italian), Doria (Italian), Cavalcanti (Italian), Mota or Motta (Italian), Netto or Neto (Italian, not to be confused with the name suffix "Neto" ("grandson") that is used in Portuguese to distinguish a grandson and grandfather who bear the same names).
up to 1497, when they were forced to choose between conversion or expulsion, substituted their surnames with the names of trees that do not bear edible fruits, such as Carvalho
(oak tree) and Junqueira (reed, bulrush, junk). Others say that they usually chose tree names such as Pereira (pear tree) , Valeira (of the valley), or Oliveira (olive tree), in this case trees that bear edible fruits. However, these names were already used by Christians during the Middle Ages.
Another family name usually pointed out as denoting Jewish ancestry is Espírito Santo (Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost). The rationale is that Jews would adopt as a family name an (apparently) Christian concept as a deception. In fact, they were choosing the most incorporeal Trinity
person, that is, the one that offended least their (secret) Jewish faith. This theory is not totally unfounded, as there are proofs that the cult around the Holy Spirit flourished after 1496, especially among New Christians. This does not rule out that "Espírito Santo" was also adopted by faithful Christians, following the rationale of other religious surnames.
The Portuguese Jews living in Portugal up to 1497 bore given names that could distinguish them from the Christian population. Most of these names are Portuguese versions of older semitic (Arabian, Hebrew, Aramaic) names like Abenazo, Aboab, Abravanel, Albarrux, Azenha, Benafull, Benafaçom, Benazo, Caçez, Cachado, Çaçom/Saçom, Carraf, Carilho, Cide/Cid, Çoleima, Faquim, Faracho, Faravom, Fayham/Fayam, Focem, Çacam/Sacam, Famiz, Gadim, Gedelha, Labymda, Latam/Latão, Loquem, Lozora, Maalom, Maçon, Maconde, Mocatel, Mollaão, Montam, Motaal, Rondim, Rosall, Samaia/Çamaya, Sanamel, Saraya, Tarraz, Tavy/Tovy, Toby, Varmar, Zaaboca, Zabocas, Zaquim, Zaquem. Some were locative names, not necessarily specific to Jewish populations, like Catelaão/Catalão (Catalan), Castelão/Castelhão (Castilian), Crescente (crescent, from Turkey), Medina (Medinah), Romano (Roman), Romão, Romeiro, Tolledam/Toledano (from Toledo
), Vallency (Valencia) and Vascos (Basque); some were patronymics from Biblical names like Abraão (Abraham), Lázaro (Lazar), Barnabé, Benjamim, Gabril (Gabriel), Muça (Moses) and Natam (Nathan); some are profession names such as Caldeirão (cauldron), Martelo (hammer), Pexeiro (fishmonger), Chaveirol (locksmith) and Prateiro (silversmith); some are nicknames such as Calvo (bald), Dourado (golden, like the German Goldfarb), Ruivo (red-headed), Crespo (curly), Querido (beloved) and Parente (family relative). A few names are not distinct from old Portuguese surnames like Camarinha, Castro, Crespim.
Some scholars proved that the converted Portuguese Jews usually chose a patronymic as their new surname and, when the conversion was not forced, they would choose to bear the surname of their godfather.
The Jewish-Portuguese community that flourished in the Netherlands and Hamburg, Germany, after their expulsion from Portugal used surnames such as Camargo, Costa, Fonseca, Dias, Pinto, and Silveira.
Some of the most famous descendants of Portuguese Jews who lived outside Portugal are the philosopher Baruch Spinoza
(in Portuguese Bento de Espinosa) and the classical economist David Ricardo
. Other famous members of the Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam bore names such as Uriel da Costa
(or Uriel Acosta, Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
, Isaac de Pinto
and Menasseh ben Israel
(whose original surname was Soeiro).
The Belmonte Jews
(crypto-Jews from the Belmonte region in Portugal) also bear surnames that cannot be used to distinguish them from the older Catholic Portuguese families. Using tree names as surnames was not a common practice among converted or non-converted Portuguese Jews, before or after their expulsion
in 1497.
According to the Cartórios Associados Website the most common given names in Brazil during the last 2 years (Jan/2008 - Nov/2009), were:
names and were christened with a Portuguese given name. While slavery persisted, slaves needed to have distinct names only within the plantation (fazenda or engenho) to which they belonged.
It was a common practice to name free slaves after their former owners, so all their descendants have the Portuguese surnames of their former owner.
Indigenous people who were not slaves also chose to use their godparents' surnames as their own.
Religious names are also more common among people with African or Native Brazilian
ancestors than among people with only European ancestors. A slave who had just a given name like Francisco de Assis (from Saint Francis of Assisi
) could use the partial name de Assis as a surname, since the connective -de- gives the appearance of surname.
The practice of naming Afro-Brazilians with religious surnames was proved even by some indirect approaches. Medical researchers demonstrated that there's is a statistical correlation between a religious name and genetic diseases related to African ancestry such as the sickle-cell disease. Due to miscegenation
, the correlation exists even among white people that have a religious surname.
It was also common to name indigenous people and freed slaves with surnames which were already very common such as Silva or Costa. That is why Silva is the most common surname in Brazil.
as a patriotic way to emphasize the new Fatherland. Some of these names are still spelled with Portuguese
old orthography
, but some are spelled according the new rules. These names, following the old orthography
, include:
Due to emigration, nowadays one can find these surnames even in Portugal
.
These are surnames like Brasil, (Brazil), Brasiliense (Brazilian), Brasileiro (also Brazilian), América, Americano (American), Bahiense (from Bahia city, today called Salvador
), Cearense (from Ceará
State) and ' Maranhão (from Maranhão
State)
Some of these are toponyms derived from Tupian languages
such as:
), 'Parahyba (from Paraíba do Sul
river, not related to the northern Paraíba
river, Paraíba
State, or Paraíba city, today called João Pessoa
); Brazilian places: Pirassununga
(snoring fish, in Tupian language
), Piratininga
(dried fish, in Tupian language
), Carioca
(from Rio de Janeiro city, originally meant white man house in Tupian language
).
Due to immigration, nowadays one can find these surnames even in Portugal
.
Some locative surnames derived indirectly as the result of its incorporation by the family after the Imperial nobility title of an ancestor. During the times of Emperor Pedro II, non-hereditary nobilities titles would be granted to notable persons, generally statesmen. The title (but no lordship) would be granted and named after a location, as in Europe, generally owned by the notable. At their death, the family in order to maintain the reference to the title would adopt them, to the point that many Brazilians still believe these are hereditary.
Thus surnames like:
Rio Branco (from Barão de Rio Branco
, i.e., José Maria da Silva Paranhos), Jaguaribe (from Barão de Jaguaribe
), Ouro Preto (from Visconde de Ouro Preto
), Paranaguá (from the various Marqueses de Paranaguá
as the title would be granted to more than one notable), Araripe (Barão de Araripe
), Suassuna (Barão de Suassuna), etc...
, Spain
, Germany
, Austria
, France
, Switzerland
, Belgium
, Netherlands
, Poland
, Ukraine
, Russia
, Bohemia
, Lithuania
, Finland
, Sweden
, Hungary
, UK, Ireland
, Syria
, Lebanon
, Japan
, China
, Korea
, United States
etc.) increased the diversity of surnames in Brazil.
Some foreign surnames were misspelled after many generations and today cannot be recognized in their original country (the French-Swiss family name Magnan changed to Manhães after some decades). Some misspelled foreign surnames are hardly recognized by speakers of the original language such as Collor (from German Koeller), Chamareli (from Italian Sciammarelli) and Branquini (from Italian Bianchini). Sometimes, different rules of romanization were applied to Japanese and Arabic names (like Nacamura and Nakamura, Yamaguchi and Iamaguti, Sabag and Sappak, Bukhalil and Bucalil).
Thus there are extensively adapted or misspelled foreign surnames used by Brazilian descendants of non-Portuguese immigrants. Due to emigration, nowadays one can find these misspelled surnames even in their original country.
, immigrants used to change their surname to show assimilation or to avoid social discrimination in Brazil.
This practice was most used during World War II
by Italian immigrants because Italy was an enemy country for a few years. As Italians are Catholics and were easily assimilated in the larger Brazilian society, the practice is not perceived and almost forgot after a single generation.
The new Portuguese surname was generally chosen based on the original meaning of the foreign surname (Olivetto, Olivetti or Oliva sometimes changed to Oliveira). Sometimes the new surname had only a phonetical resemblance with the foreign one (the Italian surmanes Livieiro and Salviani sometimes were changed to Oliveira and Silva.
s of their given name, such as "Coronel Tonico" (something like Colonel Tony), "Comendador Paulinho" (Commender Lil' Paul), "Dona Chica" (Lady Lil' Frances"), Sinhá Mariquinha (Mrs. Lil' Mary, sinhá is a popular pronunciation of senhora, i.e. Mrs.). Although an American president could be called Bill (Clinton) or Jimmy (Carter) by the press, this practice was used in Brazil as a much more respectful treatment and never in a formal way.
Some sociologists have suggested that members of the Brazilian upper classes were often raised by slave women who called them using a hypocoristics, and that childish name continued to be used, but in a respectful way, when they grew up.
Today, this practice is not so widespread, but one can find people informally, but respectfully, called "Seu Zé" (Mr Joe, Seu is a short Mister) or "Dona Ritinha" (Lady Lil' Rita).
, Vital Brasil, Miguel Pereira and Lafayette Rodrigues families. Such practice allows them to be easily recognized by other people as descendants of their famous ancestor. Such a pattern is rare.
