Brazilian
names are used in the country of Brazil in South America.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AFONSO PortugueseOld (6th century derived) Iberian surname, associated with the first dynasty and King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. The surname was used by all the subsequent illegitimate children of that dynastic line.
AVEIRO Portuguese, SpanishDemonymic surname refering to Aveiro a city in middle north-eastern Portugal. A famous bearer of this surname is Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
AVELAR PortugueseThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Ansião.
BARBOSA Portuguesedenoting a person who lived by land that contained overgrown leafy vegetation from the portuguese word
barba "leaf" +
oso/osa (adjective suffix); variant of
Barboza BETHENCOURT French, English, Portuguese (Rare)Bettencourt and Bethencourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population...
[more] BETTENCOURT French, English, Portuguese (Rare)Bettencourt and
Bethencourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population...
[more] BRAGANÇA PortugueseFrom the city of Bragança in Portugal. It's also the name of the Royal House that ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1910.
BRANCO Portuguesefrom the the portuguese word
Branco meaning "white", referring to someone with light skin and/or hair
BRAVO Spanish, PortugueseFrom a Spanish and Portuguese nickname for a fierce or violent man (from Spanish and Portuguese
bravo "fierce, violent"). This surname was borne by Charles Bravo (1845-1876), a British lawyer and possible murder victim.
CABAÑA Spanish, PortugueseHabitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña ‘hut’, ‘cabin’ (Late Latin capanna, a word of Celtic or Germanic origin).
CABAÑAS Spanish, PortugueseHabitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña or Portuguese cabanha ‘hut’, ‘cabin’.
CAMACHO Spanish, PortugueseFrom the ancient European
camb, meaning twisted or disfigured, denoting to someone with visible physical abnormalities, but could possibly also refer to residents of a particularly gnarly tract of land.
CANGUSSU BrazilianThe surname Cangussu has its origins in the Tupi-Guarani language and is a variation of Akangu’su, which means 'Jaguar'.
CARVALHO PortugueseCarvalho (Portuguese pronunciation:
kɐɾˈvaʎu), meaning 'oak', is a Portuguese surname, also sometimes used as a Sephardic Jewish surname as well as by families with genetic Norman descent....
[more] CASCALHO Portuguese (?)What I know about this surname is that it came from Alentejo, a region in Portugal countryside. The eldest Cascalho I know lived in Évora (city in this province) so I assume the name born there...
CERQUEIRA PortugueseHabitational name from any of various places named Cerquerira, in most cases from a Latin derivative of
quercus "oak". The family name also occurs in Sicily, probably of the same origin.
CORREIA Portuguesemeaning "leather strap" or "belt", "rein", or "shoelace"; denoting a person who worked with leather products
CUNHA Portuguese (Brazilian)This name can mean either mean that your upper class or a coin maker. Cunha directly translates to "coin" or "wedge"
DA CRUZ PortugueseA variant of
Cruz, with the addition of the preposition 'da' (meaning 'of the' or 'from the').
DA LUZ PortugueseFrom a religious epithet meaning ‘of the light’, specifically the Marian name "Nuestra Señora da Luz" (which means "Our Lady of the Light").
DA ROSA PortugueseLiterally means "of the rose" in Portuguese. It is generally a component of personal names; among women, it is a Marian name; among men, it is of uncertain application.
DA SILVA PortugueseTopographic name for someone who lived by a wood, from Latin
silva meaning "wood". Famous bearers are Brazilian footballers Thiago Silva and Neymar.
DE SOUZA PortugueseMeans "of Sousa" in Portuguese, referring to the River Sousa flowing through northern Portugal. The word
Sousa itself is derived from the Latin
saxa, saxum meaning "stone, rock". The surname is more commonly used in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African countries today.
DOS SANTOS Portuguese, SpanishFrom a Spanish and Portuguese name applied originally to a child born or baptized on All Saints' Day (from Spanish and Portuguese, literally "of the saints"). A famous bearer of this surname is Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
EIRIZ PortugueseThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Paços de Ferreira.
FARIA Portuguese, ItalianFaria is a Portuguese surname. A habitational name from either of two places called Faria, in Braga and Aveiro. ...
[more] FELICIANO Italian, Spanish, PortugueseFrom a medieval personal name (Latin
Felicianus, a derivative of
Felix). The name was borne by a number of early saints, most notably a 3rd-century bishop of Foligno and apostle of Umbria.
GAMA PortugueseProbably from gama ‘fallow deer doe’, feminine form of gamo, possibly as a topographic or habitational name.
GOETTEMS German, BrazilianBrazilian adaptation of the German surname Goedems; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil. All members of the Goettems family in Brazil are descendants of Johann Goedems, born in Oberlöstern, Saarland, on September 17, 1798.
HORTA Catalan, PortugueseMeans "garden" (Latin
hortus), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosed garden or an occupational name for one who was a gardener.
JURADO Spanish, PortugueseOccupational name for any of various officials who had to take an oath that they would perform their duty properly, from
jurado "sworn", past participle of
jurar "to swear" (Latin
iurare).
KAYANO Japanese (Rare), BrazilianKaya means "yew tree",and No means "field,meadow,wilderness".People with this last name are Kayano Gonbei (a samurai),Ai Kayano(a voice actress of MANY characters /more than 30),and Shigeru Kayano(an Ainu politician who lived well up to 2006)...
[more] KRAIS German, BrazilianBrazilian adaptation of the German surname Greis; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
LABRADOR Spanish, Portuguese, FilipinoFrom the root word "labora" meaning labor or work. This means laborer or worker but often associated to farmers as in San Isidro Labrador
LACERDA Portuguese, SpanishNickname for someone with remarkably thick or long hair, or with an unusually hairy back or chest. From Spanish and Portuguese
la cerda ‘the lock (of hair)’.
