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in reply to a message by Jim Young
I'm Brazilian, so it makes sense that its Portuguese, but a dry place in Portugal?
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Why not? Incidentally there is an area in Northern Brazil called Siqueira, and several other places incorporating the word (or surname?). See here -
http://www.geonames.org/search.html?q=Siqueira&country=
But the Portuguese surname and place name is Sequeira.
http://www.geonames.org/search.html?q=Siqueira&country=
But the Portuguese surname and place name is Sequeira.
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Apparently, it is also an important Jewish name? http://www.saudades.org/namesfrombrazil.html (just search down)
Could it be that the surname refers to the people (Jews or Arabs, who were really common in Portugal, hailing from Syria/Palestine=dry places) or to a specific place in Portugal? This is also really confusing, because it makes no sense, especially considering my father is a very, very dark mistico/mulatto, most probably a descendant of slaves from Brazil! How could this be? Many slaves did come from Mali, which is also dry, so it could also be an adaptation of the surname, but I don't think the Brazilian descendants knew the meaning of Siqueira or their direct origins.
Could it be that the surname refers to the people (Jews or Arabs, who were really common in Portugal, hailing from Syria/Palestine=dry places) or to a specific place in Portugal? This is also really confusing, because it makes no sense, especially considering my father is a very, very dark mistico/mulatto, most probably a descendant of slaves from Brazil! How could this be? Many slaves did come from Mali, which is also dry, so it could also be an adaptation of the surname, but I don't think the Brazilian descendants knew the meaning of Siqueira or their direct origins.
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I don't think the explanation needs to be so complicated. A place need not be arid desert to be described as "dry". Even in well watered Britain there are place names incorporating the word dry, e.g., Dry Drayton.
People of non-European descent in the Americas usually had surnames imposed upon them, sometimes by Christian missionaries, sometimes by the civil authority. A slave would not normally have a surname, but on being freed would require one. So the abolition of slavery in any nation on the American continent, North or South, would lead to a mass adoption of surnames, not necessarily having anything to do with a person's ancestry. We know that some slaves who were freed took the names of their former owners. I've also heard of some who, on being baptised, took the surname of their sponsor or godparent, usually a European. But I imagine many were just given a name at random, or allowed to choose one.
People of non-European descent in the Americas usually had surnames imposed upon them, sometimes by Christian missionaries, sometimes by the civil authority. A slave would not normally have a surname, but on being freed would require one. So the abolition of slavery in any nation on the American continent, North or South, would lead to a mass adoption of surnames, not necessarily having anything to do with a person's ancestry. We know that some slaves who were freed took the names of their former owners. I've also heard of some who, on being baptised, took the surname of their sponsor or godparent, usually a European. But I imagine many were just given a name at random, or allowed to choose one.
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I see. Cool, thanks a bunch!
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