, newborn children can only be named from a list of given names permitted by Civil Law. Names are required to be spelt according to the rules of Portuguese orthography
and to be a part of Portuguese-language onomastic (traditionally names in Portugal were based on the calendar of saints
). Thus in Portugal the given names show little variation, as traditional names are favoured over "modern" ones. Examples of popular Portuguese names are António, João, José, Francisco, Pedro or Manuel (for men) and Maria, Ana, Isabel, Teresa or Joana (for women). In recent decades there has been a popularity rise for ancient historical names such as Gonçalo, Bernardo, Vasco, Afonso, Leonor, Catarina or Beatriz. If one of the Parents is not Portuguese or has double citizenship, foreign names are allowed, as long as the parents present a document proving the requested name is allowed in their country of origin. In the past, immigrant children who were born abroad were required to adopt a Portuguese name in order to become Portuguese citizens - an example is tennis player Michelle de Brito, whose legal name is Micaela. This practise no longer applies.
In Brazil, there is no legal restriction on naming a newborn child, unless the given name has a meaning that can humiliate or embarrass those who bear it.
Brazilians living far from the big cities or lower-class people are prone to create new given names, joining together the given names of the parents or classical given names, changing the spelling of foreign names or even using foreign suffixes that - they may believe - give a sophisticated or modern sound to the new name (see Mauren - from Maureen - , Deivid - from David, Robison).
Foreign surnames are also widely used as given names such as Wagner
, Mozart, Donizetti, Lamartine, Danton
, Anderson, Emerson
, Edison
, Franklin
, Nelson
, Wilson
, Washington
, Jefferson
, Jensen, Kennedy
, Lenin
, Newton
, Nobel
, and Rosenberg. Originally these names showed the political, artistic or scientific admiration of the parents who first used them to name their sons.
was used as the symbol of the Empire. At this time, Brazilian people started to use Native Brazilian
names as given names. Some are among the most popular until nowadays.
These are names like Araci, Caubi, Guaraci, Iara, Iberê, Ioná, Jaci, Janaína, Jandira, Juçara, Juraci, Jurema, Maiara, Moacir, Moema, Ubiratã, Ceci, Iracema, Peri and Ubirajara (the last four taken from José de Alencar
's works).
Recently, Brazilians have started to use other given names of Native Brazilian
origin like Rudá (love), Cauã and Cauê (sun), although these are now very rare and their use connotes the hippie culture.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s, and two family names
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
. The first surname is usually the mother's family surname and the second surname is the father's family surname, however, the order of the surnames can be reversed and it is common to find people with three or four surnames.
For practicality, usually only the last surname is used in formal greetings or in scientific papers indexing, but in a list of persons, the first given name, not the surname, is used for alphasorting. A married woman may add her husband's last surname(s) to the end of her own name, but this is not mandatory. The same may happen with men, though this is extremely rare.
General
The Portuguese naming system is quite flexible. The law establishes the need for a child to have at least one given name and one last name (surname) from one of the parents, although having only one last name is now very rare. The law also establishes the maximum number of names allowed: up to two given names and four surnames (just in Portugal).In ancient times it was common practice for daughters to receive the mother's family name and sons to take their father's. For example, from Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
's marriage with Catarina de Ataíde, there were six sons who bore the surname da Gama and one daughter who took the surname de Ataíde. Even these days, among the older population, it is still not unusual to find siblings with completely different combinations of surnames.
To add to this basic pattern, a second given name, or other paternal or maternal surnames are optional, up to the aforementioned limit of two given names and four surnames. Both limits are sometimes not respected, especially among the former aristocracy. Usually, the maternal surnames precede the paternal ones, but the opposite is also possible; naturally, if the father is unknown, or has not acknowledged the child, only the mother's family name(s) is/are used. A child can also receive surnames from his/her parents' ancestors, even if those surnames are not part of the parents' names, under the condition that the parents prove those names were used by their ancestors.
Most Portuguese-speaking people use only their last surname (usually the paternal one) in their daily and professional life, but the regular usage of a middle surname or of a combination of two surnames is also widespread.
Complete names are formed generally as in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, i.e., by first names, followed optionally by one or more middle name
Middle name
People's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. In Canada and the United States all such names are specifically referred to as middle name; in most European countries they would simply be regarded as second, third, etc....
s, followed by the mother's family surname, followed by the father's family surname. Examples:
- José Silva: The simplest configuration, with a given name and one family surname, either from the father or the mother. This simple configuration is rather rare, nowadays.
- José Eduardo Silva: José Eduardo are the given names and Silva the one family name. (However, note that Eduardo may be a valid family name: there is no way of knowing just by looking at the name.) Again, this is not common today, but this could happen in the case that both the child's parents have the same (final) family name (although not necessarily, since the same final family name can be repeated, as in José Eduardo Silva e Silva).
- José Eduardo Tavares Silva: In this case a second family name has been added. In theory the first surname (Tavares) would come from the mother and the second one (Silva) from the father, but it could be reversed. Another possibility would be that "Tavares Silva" is a composite family name, because this is relatively common in Portuguese surnames, i.e., both names are carried down to all descendants. Hyphenated names are rare in Portuguese, i.e., "Tavares-Silva," a convention which would dispel the confusion. Sometimes this convention is artificially forced by authors, politicians, etc., who want to be correctly cited in other countries.
- José Eduardo Santos Tavares Melo Silva: The most complete combination of names possible. In this case, the person could have two surnames coming from each parent or one coming from one parent and three from the other. The latter case is not so common, but it is impossible to tell for sure just by looking at the name.
- If the complete name repeats the name of a relative, e.g., father, grandfather or uncle, it may be suffixSuffixIn linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
ed by: Júnior (abbreviated Jr.), Filho (meaning son), Neto (grandson) or Sobrinho (nephew). This is always written with initial upper case and without a separating comma. This practice is rare in Portugal but common in Brazil. Although rare, one can find even people with the Sobrinho Neto (nephew grandson) suffixes. Bisneto (great-grandson) is rare but can also be found. This convention is much less common for female names, but in Brazil the suffixes Filha (daughter) and Neta (granddaughter) are used. Roman numerals, such as II, III, etc. for son, grandson, and great-grandson are not used since the practice is not allowed by the law in Brazil and Portugal. - PrepositionsAdpositionPrepositions are a grammatically distinct class of words whose most central members characteristically express spatial relations or serve to mark various syntactic functions and semantic roles...
that can be used in Portuguese surnames are da, das, do, dos and de, such as in Luís de Sousa, Maria da Conceição, Osvaldo dos Santos, Luísa das Neves, etc. and mean "from" or "of". Da, dos, etc. are contractions of the preposition de and a definite articleArticle (grammar)An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
(o, as, etc.), meaning "from the" or "of the". The current convention in Portuguese is that they be written in lower case. Different from in Italian surnames, these conjunctives are usually not part of a composite name, i.e., "Sousa" is not different from "de Sousa", and both are ordered under 'S' in an alphabetical list. Therefore, one should not refer to Luís Inácio Lula da Silva as Mr. Da Silva but rather Mr. Silva. The conjunctionGrammatical conjunctionIn grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each...
"e" (and) is also common, e.g. "Maria Costa e Silva". Most commonly this would be a composite surname; in this case the person should be addressed as "Ms Costa e Silva", and not as Ms. Silva.
For example, if José Santos Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo had a daughter, her name could simply be Joana Melo Almeida (given name + mother's last name + father's last name). However, they could give her two given names, for example Joana Madalena, and combine their surnames in various ways, such has Joana Madalena Melo Almeida, Joana Madalena Abreu Melo Almeida (two surnames from the mother, one from the father), Joana Madalena Abreu Santos Almeida (one name from the mother, two from the father), or even Joana Madalena Abreu Melo Santos Almeida (two names from each parent). It would also be possible to use surnames that are not part of either parent's legal name, but which the parents would be entitled to use, i.e., a surname from a grandparent or a great-grandparent that was not transmitted to the father or the mother. This child would probably become known by her final surname, Joana Almeida. However, her parents could decide to change the order of surnames and name her Joana Almeida Melo, etc. In this case she would probably be known as Joana Melo.
It is quite common for a person to go by one of their surnames which is not the last one in order, especially if it very common. For example, Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, GCC , is the President of Portugal. He won the Portuguese presidential election on 22 January 2006 and was re-elected on 23 January 2011, for a second five-year term. Cavaco Silva was sworn in on 9 March 2006....
is commonly called "Cavaco" and Ayrton Senna da Silva chose to be known just as Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
because Silva is a very common surname.
Some Portuguese family names are made of two words, most often not hyphenated, but are not composite names, as they were not the result of combining two family names in past generations and constitute a single logical unit. These include toponyms (e.g. Castelo Branco), religious references (e.g. Espírito Santo, Santa Rita), or other expressions (e.g. Corte Real, Mil-Homens). In this case both words must be cited (e.g. writer Camilo Castelo Branco is never referred to as Camilo Branco, and in alphabetical order goes under 'C') and they count as just one vocable in what relates to the legal limit of four surnames.
Middle names (second given names and surnames that are not the final name) and suffixes can be abbreviated, but usually the first name and the surname are not abbreviated. A notable exception was writer Ruben A., whose complete name was Ruben Andresen Leitão. Example: José E. C. Lima (Jr.). This differs from rules in Spanish names, which use the mother's family name at the end. Example: Norberto García C.
Naming patterns of the children of immigrants
In Brazil, recent immigrants - especially Italians, Germans and Japanese - usually name their sons with only the father family surname. Although there is no legal restriction on this practice, the pattern in succeeding generations changes to the traditional Portuguese pattern, usually because of assimilation.Today one can find people who use two Italian surnames (like "Guglielmo Bianchini") or two Japanese surnames (like "Sugahara Uemura"), a practice that is unusual in Italy and nonexistent in Japan. Having two surnames from non-European immigrants is also common, like "Sato Rahal
Sabrina Sato
Sabrina Sato Rahal is a Brazilian comedienne and television personality. She was a contestant on Big Brother Brasil 3 and is a current comedian on comedy program Pânico na TV .-Early life:...
", a Japanese and an Arab surname, respectively.