LEAL Portuguese, SpanishMeans "loyal" in Portuguese and Spanish. A famous bearer of this surname is Roberto Leal, a very popular singer in Portugal.
LEITAO PortuguesePortuguese metonymic occupational name for a keeper of pigs, or nickname meaning ‘piglet’, from Portuguese
leitão ‘(suckling) pig’.
MADEIRAS PortugueseCame from the Portuguese Madeira word "wood" or "timber". perhaps the portuguese version of the surname
Woods or someone who's from the Portuguese island Madeira
MAESTRE Portuguese, SpanishOccupational name from old Spanish and Portuguese
maestre meaning 'master', 'master craftsman', 'teacher'.
MAIA PortugueseHabitational name from any of several places named Maia, especially one in Porto.
MALDONADO Spanish, PortugueseFrom
mal donado meaning "badly endowed" (literally, "badly given"). Also used for people originating from the Spanish village of Maldonado.
MIRANDA Spanish, Portuguese, JewishHabitational name from any of numerous places in Spain and Portugal called Miranda. The derivation of the place name is uncertain; it may be of pre-Roman origin, or from Latin
miranda "view, outlook".
MOREIRA Portuguese, GalicianHabitational name from any of the numerous places in Portugal and Galicia called Moreira, from
moreira meaning "mulberry tree".
MOURA PortugueseDerived from the Portuguese word "Mouro", which refers to an individual from the Moor people. This is the feminine form of the word, often used in legends of enchanted moor women, which very common in Portugal...
[more] NASCIMENTO Portuguese (Brazilian)Means "birth, nativity" in Portuguese, from Late Latin
nascimentum, a derivative of Latin
nasci "to be born". This was originally a religious byname. It was also an epithet of the Virgin Mary (
Maria do Nascimento), and was used as a given name for children born on Christmas.
NATAL Portuguese, SpanishFrom the personal name
Natal (from Latin
Natalis), bestowed on someone born at Christmas or with reference to the Marian epithet
María del Natal.
NORONHA PortugueseDerived from
Noreña, the name of a village in Asturias, northern Spain.
NOVO Galician, PortugueseNickname from Portuguese and Galician novo ‘new’, ‘young’ (Latin novus). The word was also occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, particularly for a child born after the death of a sibling, and this may also be a source of the surname.
PÃO PortugueseMetonymic occupational name for a baker, from pão meaning "bread"
PAR PortugueseDerived from Portuguese meaning "pair, couple, equal".
PEDROSA Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, GalicianHabitational name from any of numerous places named Pedrosa, from pedroso, pedrosa meaning "stoney", an adjectival derivative of pedra meaning "stone".
PERES Jewish, Galician, PortugueseDerived from the given name
Perez, a son of Judah by Tamar, and may also be spelled Perez or Peretz. It is also Galician and Portuguese, but means "Son of Pedro", and is a patronymic in those languages.
PORTUGAL Spanish, Portuguese, English, Catalan, French, JewishSpanish, Portuguese, Catalan, English, French, and Jewish surname meaning ethnic name or regional name for someone from Portugal or who had connections with Portugal. The name of the country derives from Late Latin Portucale, originally denoting the district around Oporto (Portus Cales, named with Latin portus ‘port’, ‘harbor’ + Cales, the ancient name of the city)...
[more] PRETO Portuguesecomes from the Portuguese word
preto meaning "black" or "dark". referring to someone with dark skin and/or hair. possibly a cognate of the spanish surname
PRIETO REGO PortuguesePrimarily Iberian, particularly
Portuguese in origin. A topographic name for someone who lived by a channel.
REGUEIRO Galician, PortugueseThe name originated in Ourense (Galicia) in the 14th Century. It´s literal meaning in Portuguese is river. It is a surname referring to a person who lived near a river or water source.
REQUIÃO PortugueseDerived from the name of a village in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, ultimately from the name of
Rechila, a 5th-century Suevic king of Gallaecia.
SÁ Portuguese, GalicianVariant spelling of
Saa, a habitational name from any of the numerous places named Saa, mainly in northern Portugal and Galicia.
SENNA PortuguesePossibly coming from the surname "Sanna", it may mean "one with a big protruding tooth"....
[more] SPÍNOLA PortuguesePortuguese topographic name from a diminutive of
espinha ‘thorn’, ‘thorn bush’.
TEIXEIRA PortugueseFrom the portuguese
teixo meaning "yew"; or "yew tree". yew is a type of shrub
VAGULA Estonian, BrazilianVagula is the name of a village and a lake in Võru Parish, Võru County in southern Estonia.
VANDERLEI BrazilianIt derives from the Dutch surname Van der Leij/Ley. The surname arrived in Brazil by Kaspar Nieuwhoff Van Der Leij by 1630, a cavalry captain from the Dutch army.
VERDE Italian, Spanish, PortugueseFrom Spanish
verde "green" (Latin
viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.
VIEIRA PortugueseReligious byname from Portuguese
vieria "scallop" (Late Latin veneria, a derivative of the name of Venus; the goddess was often depicted riding on a scallop). The scallop was a symbol of the pilgrim who had been to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela.
VIEIRA PortugueseHabitational name from any of numerous minor places called Vieiria.
VILLARD Galician, PortugueseA Galician and Portuguese surname in the north of Iberian Peninsula. It's a last name belonging to ancient Celtic tribes.