Meaning of Portuguese name 'Medieros'
Relatively common Portuguese name ...I'm guessing that the root means either "to measure" or perhaps "in the middle of" ...can anyone confirm or refute my guess?
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i actually have a friend who is "de souza".
although in its origin the name is portuguese, it was made popular with the colonization of india. it is still a relatively common name with portuguese-indians.
in portugal, however,the unaltered "de souza" is a somewhat rare name. the version "de sousa", on the other hand, is very common.
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the name is actually "medeiros". being portuguese myself, i can tell you that it is the name of a region in north portugal (in the area of Minho)and also represents the place where corn stacks are kept - now for a little extra - the portuguese actress maria de medeiros has a small role in pulp fiction.she also plays anais nin in "henry and june", neside uma thurman.
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http://www.medeiros.org/history.html

also:

[...Sometimes the correct spelling of a Surname can be determined by locating the place of origin for your original ancestor into this country. I believe the original spelling of the surname is Medeiros, Madeiras or Medearis. These spellings are all Portuguese meaning "One who came from Medeiros"....]

the above text is taken from the following website:
http://www.mindspring.com/~kellcin/history.htm

what M.S. says is highly unlikely, but there is a surname Metayer. that is probably what he meant.
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It is a "sharecropper" a farmer, see the french word Métayer.
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