The Spanish pattern is to use both the father's and mother's family surnames, but in reverse order compared to Portuguese pattern. Almost all of the first Spanish-Brazilian born generation were named in order of the family surnames of the Portuguese pattern.
Immigrants' naming pattern around São Paulo State
A specific pattern developed among the descendants of 20th-century immigrants: they use only their father's surname and two given names, the first is a Portuguese given name and the second one is a given name from their father's original country.This pattern is most used among Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n-Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
immigrants sons and grandsons. So one can find names like "Paulo Salim Maluf" where Paulo is a Portuguese given name, Salim is an Arabian given name, and Maluf is his father's surname; or "Maria Heiko Sugahara" where Maria is a Portuguese given name, Heiko a Japanese given name and Sugahara is her father's surname. This practice allows the person to be recognized as "Paulo Maluf" or "Maria Sugahara" (in the large Brazilian society) or as "Salim Maluf" or "Heiko Sugahara" (in the immigrants' social community).
This pattern became almost a general rule in São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
and other southern states. Miscegenation slowed down this use; but it is commonly used when both father and mother belong to the same ethnicity. Younger generations tend to use both the father and the mother family name, thus giving four names to their sons (like "Paulo Salim Lutfalla Maluf" or "Maria Heiko Sugahara Uemura").
Adoption of a surname through marriage
The custom of adopting a surname through marriage is not a Portuguese-Brazilian tradition. It spread in the late 19th century in the upper classes, under French influence, and after the 1940s, it became socially almost obligatory. Not doing so was seen as evidence of concubinage, particularly until the 1970s. Nowadays, it has all but disappeared.In Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, a person may adopt his or her spouse's surname(s), but nevertheless the original birth surnames are always kept. For example, if Maria Abreu Melo marries José Santos Almeida, she could choose to become Maria Abreu Melo Almeida or Maria Abreu Melo Santos Almeida.
In Brazil, a woman may adopt her husband's surname(s) and choose to keep or exclude her birth names. For example, when Maria Abreu Melo marries José Santos Almeida, she could choose to become Maria Abreu Melo Almeida, Maria Abreu Melo Santos Almeida, Maria Santos Almeida, Maria Almeida, etc. Usually, in these cases, a woman kept part of her birth name and use part of her husband's surname, in order to avoid having long names. So, the most used combination from the above example should be Maria Melo Almeida.
The mandatory adoption of the new name led to unusual combinations, like in the (not uncommon) case of both spouses having the same surname, when the woman surname was kept. Another confusing situation was, for example when a woman named Ana Lima Silva married a man named João Lima, her name could legally become Ana Lima Silva Lima.
Nowadays, fewer women adopt, even officially, their husbands' names, and among those who do so officially, it is quite common not to use it either in their professional or informal life.
In Portugal, since 1977, and in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, since the 1970s, a woman has the option of whether or not to change her name after marriage. In Portugal, since 1977, and in Brazil, since 2002, a husband can also adopt his wife's surname. In Portugal, when this happens, usually both spouses change their name after marriage (for example, José Santos Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo could become José Santos Melo Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo Almeida or even "José Santos Almeida Melo" and "Maria Abreu Melo Almeida"). In Brazil, there is not yet a perceived pattern.
This custom has been fading since the 1970s and nowadays it is rarely found, due to the cumbersome need to update registries, documents, etc., after the name change and back again in the event of divorce.
Number of names
It is not uncommon, in PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, that a married woman has two given names and six surnames, two from her mother's family, two from her father's family and the last two coming from her husband. In addition, some of these names may be made of more than one word, so that a full feminine name can have more than 12 words. For instance, the name "Maria do Carmo Mão de Ferro e Cunha de Almeida Santa Rita Santos Abreu" would not be surprising in a married woman. Mão de Ferro (iron hand) and Santa Rita (after Saint Rita of Cascia) count only as one surname each. In this case, Santos Abreu would probably have come from this woman's husband.
In Portugal, the custom of giving a child four last names is getting popular, since this way a child can have each of their grandparents' last name. In Portugal and Brazil some people view this as a sign of snobbery, since it used to be the noble families who had a large number of surnames (for instance, the 4th Duke of Lafões
Duke of Lafões
Duke of Lafões was a Portuguese title of nobility created under the decree of February 17, 1718, of King John V of Portugal and granted to his nephew, Pedro Henrique de Bragança, son of the Infante Miguel de Bragança, an illegitimate son of King Peter II of Portugal and Anne Armande Pastre de...
(1797–1851), whose full name was Caetano Segismundo de Bragança e Ligne de Sousa Tavares Mascarenhas da Silva). For the sake of simplicity, most Portuguese people have two surnames.
In Portugal, having only one surname is rare, and it usually happens when both the parents have the same last name, to avoid repetitive combinations such as António Santos Santos (which would, however, be a perfectly legal name). In Brazil, having only one surname is common in areas with large communities of non-Portuguese immigrants.
The spelling of names
Traditionally, most Portuguese names have one standard spelling that is used in an almost universal fashion. Names are perceived as words, and are thus subject the customary grammarPortuguese grammar
Portuguese grammar, the morphology and syntax of the Portuguese language, is similar to the grammar of most other Romance languages—especially that of Spanish, and even more so to that of Galician...
and orthographical
Portuguese orthography
The Portuguese orthography is based on the Latin alphabet, and makes use of the acute accent, the circumflex accent, the grave accent, the tilde, and the cedilla, to denote stress, vowel height, nasalization, and other sound changes...
rules of the Portuguese language
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
. The spelling of many names has evolved through times and with orthography reforms, and archaic forms of names are considered misspellings and have little use in Portugal.
In Portugal – Given names have a standard spelling that is considered the norm (even for non-contemporary figures). Misspelt and archaic forms are considered incorrect (e.g., Isabel and not Izabel; Luís and not Luiz). Names containing foreign letters - k
K
K is the eleventh letter of the English and basic modern Latin alphabet.-History and usage:In English, the letter K usually represents the voiceless velar plosive; this sound is also transcribed by in the International Phonetic Alphabet and X-SAMPA....
, y
Y
Y is the twenty-fifth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet and represents either a vowel or a consonant in English.-Name:In Latin, Y was named Y Graeca "Greek Y". This was pronounced as I Graeca "Greek I", since Latin speakers had trouble pronouncing , which was not a native sound...
, w
W
W is the 23rd letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.In other Germanic languages, including German, its pronunciation is similar or identical to that of English V...
- are usually not allowed, but this is slowly changing (e.g., Katia, rejected by the Civil Registration Office in 1969, is nowadays acceptable as a variant of the more standard spelling Cátia). However, older people who were registered with archaic forms have continued to use them (examples include Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira, GCSE is a Portuguese film director born in Cedofeita, Porto. He began working on films in the late 1920s, but did not receive international recognition until the early 1970s. Since the late 1980s he has been one of the most prolific working film directors and...
– the modern spelling would be Manuel). Regarding surnames, there is no legal restrictions, and as such many people continue to use archaic spellings of family names, as in Athayde (modern form Ataíde), Telles (modern form Teles). This is usually done in the upper classes, with the purpose of making the surname look more unusual or dignified.
In Brazil – There are no laws concerning names, and as such many archaic spellings and cognat forms of the same names coexist (Teresa [the only right form by the current orthography], Thereza, Tereza). Names of international inspiration are common and diacritics
Diacritics
diacritics is a quarterly academic journal established in 1971 at Cornell University and published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Articles serve to review recent literature in the field of literary criticism, and have covered topics in gender studies, political theory, psychoanalysis, queer...
are also omitted at times. The parents can make up any type of name, and the economic lower classes usually use suffixes to give foreign allure to their offspring names, such as "-son" for boys and "-elly" for girls (Deividson, Joeldson, Maiksson, Nadrielly, Andrielly, Marcelly, Nathyelly etc.). This phenomenon can be easily seen on Brazilian soccer players' names.
The name 'Maria'
The given name Maria (like EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Mary
Mary (given name)
Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.The usual meaning given by various...
, from Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
Miryam, via Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Maria) is extremely common as a feminine given name and even combined with masculine names. It was so widely used that nowadays it is considered tacky in Brazil, and it is rare to find women and men under forty years of age using it combined or alone. In Portugal it has always been common and in recent years, with a new wave of traditional given names, it has had an increase in popularity.
Traditionally Maria is more common as the first part of a double first name combination; these may be formed by several different elements.
Religious predicates (often honouring one of the Virgin Mary's denominations):
- Catholic devotion festivities: Maria da Conceição (referring to Our Lady of Conception), Maria das Dores (Our Lady of Sorrows), Maria da Assunção (AssumptionAssumption of MaryAccording to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
), Maria da Natividade (Nativity of MaryNativity of MaryThe Nativity of Mary, or Birth of the Virgin and various permutations, is celebrated as a liturgical feast in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and in most Anglican liturgical calendars on 8 September, nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December...
). - A Place of a Marian apparitionMarian apparitionsA Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
: Maria de Fátima (FátimaFatima-People:* Fatima , a female given name of Arabic origin* Fatima bint Muhammad, daughter of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad* Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah...
), Maria de Lurdes (Lurdes / LourdesLourdesLourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
), Maria de la Salete (Salete / Salette), Maria Aparecida (common in Brazil, after Our Lady AparecidaAparecidaAparecida is a Brazilian city and municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is located in the fertile valley of the River Paraíba do Sul on the southern bank. The population in 2004 was 35,754 and the area of the municipality is 121.232 km²...
).
- A virtue or a nature element (many of which have lost religious associations nowadays): Maria do Céu (HeavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
or SkySkyThe sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
), Maria da Luz (LightLightLight or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
), Maria do Mar (SeaSeaA sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
), Maria da Graça (GraceDivine graceIn Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
). - The name of a Saint: Maria de São José (after Saint JosephSaint JosephSaint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
).
Other types of combinations:
- Maria paired with a different feminine given name: Maria Madalena, Maria Teresa, Maria Antónia, Maria Carolina.
- Maria paired masculine given name: Maria João, Maria José, Maria Manuel, Maria Luís.
Many names that are etymologically
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
related to Maria are also used. The most common one is name Mariana, a contraction of Maria and Ana (introduced in Portugal by Spanish-born Queen Mariana Vitória de Bourbon
Mariana Victoria of Spain
Mariana Victoria of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and Queen consort of Portugal as wife of King Joseph I. The mother of Queen Maria I of Portugal, she also acted as Regent of Portugal during the last months of her husband's life and advisor to her daughter during her reign.-Background:Mariana...
and often used in the Portuguese Royal Family). Other international aglutinations of Maria combinations have been introduced in more recent times. These include Marisa (from Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
María Isabel), Marlene (from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Maria Magdalene), and Marília.
As Maria is so widely used, women are most likely to be addressed by just the second element of their name: Conceição (Conception), Dores (Sorrows), Céu (sky/heaven), Luz (light), Lurdes (Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
), Fátima
Fátima, Portugal
Fátima is a city in Portugal famous for the Marian apparitions, recognized by the Catholic Church, that took place there in 1917. The town itself has a population of 7,756 and is located in the municipality of Ourém, in the Centro Region and Médio Tejo Subregion...
, Salete, Aparecida (appeared one), Madalena, Antónia, Teresa, etc. A woman named Maria de Jesus would be called "Jesus", even though the second name is masculine.
A similar thing happens with the name Ana
Anna (given name)
Anna is a Latin form of the Greek name Greek Ἄννα and the Hebrew name Hannah . Anna is in wide use in countries across the world as are its variants Anne, originally a French version of the name, though in use in English speaking countries for hundreds of years, and Ann, which was originally the...
(English Anne
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ane or Ann is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah or Hanani, meaning 'He [= God] has favoured me', the name of the mother of the prophet Samuel. Anne is a common name in France.It is sometimes used as a male...
or Hannah
Hannah (given name)
Hannah is a personal name, also spelt Hanna, Hana, or Chana, deriving from the Hebrew language חַנָּה , meaning "He has favoured me/favours me ", or "gracious". The name is biblical as it is the name of the mother of the prophet Samuel...
), also very common in double-name combinations especially in the younger generations. A woman called Ana Paula would be usually called 'Paula', Ana Carolina would be 'Carolina' and so on.
A similar procedure occurs with masculine names, but using a reverse order. It is not unusual to find masculine names like João Maria, José Maria, Manuel Maria, etc. In this case, Maria would always be the second given name, in honour of Virgin Mary, and the first name would be a masculine name. This custom is fashionable among the Portuguese nobility and the upper classes, but is considered tacky in Brazil.
The particle 'de' in Portuguese names
The particles "de" "d'" or "da", "do", "dos", "das" (= de + article a, o, os, as) are not considered part of the surname, and - as a rule - should not be alphabetized in name lists. João da Silva is Mr Silva, not Mr da Silva. António de Castro is alphabetized as Castro, António de. The most well-known exception to this norm is AngolaAngola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n president José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician who has been the second and current President of Angola since 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the MPLA , the party that has been ruling Angola since...
, who is referred to as President Dos Santos, even among Portuguese-speaking people and in Portuguese language media.
Collation
When producing alphabetized lists of Portuguese names, generally the full name is used. This occurs mainly in schools or official documents, and it is usually done because many people prefer to use multiple surname combinations in their daily life, or do not use last surname at all. It is therefore difficult to order people by the surnames they use. A typical alphabetized list:- António Borges Santos
- António Silva Abreu Melo
- Leonor Soares Henriques Pais
- Sofia Matilde Almeida Pais
However, in areas such as a telephone directory or bibliography, the practice of using the (last) surname is preferred. The conjunctives and affixes preceding or following it, such as "da" and "Filho", are not used. When a full composite surname is known, it is alphabetized according to the first name even if not separated by a hyphen. When it is not known, the last name should be used. Because of this, many errors are committed in the alphabetization of Portuguese surnames, such as in a telephone directory. For example:
- Chagas Filho, Carlos
- Siqueira Campos, Luis Pereira
- Sousa, Luís de
These rules may change if the Portuguese name has been absorbed into a different culture, as in Anglo-Saxon countries. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, for example, where many Portuguese have emigrated since the 18th century to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, alphabetising rules use "da" and "de" as part of the surname. The Portuguese-American author John Dos Passos
John Dos Passos
John Roderigo Dos Passos was an American novelist and artist.-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dos Passos was the illegitimate son of John Randolph Dos Passos , a distinguished lawyer of Madeiran Portuguese descent, and Lucy Addison Sprigg Madison of Petersburg, Virginia. The elder Dos Passos...
, who is referred to as having the surname Dos Passos, is a good example.
Hypocoristics
Portuguese nicknames are usually formed by inserting the diminutive infix -inh or -it before the final vowel in the name. For example, TeresaTeresa
Teresa, Theresa, and Therese are feminine given names. The name is thought to be derived from the Greek verb θήρίζεἰν therizein, meaning to harvest....
becomes Teresinha (meaning "little Teresa"), and Carlos
Carlos
Carlos is a masculine given name. It is a Portuguese and Spanish form of Charles. It may refer to:- Royalty :* Carlos I of Portugal , second to last King of Portugal* Carlos V , Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain...
becomes Carlinhos ("little Carlos"). In some cases, a nickname is formed by adding zinho(a) or -zito(a) - to the actual name. For example, João
João
João is the Portuguese form of the name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is quite widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries and therefore also the name of several notable people and places:-People:Kings:...
becomes Joãozinho ("little João") or Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
becomes Sofiazinha ("little Sofia").
Augmentative suffixes may be used as well, with "Marcos" becoming "Marcão", for example.
Other practices include the repetition of a syllable (Nonô from Leonor
Eleanor
Eleanor is a female given name....
, Zezé from José
José
José is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, they are pronounced differently in each language: in Spanish and in Portuguese....
), a simple shortening of the name (Fred from Frederico, Bea or Bia from Beatriz), the contraction of the name (Manel from Manuel), or of a fraction of it (Beto from Alberto or Roberto, Mila from Emília or Camila). A mix of shortening and adding a suffix may also occur (Leco from Leonardo). Sometimes, a foreign-language nickname is used for the corresponding Portuguese name ("Rick" for Ricardo, "Maggie" from Margarida). Most given names have one or more standard diminutives.
Some typical Portuguese hypocoristic
Hypocoristic
A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:...
s (the ones marked with * are almost exclusively Brazilian):
- Afonso = Afonsinho
- Alexandra = Alê*, Xana (not in Brazil, where the word is a slang term for vulva), Alex, Xanda
- Alexandre = Alex, Xande, Xando, Xandinho
- Alice = Alicinha, Licinha, Cinha, Lice, Lili
- Amélia = Amelinha, Melita, Mel
- Ana = Aninha, Anita, Anoca(s), Nita, Ninha, Nana
- Antônio / António = Tó, Tonho*, Tonhão*, Tom*, Toni, Toninho, Tonico
- Augusta = Guta
- Augusto = Guga, Guto
- Bárbara = Bá, Babi, Barbie, Binha*
- Camila = Camilinha, Mila, Miloca, Mi
- Carlos = Carlinhos, Carlitos, Cacá, Calu, Litos
- Carlota = Lota
- Carolina = Carolininha, Carol
- Cecília = Cilinha, Cila, Cissa, Ceci
- Cláudia / Cláudio = Cau
- Cristina = Cris, Cristininha, Tina, Tininha
- Daniel = Dani, Dan*
- Daniela = Dani, Danizinha
- Diogo = Dioguinho, Dioguito, Di, Didi, Diguinho, Digo
- Eduardo = Edu, Dudu, Duda, Du
- Elisabete = Bete, Elisa, Bé, Beti, Betinha
- Emília = Emilinha, Mila, Milinha
- Eugénia = Geninha
- Eugénio = Geninho
- Eurico = Dico
- Fábio/Fabiano = Fabico, Fafá*, Biano*, Bibi*, Fabi, Bi*, Fá*
- Fernando = Fefa, Fernandinho, Nando, Fê*
- Fernanda = Fefa, Nanda, Nandinha, Fê*
- Filipa/Felipa = Filipinha, Lipa, Pipa, Fifi, Fê*
- Filipe/Felipe = Felipinho, Lipe, Pipo, Fily, Fê*
- Filomena = Mena, Lumena, Filó
- Francisca = Francisquinha, Chica, Chiquinha, Quica/Kika
- Francisco = Francisquinho, Chico, Chiquinho, Chiquito, Quico/Kiko, Cisco
- Frederico = Fred, Fredy, Dico, Drico, Fré
- Gabriel = Gabi, Biel*
- Gabriela = Gabi, Bibi*
- Gonçalo (a name not common nor known to Brazilians) = Gonçalinho, Gonça, Gonças, Gongas, Gonzo (from English influence), Gugu, Guga, Gu
- Guilherme = Gui, Guigui, Guiga, Guibinha
- Gustavo = Guto, Guga, Gugu, "Gus"
- Helena = Lena, Leninha, Leni
- Henrique = Rique*, Riquinho*, Ique, Quique, Quico
- Inês = Inesinha, Nê, Nenê, Nês, Nenoca, Inuecas, Nessa
- Isabel, Isabela = Bela, Isabelinha, Belinha, Isa, Béia, Bebel*, Bebela, Beca, Bel
- Jaime = Jaiminho, Jaimito, Minho
- Joana = Joaninha, Ju, Juju, Jana, Janocas, Jô*, Juca
- João = Djone, Joãozinho, Janjão, Jão, Juca, Joca, Janocas
- Joaquim = Quim, Joca, Jaquim, Quinzinho, Quincas
- Jorge = Jorginho, Jó, Joca
- José = Zé, Zezé, Zeca, Zezinho, Jô
- Júlia = Ju, Julinha, Juju, Jujuba*
- Juliana = Jú, Juju, Juli
- Laura = Laurinha, Lalá
- Leonardo = Léo, Leozinho, Leco*
- Leonor = Nonô, Léo
- Lídia = Lídi, Li, Dida
- Lígia = Lili, Lica
- Liliana = Lili, Lilas, Liana*
- Lorena = Lora, Ló, Loló
- Luís = Lu, Luisinho, Lula*, Lulu
- Lúcia = Lucinha, Luci, Lu
- Lurdes = Lu
- Madalena = Lena, Madá, Mady
- Manuel = Manelinho, Manelocas, Manel, Mané, Maneco, Nelo, Nelito, Nelinho
- Manuela = Manela, Manu, Nelinha, Manocas
- Marcelo = Celo, Shelo, Tchelo, Celim
- Marcos = Marcão, Marquinhos, Marquito, Caco*
- Margarida = Margaridinha, Guida, Guidinha, Maggie
- Maria = Bia, Mariazinha, Maricota, Cota, Cotinha, Micas, Mia, Mimi, Mary
- Mariana = Marianinha, Marianita, Nita, Mari, Má*
- Mário = Marinho, Maruca
- Marta = Martinha
- Miguel = Miguelinho, Miguelito, Micas, Mike, Mígui
- Nelson = Nelo, Nelinho, Nelito
- Nicolau = Nico, Lalau
- Octávio/Otávio = Távio
- Osvaldo = Vadinho, Vado, Valdinho, Vavá, Ósvi, Valdo
- Patrícia = Pati, Páti, Pátri, Pat, Ticha/Tixa, Tiça
- Paula = Paulinha
- Paulo = Paulinho
- Pedro = Pedrinho, Pedrito, Peu*, Pepê
- Rafael = Rafa, Rafinha, Fael*
- Renata = Rê*, Renatinha
- Ricardo = Cado, Ricardinho, Rico, Rick
- Rita = Ritinha, Ri
- Roberto = Betinho, Berto, Beto, Tinho*
- Rodrigo = Digo, Diguinho, Rúdri, Rudy
- Rodolfo = Rô*, Rodas
- Rosa = Ró, Rosinha
- Rui = Ruca, Ruizinho
- Sebastião = Sebastiãozinho, Bastião, Tião, Tão, Babá*
- Sofia = Pipia, Sofi, Sô*
- Susana = Susaninha, Su, Suse, Susy
- Teresa = Teresinha, Té, Teté/Tetê
- Tiago = Tiaguinho, Ti, Guinho*
- Tomé = Tomezinho
- Vera = Verinha, Veroca, Verusca
- Victor/Vítor = Tó, Vitinho, Vic
- Vi(c)tória = Vivi, Vicky
Other hypochoristics are associated with common two name combinations:
- Cajó (Carlos Jorge)
- Joca/Juca (João Carlos)
- Malu (Maria Luísa, Maria de Lurdes)
- Maricota (Maria da Conceição)
- Mazé, Mizé (Maria José)
- Zeca (José Carlos)
- Mitó (Maria Antónia)
- Tojó (António Jorge)
- Tozé (António José)
- Zezé (Maria José)
- Jomi (João Miguel)
- Cadu (Carlos Eduardo)
- Caíque (Carlos Henrique)
- Gal (Maria da Graça)
- Zeza (Maria José)
- Miju (Maria de Jesus)
A hypocoristics can receive the suffix -inho (meaning "little") giving a more intense feeling of protection or intimacy, such as Chiquinho (from Chico, the hypocoristics for Francisco - Francis), Xandinho (from Xando, for Alexandre - Alexander), Zequinha (form Zeca, for José = Joseph).
Origin of Portuguese surnames
One single name or a name followed by a patronym was the most common way that the native pre-Roman people named themselves. The names could be Celtic (Mantaus), LusitaniaLusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
n (Casae), Iberian (Sunua) or Conii (Alainus). The names were clearly ethnic and some typical of a tribe or region. A slow adoption of the Roman onomastic
Roman naming conventions
By the Republican era and throughout the Imperial era, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen...
occurred after the end of the first century a.c. with the adoption of a Roman name
Roman naming conventions
By the Republican era and throughout the Imperial era, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen...
or of the tria nomina:praenomen (given name), nomen (gentile) and cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
.
Most of Portuguese surnames have a patronymical, locative or religious origin.
Surnames originating from patronymics
Patronymics are names derived from the father's given name that, many centuries ago, began to be used as surnames. They are the most common surnames in the lands where Portuguese is spoken and also in many other languages.In Portuguese, patronymics are surnames like Henriques
Henriques (surname)
Henriques is a common surname in the Portuguese language, namely in Portugal and Brazil. It was originally a Patronymic, meaning Son of Henrique...
, Rodrigues, Lopes
Lopes
Lopes is a common surname in the Portuguese language and Old Galician namely in Portugal and Brazil. It was originally a Patronymic, meaning Son of Lopo . Its Spanish equivalent is López. 'Lopes' may be less frequently seen as a given name...
, Nunes
Nunes
Nunes is a Galician and Portuguese surname, originally a patronymic meaning Son of Nuno. Notable people with the name include:* Airas Nunes, Spanish cleric and troubador* Benedito Nunes, Brazilian philosopher and writer...
, Mendes
Mendes
Mendes , the Greek name of the Ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in Ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba ....
, Fernandes
Fernandes
Fernandes is a Portuguese language surname. The name is a patronymic form of the Spanish and Portuguese personal name Fernando.People with the surname "Fernandes" include:*Aaron Fernandes, Canadian field hockey player...
, Gonçalves
Gonçalves
-People:* Adílio de Oliveira Gonçalves, Brazilian footballer* Ailton Gonçalves da Silva, Brazilian footballer* André Gonçalves, 15th/16th-century Portuguese explorer of Brasil* Antão Gonçalves, 15th century Portuguese explorer...
, Esteves and Álvares
Álvares
Álvares , a Portuguese language and Galician surname, originally a patronymic meaning Son of Álvaro, is the name of:*Ana Ida Alvares , Brazilian volleyball player...
, where the ending -es- means (son of). The meaning is the same of the -ez suffix used in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
patronymics.
Some surnames originated in this way do not end in es; instead they end in iz, like Muniz (son of Monio) and Ruiz, (son of Ruy), or ins, like Martins (son of Martim).
Although most Portuguese surnames ending in -es are former patronymics, some family names with -es- endings are not patronymics, but toponymics, such as Tavares, Pires, Cortês and Chaves.
In the beginning of the surname formation, the ending -es- was not used. So, Joana daughter of Fernando could be called Joana Fernando, as like as André João meant André son of João. One can find today in Portugal and Brazil people who still use surnames that for other people are just given names, although were passed from parents to sons for generations and do not have the ending -es-, such like Valentim, Alexandre, Fernando, Afonso (note the family name de Melo Afonso) and Antonio (note de Melo Antonio). Names like Dinis, Duarte, Garcia and Godinho were originally given names, but today they are used in Brazil almost exclusively as surnames, although Duarte and Dinis are still common given names in Portugal.
Matronymics (surnames derived from female given names) are almost never used in Portuguese, but surnames such as "Catarino" (from Catarina
Santa Catarina (Caldas da Rainha)
Santa Catarina is one of the sixteen civil parishes that make up the municipality of Caldas da Rainha, Portugal. The parish has an area of 20 km² and 5,000 residents.-References:...
) and "Mariano" (meaning related to Maria
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
) could originate from the name of a real mother or from a spiritual mother, the Virgin Mary.
Some former patronymics are not easily recognized, for two main reasons. Sometimes the given name that originated the patronymic became archaic, such as Lopo (that originated Lopes), Mendo or Mem (Mendes), Vasco (Vasques), Soeiro (Soares), Munio (Muniz), Sancho (Sanches). Also, often the given names or the related patronymic changed through centuries, although always some resemblance can still be noted - such as Antunes (son of Antão or Antonio), Peres (son of Pero, archaic form of Pedro), Alves (from Alvares, son of Álvaro), and Eanes (from mediaeval Iohannes, son of João).
Locative surnames
A large number of surnames are locative, supposed to describe the geographical origin of a person, like the name of a village, town, city, land, river. Such surnames like Almeida, Andrada or Andrade, BarcelosBarcelos, Portugal
Barcelos is a city in Barcelos Municipality in Braga District. The city has a population of 20,625.-History:Originally a Roman settlement, it expanded and became the seat of the First Duke of Bragança in the 15th century...
, Barros, Bastos
Bastos
For the Brazilian footballer who plays for Olympique Lyonnais, see Michel Bastos.Bastos is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2003 is 21,343 and the area is 170.93 km². The elevation is 445 m. It is also a Portuguese surname.-History:The name originated from...
, Castelo Branco, Cintra (from Sintra
Sintra
Sintra is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.In addition to...
), Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
, Faria, Gouveia, Guimarães
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...
, Lima (the name of a river, not meaning lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
), Lisboa (Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
), Pacheco (from village of Pacheca), Porto (Oporto), Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Serpa
Serpa
Serpa is a municipality in Portugal, in Alentejo Region, with a total area of 1104.0 km² and a total population of 16,178 inhabitants. The Guadiana River flows close to the town of Serpa....
, etc., fit this rule. A surname like Leão (lion) may mean that an ancestor came from the old Iberian kingdom of León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
(Northwestern Spain) or the French city of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.
Not all villages and towns that originated surnames exist, kept the same name, or are inhabited today.
Some names specify an ancestral location of the family's house within the village: Fonte (by the fountain), Azenha (by the water-mill), Eira (by the threshing-floor), Tanque (by the community cistern), Fundo (on the lower part of the village), Cimo/Cima (on the upper part of the village), Cabo (on the far end of the village), Cabral (near the field where the goats graze). In some cases, the family name may not be a locative, but an indication of ownership.
Some geological or geographical words were also used to name people like Pedroso (stony or full of peddles land), Rocha (rock), Souza/Sousa (from Latin saxa, a place with seixos, i.e. peddles, or the name of a Portuguese river), Vale (valley, dale), Ribeiro (little river, creek, brook), Siqueira or Sequeira (a non-irrigated land), Castro (castle or ruins of ancient buildings), Dantas (from d'Antas, a place with antas, i.e. prehistoric stone monuments or dolmens), Costa (coast of the sea), Pedreira (quarry), Barreira (clay quarry). The name Ferreira is a locative surname first used by people who lived in the many towns and villages named Ferreira, i.e. a place where one can find iron (ferro) ore.
Names of trees or plantations are also locative surnames, supposed originally to identify an ancestor who lived near or inside a plantation, an orchard or a place with a characteristic kind of vegetation. Names like Matos (woods, forest), Campos (grass fields, prairie), Teixeira (a place covered with yew trees), Queirós (a kind of grass), Cardoso (a place covered with cardos, i.e. with cardoons or thistles), Correia (a place covered with corriolas or correas, a kind of plant), Macedo (an apple tree garden), and Azevedo (a forest of azevinho, i.e. a holly wood) fit this pattern.
Tree names are very common locative surnames - Oliveira
Oliveira (surname)
Oliveira is the Portuguese name for the olive tree. It is a common surname of toponymic origin in regions with strong Portuguese influence, mainly Portugal itself, Brazil, and Galicia.-General:*A. H...
(olive tree), Carvalho (oak tree
Oak Tree
Oak Tree may refer to:*Oak, the tree*Oak Tree, County Durham, a village in County Durham, England*The Oaktree Foundation, a youth-run aid and development agency*Oak Tree National, golf club in Edmond, Oklahoma...
), Salgueiro (willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
), Pinheiro (pine tree), Pereira
Pereira (surname)
Pereira is a common surname in the Portuguese and Galician languages, namely in Portugal, Brazil, and Galicia. It was originally a noble Christian toponym of the Middle Ages, taken from the feudal possession of Pereira , which in Portuguese means 'pear tree'. The name also exists in variations such...
(pear tree), Moreira (from amoreira, i.e. mullberry tree), Macieira (apple tree), Figueira (fig tree). These are not old Jewish-Portuguese surnames, as explained below, although this myth is often repeated.
Religious surnames
Surnames with religious meanings are common. It is possible that some of these originated from an ancestor who converted to Catholicism and intended or needed to demonstrate his new faith. Another possible source of religious names were orphans who were abandoned in the churches and raised in Catholic orphanages by priests and nuns, usually baptized with a name related to the date near when they were found or baptized. Even another possible source is when previous religious given names (expressing a special devotion by the parents or the god-parents, or the child's birth date) were adopted as family names.Religious names includes de Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
(of Jesus), dos Reis (of the kings, from the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Day of the Wise Kings), Ramos (branches, from Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter), Pascoal (of Easter), da Assunção (of the Assumption of the Virgin Maryn), do Nascimento (of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary or the Nativity of Jesus - Christmas), da Visitação (of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary), da Anunciação (of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary), da Conceição (of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary), Trindade (from Trinity Sunday), do Espírito Santo (of the Holy Ghost, from the Feast of the Holy Ghost), das Chagas (of wounds, from the Feast of the Five Wounds of Christ), Graça (grace, from Our Lady of Grace), Patrocínio (patronage, from Our Lady of Patronage), Paz (peace, from Our Lady Mediatrix of Peace), Luz (light, from Our Lady of the Divine Light), Neves (snows, from Our Lady of the Snows), Penha (cliff, bluff, from Our Lady of the Bluff of France, that in Spanish is called Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia), das Dores (of sorrows, from Our Lady of Sorrows), Bonfim (good end, from Our Lord of Good Death), das Virgens (of the virgins martyrs), dos Anjos (of angels, from the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel day), São João (Saint John), Santana (Saint Ann), Santos (from 'Todos os Santos', i.e. from All Hallows or All Saints day) and Cruz (Cross, the most common surname among the Belmonte Jews
Belmonte Jews
The history of the Jews in Belmonte, Portugal, reaches back over six hundred years.-Belmonte marranos:The marranos that have been living in Belmonte are sometimes referred to as the "Belmonte Jews." They are a community that has survived in secrecy for hundreds of years by maintaining a tradition...
).
An orphan with unknown parents or a converted (Jew, African slave or Native Brazilian
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
) could be baptized with the name of a saint, like João Baptista (from Saint John Baptist), João Evangelista (from Saint John the Evangelist), João de Deus (from Saint John of God), Antônio de Pádua (from Saint Anthony of Padova), João Nepomuceno (from Saint John of Nepomuk), Francisco de Assis (from Saint Francis of Assisi), Francisco de Paula (from Saint Francis of Paola), Francisco de Salles (from Saint Francis de Salles), Inácio de Loiola (from Saint Ignatius of Loyola), Tomás Aquino (from Saint Thomas Aquinas), José de Calanzans (from Saint Joseph of Calasanz), or José de Cupertino (from Saint Joseph of Cupertino). After that, they usually passed only the second given name (Batista, Evangelista, de Deus, Pádua, Nepomuceno, Assis, de Paula, Sales, Loiola, Aquino, Calanzans or Cupertino) to their sons as a surname.
A surname like Xavier could have originated from someone baptized after Saint Francis Xavier or from the old Portuguese family Xavier.
Descriptive surnames
Some surnames are possible descriptions of a peculiar characteristic of an ancestor, originating from nicknames.These include names like Peixoto ("little fish", applied to a nobleman who used a fish to trick his enemies during a siege), Peixe (fish, i.e. swimmer, or also fisherman or fishmonger), Veloso (wooly, i.e. hairy), Ramalho (full of tree branches, bushy, i.e. with a thick beard), Barroso (clay covered, i.e. with pimples), Lobo (wolf, i.e. fierce, savage), Lobato (little wolf, wolf cub), Raposo (fox, i.e. smart), Pinto (chick, i.e. gentle and kind), Tourinho (little bull, i.e. stout, strong), Vergueiro (that bends, i.e., weak), Medrado (grown-up, i.e. tall), Tinoco (short, small), Porciúncula (small part, small piece), Magro (thin), Magriço (skinny), Gago (stutterer, stammerer), Galhardo (gallant, chivalrous), Terrível (terrible), Penteado (hairdressing, the nickname of a branch of the German Werneck family whose members used to wear wigs), Romero (from romeiro, pilgrim, i.e. someone who had made a religious voyage to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
or Jerusalem).
Profession and occupation surnames
Portuguese surnames that originated from professions or occupations are few, such as Serrador (sawman), Pastorinho (little shepherd), Monteiro (hunter of the hills or woods guard), Caldeira (cauldron, i.e. cauldron maker), Cubas (wooden barrels, i.e., barrel maker or cooper), Peixe (fish, for a fisherman or a fishmonger).A common mistake is to suppose that the Portuguese surname Ferreira means blacksmith (ferreiro in Portuguese) since there is a similar surname in many languages (English Smith, German Schmidt, Arab Bittar, etc.). But Ferreira is the name of a river and of many villages and towns in Portugal.
Foreign-origin surnames
Some Portuguese names originated from foreigners who came to live in PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
or Brazil many centuries ago. They are so ancient that, despite their known foreign origin, they are an integrated part of Portuguese and Brazilian cultures.
Most of these names are Spanish, such as Toledo (a city in Spain), Ávila or Dávila (a city in Spain) and Padilha. Other common "foreign" surnames are Bettencourt or Bittencourt (from Béthencourt
Béthencourt
Béthencourt is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
, French), Goulart, Goulard or Gullar (French, original meaning is glutton), Fontenele or Fontenelle (French, from fountain), Rubim (from Robin, French), Alencastro, Lencastre (from Lancaster, English), Drummond (Scottish), Werneck, Vernek or Berneque (southern German, the name of the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n city Werneck
Werneck
Werneck is a market town in the district of Schweinfurt in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany.-Geography:Werneck is in the Main-Rhön region of Bavaria, approximately 12 km from Schweinfurt and 25 km from Würzburg. It is located on a bend in the Wern, a tributary of the Main, on the edge of...
), Wanderley (from van der Ley, Flemish), Dutra (from De Ultra, a Latin name meaning "from beyond" assumed by the Flemish family Van Hurtere), Brum (from Bruyn, Flemish), Bulcão (from Bulcamp, Flemish), Dulmo (from van Olm, Flemish), Acioli (Italian), Doria (Italian), Cavalcanti (Italian), Mota or Motta (Italian), Netto or Neto (Italian, not to be confused with the name suffix "Neto" ("grandson") that is used in Portuguese to distinguish a grandson and grandfather who bear the same names).
The question of Portuguese Jewish surnames
It is a popular belief that the Jews living in PortugalHistory of the Jews in Portugal
The history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated in the Iberian Peninsula .-Before Portugal:...
up to 1497, when they were forced to choose between conversion or expulsion, substituted their surnames with the names of trees that do not bear edible fruits, such as Carvalho
Carvalho
Carvalho , meaning 'oak', is a common surname in Portugal, Brazil, Galicia , the former Portuguese African colonies and people from the State of Goa in India as well as from Vasai, a town to the north of Mumbai in India...
(oak tree) and Junqueira (reed, bulrush, junk). Others say that they usually chose tree names such as Pereira (pear tree) , Valeira (of the valley), or Oliveira (olive tree), in this case trees that bear edible fruits. However, these names were already used by Christians during the Middle Ages.
Another family name usually pointed out as denoting Jewish ancestry is Espírito Santo (Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost). The rationale is that Jews would adopt as a family name an (apparently) Christian concept as a deception. In fact, they were choosing the most incorporeal Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
person, that is, the one that offended least their (secret) Jewish faith. This theory is not totally unfounded, as there are proofs that the cult around the Holy Spirit flourished after 1496, especially among New Christians. This does not rule out that "Espírito Santo" was also adopted by faithful Christians, following the rationale of other religious surnames.
The Portuguese Jews living in Portugal up to 1497 bore given names that could distinguish them from the Christian population. Most of these names are Portuguese versions of older semitic (Arabian, Hebrew, Aramaic) names like Abenazo, Aboab, Abravanel, Albarrux, Azenha, Benafull, Benafaçom, Benazo, Caçez, Cachado, Çaçom/Saçom, Carraf, Carilho, Cide/Cid, Çoleima, Faquim, Faracho, Faravom, Fayham/Fayam, Focem, Çacam/Sacam, Famiz, Gadim, Gedelha, Labymda, Latam/Latão, Loquem, Lozora, Maalom, Maçon, Maconde, Mocatel, Mollaão, Montam, Motaal, Rondim, Rosall, Samaia/Çamaya, Sanamel, Saraya, Tarraz, Tavy/Tovy, Toby, Varmar, Zaaboca, Zabocas, Zaquim, Zaquem. Some were locative names, not necessarily specific to Jewish populations, like Catelaão/Catalão (Catalan), Castelão/Castelhão (Castilian), Crescente (crescent, from Turkey), Medina (Medinah), Romano (Roman), Romão, Romeiro, Tolledam/Toledano (from Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
), Vallency (Valencia) and Vascos (Basque); some were patronymics from Biblical names like Abraão (Abraham), Lázaro (Lazar), Barnabé, Benjamim, Gabril (Gabriel), Muça (Moses) and Natam (Nathan); some are profession names such as Caldeirão (cauldron), Martelo (hammer), Pexeiro (fishmonger), Chaveirol (locksmith) and Prateiro (silversmith); some are nicknames such as Calvo (bald), Dourado (golden, like the German Goldfarb), Ruivo (red-headed), Crespo (curly), Querido (beloved) and Parente (family relative). A few names are not distinct from old Portuguese surnames like Camarinha, Castro, Crespim.
Some scholars proved that the converted Portuguese Jews usually chose a patronymic as their new surname and, when the conversion was not forced, they would choose to bear the surname of their godfather.
The Jewish-Portuguese community that flourished in the Netherlands and Hamburg, Germany, after their expulsion from Portugal used surnames such as Camargo, Costa, Fonseca, Dias, Pinto, and Silveira.
Some of the most famous descendants of Portuguese Jews who lived outside Portugal are the philosopher Baruch Spinoza
Baruch Spinoza
Baruch de Spinoza and later Benedict de Spinoza was a Dutch Jewish philosopher. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death...
(in Portuguese Bento de Espinosa) and the classical economist David Ricardo
David Ricardo
David Ricardo was an English political economist, often credited with systematising economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. He was also a member of Parliament, businessman, financier and speculator,...
. Other famous members of the Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam bore names such as Uriel da Costa
Uriel da Costa
Uriel da Costa or Uriel Acosta was a philosopher and skeptic from Portugal.-Life:Costa was born in Porto with the name Gabriel da Costa...
(or Uriel Acosta, Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
Isaac Aboab da Fonseca was a rabbi, scholar, kabbalist and writer. In 1656, he was one of several elders within the Portuguese-Israelite community in the Netherlands who excommunicated Baruch Spinoza for the statements this philosopher made concerning the nature of God.Isaac Aboab da Fonseca was...
, Isaac de Pinto
Isaac de Pinto
Isaac de Pinto was a Dutch Jew of Portuguese origin, a scholar and one of the main investors in the Dutch East India Company....
and Menasseh ben Israel
Menasseh Ben Israel
Manoel Dias Soeiro , better known by his Hebrew name Menasseh Ben Israel , was a Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, scholar, writer, diplomat, printer and publisher, founder of the first Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam in...
(whose original surname was Soeiro).
The Belmonte Jews
Belmonte Jews
The history of the Jews in Belmonte, Portugal, reaches back over six hundred years.-Belmonte marranos:The marranos that have been living in Belmonte are sometimes referred to as the "Belmonte Jews." They are a community that has survived in secrecy for hundreds of years by maintaining a tradition...
(crypto-Jews from the Belmonte region in Portugal) also bear surnames that cannot be used to distinguish them from the older Catholic Portuguese families. Using tree names as surnames was not a common practice among converted or non-converted Portuguese Jews, before or after their expulsion
History of the Jews in Portugal
The history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated in the Iberian Peninsula .-Before Portugal:...
in 1497.
Most common names in Portugal and Brazil
According to newspaper Público, the most common given names in Portugal, for 105,000 children born in 2008, were:| Males | Females |
| João João João is the Portuguese form of the name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is quite widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries and therefore also the name of several notable people and places:-People:Kings:... (3189) |
Maria (4497) |
| Rodrigo Rodrigo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian name derived from the Germanic name Roderick . It may refer to:-Given name:*King Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king of Hispania... (3074) |
Beatriz (2897) |
| Martim (2443) | Ana (2897) |
| Diogo Diogo Diogo is a Portuguese male name. Originally, this name comes from James which in turn is derived from the Hebrew Yaʻăqōbh , via the name of Saint James the Great, to Santo Iago , re-analysed as Santiago.... (2128) |
Leonor Eleanor Eleanor is a female given name.... (2374) |
| Tiago (2088) | Mariana (2374) |
| Tomás Tomás Tomás is a Spanish, Portuguese and Gaelic given name or, occasionally, surname, equivalent of Thomas... (2043) |
Matilde (2131) |
According to the Cartórios Associados Website the most common given names in Brazil during the last 2 years (Jan/2008 - Nov/2009), were:
| Name | Incidents |
| 1. Maria | 1621 |
| 2. Ana | 1274 |
| 3. João | 1057 |
| 4. Gabriel | 590 |
| 5. Pedro | 548 |
| 6. Lucas | 506 |
| 7. Mateus | 427 |
| 8. Guilherme | 344 |
| 9. Júlia | 337 |
| 10. Luís | 333 |
| 11. Vítor | 266 |
| 12. Gustavo | 262 |
| 13. Yasmin | 262 |
| 14. Kauã | 249 |
| 15. Víctor | 243 |
| 16. Rafael | 230 |
| 17. Vinícius | 230 |
| 18. Artur | 228 |
| 19. Miguel | 226 |
| 20. David | 221 |
| 21. Vitória | 218 |
| 22. Filipe/Felipe | 215 |
| 23. Carlos | 209 |
| 24. Samuel | 202 |
| 25. Letícia | 198 |
| 26. Beatriz | 192 |
| 27. Mariana | 189 |
| 28. Daniel | 183 |
| 29. Nicolas | 183 |
| 30. José | 181 |
Giving Portuguese surnames to Afro-Brazilians and Native Brazilians
Until abolition of slavery, slaves did not have a surname, only a given name. They were even forbidden to use their distinct African or Native BrazilianIndigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
names and were christened with a Portuguese given name. While slavery persisted, slaves needed to have distinct names only within the plantation (fazenda or engenho) to which they belonged.
It was a common practice to name free slaves after their former owners, so all their descendants have the Portuguese surnames of their former owner.
Indigenous people who were not slaves also chose to use their godparents' surnames as their own.
Religious names are also more common among people with African or Native Brazilian
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
ancestors than among people with only European ancestors. A slave who had just a given name like Francisco de Assis (from Saint Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
) could use the partial name de Assis as a surname, since the connective -de- gives the appearance of surname.
The practice of naming Afro-Brazilians with religious surnames was proved even by some indirect approaches. Medical researchers demonstrated that there's is a statistical correlation between a religious name and genetic diseases related to African ancestry such as the sickle-cell disease. Due to miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
, the correlation exists even among white people that have a religious surname.
It was also common to name indigenous people and freed slaves with surnames which were already very common such as Silva or Costa. That is why Silva is the most common surname in Brazil.
Surnames originated from Native Brazilian words
In the years following Brazil's independence, some old Brazilians families changed their surnames to surnames derived from Tupian languagesTupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
as a patriotic way to emphasize the new Fatherland. Some of these names are still spelled with Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
old orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
, but some are spelled according the new rules. These names, following the old orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
, include:
- Native BrazilianIndigenous peoples in BrazilThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
nations or tribes: Tupinambá, TabajaraTabajaraTabajara is a nation of indigenous people, who had lived in interior of the Ceará, specially in Serra da Ibiapaba. This name means lord of village from taba village, and jara lord; according to José de Alencar....
, Carijó, Goytacaz, Guarany, Tamoyo (the name of a confederation of many tribes that fought the first Portuguese settlers); - Brazilian trees: JatobáJatobáHymenaea courbaril is a tree common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring and decorative purposes....
, Mangabeira (mangaba tree), Pitangui (pitangaSurinam CherryThe Surinam Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, or Cayenne Cherry is a plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to tropical America. Known as Pitanga throughout Brazil or Ñangapirí in surrounding countries, it is a large shrub or small tree with a conical form, growing slowly to 8 meters in height...
tree), Sarahyba, Palmeira (palm tree), Goiabeira (guavaGuavaGuavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
tree); - Typical Brazilian fruits: PitangaSurinam CherryThe Surinam Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, or Cayenne Cherry is a plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to tropical America. Known as Pitanga throughout Brazil or Ñangapirí in surrounding countries, it is a large shrub or small tree with a conical form, growing slowly to 8 meters in height...
, Muricy, GuaranáGuaranaGuarana , Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee bean...
(a Brazilian family with Dutch ancestors changed their surname from Van Ness to Guaraná); - Famous Native BrazilianIndigenous peoples in BrazilThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
chiefs: Cayubi, TibiriçáTibiriçáTibiriçá was an indigenous leader who converted to Christianity under the auspices of José de Anchieta. He led the Tupiniquim people of Piratininga. His daughter, Bartira, took the name "Isabel" and married a Portuguese man named João Ramalho....
, ParaguaçuParaguaçuParaguaçu is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population in 2007 was 19,603 in a total area of 425 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 825 mts. It became a municipality in 1911....
(big river, sea, in Tupian languageTupian languagesThe Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
), Piragibe (fish's arm, in Tupian languageTupian languagesThe Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
).
Due to emigration, nowadays one can find these surnames even in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Brazilian locative surnames
Some Brazilian surnames, like some old Portuguese surnames, are locative surnames that denote the original place where the ancestor who first used it was born or lived. Like surnames that originated from words, this practice started during the patriotic years that followed Brazil's Independence.These are surnames like Brasil, (Brazil), Brasiliense (Brazilian), Brasileiro (also Brazilian), América, Americano (American), Bahiense (from Bahia city, today called Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
), Cearense (from Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
State) and ' Maranhão (from Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
State)
Some of these are toponyms derived from Tupian languages
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
such as:
- Brazilian rivers:
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
), 'Parahyba (from Paraíba do Sul
Paraíba do Sul
thumbThe Paraíba do Sul , or simply termed Paraíba, is a river in the south-east of Brazil. It flows 1,137 kilometres west to northeast from its farthest source at the source of the river Paraitinga to the sea near Campos...
river, not related to the northern Paraíba
Paraíba
Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
river, Paraíba
Paraíba
Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
State, or Paraíba city, today called João Pessoa
João Pessoa
João Pessoa , is the capital city of the state of Paraíba, was founded in 1585 and sometimes called the city where the sun rises first, is a Brazilian city and the easternmost city in the Americas at 34º47'38"W, 7º9'28"S. Local residents call its easternmost point Ponta do Seixas. It is also...
);
Pirassununga
Pirassununga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2010 was 70.081 and the area is 728.78 km². The elevation is 627 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language....
(snoring fish, in Tupian language
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
), Piratininga
Piratininga
Piratininga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil....
(dried fish, in Tupian language
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
), Carioca
Carioca
Carioca is a Portuguese adjective or demonym that is used to refer to the native inhabitants of the city of Rio de Janeiro - capital of the homonym state , in Brazil...
(from Rio de Janeiro city, originally meant white man house in Tupian language
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
).
Due to immigration, nowadays one can find these surnames even in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Some locative surnames derived indirectly as the result of its incorporation by the family after the Imperial nobility title of an ancestor. During the times of Emperor Pedro II, non-hereditary nobilities titles would be granted to notable persons, generally statesmen. The title (but no lordship) would be granted and named after a location, as in Europe, generally owned by the notable. At their death, the family in order to maintain the reference to the title would adopt them, to the point that many Brazilians still believe these are hereditary.
Thus surnames like:
Rio Branco (from Barão de Rio Branco
Rio Branco
Rio Branco is a Brazilian city, capital of Acre. Located in the Valley of Acre in northern Brazil, it is the most populous county in the state, with 305,954 inhabitants, according to a 2009 estimate - almost half the state population....
, i.e., José Maria da Silva Paranhos), Jaguaribe (from Barão de Jaguaribe
Jaguaribe
Jaguaribe is a town and municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
), Ouro Preto (from Visconde de Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto
-History:Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto was originally called Vila Rica, or "rich village," the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule....
), Paranaguá (from the various Marqueses de Paranaguá
Paranaguá
Paranaguá is a city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city.It is known for its excellent port facilities, being the sea port for Curitiba, the capital of Paraná....
as the title would be granted to more than one notable), Araripe (Barão de Araripe
Araripe
Araripe is a town and municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
), Suassuna (Barão de Suassuna), etc...
Non-Portuguese surnames in Brazil
Despite the lesser variation in Portuguese surnames, immigration from other countries (ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, UK, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
etc.) increased the diversity of surnames in Brazil.
Some foreign surnames were misspelled after many generations and today cannot be recognized in their original country (the French-Swiss family name Magnan changed to Manhães after some decades). Some misspelled foreign surnames are hardly recognized by speakers of the original language such as Collor (from German Koeller), Chamareli (from Italian Sciammarelli) and Branquini (from Italian Bianchini). Sometimes, different rules of romanization were applied to Japanese and Arabic names (like Nacamura and Nakamura, Yamaguchi and Iamaguti, Sabag and Sappak, Bukhalil and Bucalil).
Thus there are extensively adapted or misspelled foreign surnames used by Brazilian descendants of non-Portuguese immigrants. Due to emigration, nowadays one can find these misspelled surnames even in their original country.
Immigrants' surnames
Although not so widely used as in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, immigrants used to change their surname to show assimilation or to avoid social discrimination in Brazil.
This practice was most used during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by Italian immigrants because Italy was an enemy country for a few years. As Italians are Catholics and were easily assimilated in the larger Brazilian society, the practice is not perceived and almost forgot after a single generation.
The new Portuguese surname was generally chosen based on the original meaning of the foreign surname (Olivetto, Olivetti or Oliva sometimes changed to Oliveira). Sometimes the new surname had only a phonetical resemblance with the foreign one (the Italian surmanes Livieiro and Salviani sometimes were changed to Oliveira and Silva.
Respectful treatment using hypocoristics
In Brazil, until the first-half of the 20th century, very important people could be called in a very respectful - but not formal - way using a social or military title and a childish hypocoristicHypocoristic
A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:...
s of their given name, such as "Coronel Tonico" (something like Colonel Tony), "Comendador Paulinho" (Commender Lil' Paul), "Dona Chica" (Lady Lil' Frances"), Sinhá Mariquinha (Mrs. Lil' Mary, sinhá is a popular pronunciation of senhora, i.e. Mrs.). Although an American president could be called Bill (Clinton) or Jimmy (Carter) by the press, this practice was used in Brazil as a much more respectful treatment and never in a formal way.
Some sociologists have suggested that members of the Brazilian upper classes were often raised by slave women who called them using a hypocoristics, and that childish name continued to be used, but in a respectful way, when they grew up.
Today, this practice is not so widespread, but one can find people informally, but respectfully, called "Seu Zé" (Mr Joe, Seu is a short Mister) or "Dona Ritinha" (Lady Lil' Rita).
Adding given names to surnames
In Brazil, descendants of famous people sometimes use a surname composed of both the given name and the surname of their ancestor, like Ruy BarbosaRuy Barbosa
Ruy Barbosa de Oliveira was a Brazilian writer, jurist, and politician.Born in Salvador da Bahia, he was a federal representative, senator, Minister of Finance and diplomat. For his distinguished participation in the Hague Peace Conference of 1907, he earned the nickname "Eagle of the Hague"...
, Vital Brasil, Miguel Pereira and Lafayette Rodrigues families. Such practice allows them to be easily recognized by other people as descendants of their famous ancestor. Such a pattern is rare.
Given names of foreign origin
In PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, newborn children can only be named from a list of given names permitted by Civil Law. Names are required to be spelt according to the rules of Portuguese orthography
Portuguese orthography
The Portuguese orthography is based on the Latin alphabet, and makes use of the acute accent, the circumflex accent, the grave accent, the tilde, and the cedilla, to denote stress, vowel height, nasalization, and other sound changes...
and to be a part of Portuguese-language onomastic (traditionally names in Portugal were based on the calendar of saints
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
). Thus in Portugal the given names show little variation, as traditional names are favoured over "modern" ones. Examples of popular Portuguese names are António, João, José, Francisco, Pedro or Manuel (for men) and Maria, Ana, Isabel, Teresa or Joana (for women). In recent decades there has been a popularity rise for ancient historical names such as Gonçalo, Bernardo, Vasco, Afonso, Leonor, Catarina or Beatriz. If one of the Parents is not Portuguese or has double citizenship, foreign names are allowed, as long as the parents present a document proving the requested name is allowed in their country of origin. In the past, immigrant children who were born abroad were required to adopt a Portuguese name in order to become Portuguese citizens - an example is tennis player Michelle de Brito, whose legal name is Micaela. This practise no longer applies.
In Brazil, there is no legal restriction on naming a newborn child, unless the given name has a meaning that can humiliate or embarrass those who bear it.
Brazilians living far from the big cities or lower-class people are prone to create new given names, joining together the given names of the parents or classical given names, changing the spelling of foreign names or even using foreign suffixes that - they may believe - give a sophisticated or modern sound to the new name (see Mauren - from Maureen - , Deivid - from David, Robison).
Foreign surnames are also widely used as given names such as Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Mozart, Donizetti, Lamartine, Danton
Georges Danton
Georges Jacques Danton was leading figure in the early stages of the French Revolution and the first President of the Committee of Public Safety. Danton's role in the onset of the Revolution has been disputed; many historians describe him as "the chief force in theoverthrow of the monarchy and the...
, Anderson, Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
, Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
, Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, Jensen, Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
, Nobel
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer. He is the inventor of dynamite. Nobel also owned Bofors, which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments...
, and Rosenberg. Originally these names showed the political, artistic or scientific admiration of the parents who first used them to name their sons.
Given names originating from Native Brazilian names
During the realm of the second Emperor, Dom Pedro II, the Native BrazilianIndigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
was used as the symbol of the Empire. At this time, Brazilian people started to use Native Brazilian
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
names as given names. Some are among the most popular until nowadays.
These are names like Araci, Caubi, Guaraci, Iara, Iberê, Ioná, Jaci, Janaína, Jandira, Juçara, Juraci, Jurema, Maiara, Moacir, Moema, Ubiratã, Ceci, Iracema, Peri and Ubirajara (the last four taken from José de Alencar
José de Alencar
José Martiniano de Alencar was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, orator, novelist and dramatist. He is one of the most famous writers of the first generation of Brazilian Romanticism, writing historical, regionalist and Indianist romances — being the most famous The Guarani...
's works).
Recently, Brazilians have started to use other given names of Native Brazilian
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
origin like Rudá (love), Cauã and Cauê (sun), although these are now very rare and their use connotes the hippie culture.
External links
- Direcção Geral de Registos e Notariados - Nomes admitidos - List of first names admitted by law (Portugal)