When it became necessary to create more distinctions so people wouldn’t get confused with each other, man looked to vegetation, geography and wherever else there was inspiration. The result: a hodgepodge of surnames that are several centuries old.
In the list below, find out which are the most present among the Brazilian population and how they came about. It is worth mentioning: as there is no official listing of the most common surnames in Brazil, the following ranking is based on data from Telefônica Vivo (SP). Data refer to 2013, the original year of publication of this report.
1. Silva
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 698,448
It is believed that it emerged in the Roman Empire to designate residents of forest regions – “silva”, in Latin, is “jungle”. Brought to Brazil by colonizers, it was also adopted by freed slaves. The oldest record around here is from 1612.
2. Saints
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 426,453
Its origin is religious: it was given, in Portugal, to those who were born on the 1st of November – the Day of All Saints. New Christians (converted Jews living in the Iberian Peninsula) also adopted it to escape the Inquisition.
3. olive tree
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 244,173
The first Portuguese to use it would own a vast plantation of olive trees, the tree that produces the olive. The most remote member of the family is the Lusitanian Pedro de Oliveira, who lived about 700 years ago. An olive tree painted green is at the center of the coat of arms.
4. Souza (and Sousa)
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 232,295
It is derived from the Latin (“saxa”) and means “pebbles” or “rocks”. The name belonged to a Portuguese family that had ancestors among the Visigoths, barbarian peoples of northern Europe. Tomé de Souza, the first governor-general of Brazil, was an illustrious member.
5. Lime
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 108,139
The best hypothesis is that it comes from the Spanish river Limia. The Celtic word would mean oblivion: according to legend, whoever crossed Limia would lose his memory. In Portugal, one of the first families was Dom João Fernandes de Lima, lord of the lands of Limia.
6. pear tree
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 94,451
Apparently, it is a reference to a property that had a pear plantation, Quinta de Pereira, located in the north of Portugal. The first to use the name was a rich and powerful lord from the 13th century, called Dom Gonçalo Pereira.
7. Ferreira
Origin – Spain
Quantity in SP – 82,016
It is a reference to a place where there is iron or an iron mine. Dom Álvaro Rodrigues Ferreira, who lived in Spain around 1170, is, as far as is known, the oldest person to wear it. In Brazil, it was introduced by more than a hundred different families.
8. Coast
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 76,432
Scholars believe it has a geographic origin: it was used to designate those born in locations by the sea (on the coast), as opposed to the Silva, who lived inland – which would explain the lack of important Costa families in Minas Gerais.
9. Rodrigues
Origin – Portugal and Spain
Quantity in SP – 71,231
Medieval name, which appeared in the 14th and 15th centuries. The suffix “es” (in Portugal) or “ez” (in Spain) identifies paternal kinship. Rodrigues therefore means “son of Rodrigo”. Rodrigo comes from the Germanic Hrod-rich, which means “rich in glory”.
10. Almeida
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 62,814
The word, of Arabic origin, is composed of the definite article “al” and the noun “ma¿ida” (“table”). It was adopted as a surname in Portugal, where it may have taken on a geographical meaning: it would be a reference to flat ground or plateau.
11. Birth
Origin – Portugal or Holland
Quantity in SP – 60,145
It would be a tribute to the birth of Christ: many children born on December 25 received it. But it could also come from the surname Nassau, common in the Netherlands. In Iberian countries, people with Nassau as their first name were given the surname Nascimento.
12. Alves
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 54,994
Abbreviation of Álvares, which means “son of Álvaro” – therefore a patronymic surname (derived from the father’s name). Certain historians believe that it could also come from “alvar”, a species of oak. In that case, Álvares would be a place abundant in oaks.
13. Oak
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 50,592
The oldest records date back to the 12th century. It refers to the tree of the same name and it is likely that its first adept lived near an oak tree. A good part of the Carvalhos are converted Iberian Jews, that is, who adopted the surname after their origin.
14. Araújo
Origin – Portugal and Spain
Quantity in SP – 49,024
It is believed to have emerged in Galicia, a region in the north of Spain that borders Portugal. Rodrigues Anes de Araújo, lord of Castelo de Araújo, which was located there, was probably the first person to use the surname, around the 13th century.
15. Brook
Origin – Portugal
Quantity in SP – 48,821
It originates from the Latin “ripariu”, which means “small river” or “little river”. It was adopted by people who lived on land near watercourses. In Portugal, the family is of noble origin and one of its first members was Dom Ramiro, last regent of the kingdom of León.
Discover the main sources of inspiration for first surnames
Occupation – In the beginning, many people chose surnames that identified the profession. That’s where designations like Hunter («hunter» in English) and Carpenter («carpenter») come from.
Location – Extremely common, toponymic surnames made reference to a place or geographic accident where the person lived. Examples: Fontes, Campos, Matos, Pinheiro, Ribeiro, Rocha, Costa, Silva…
Characteristics – Physical traits (“Small”, “Long”, “Strong”) were also used, as well as personality traits. For example: “Fox”, which means “fox” in English, was used for someone considered astute or intelligent, and “Fish” (“fish”) for a good swimmer.
Religion – In countries with a strong religious influence, such as Portugal, Italy and Spain, it was common to adopt religious designations, such as Hallelujah, Angels, Assunção, Batista, Trindade and Graça, sometimes even as a first name.
Adoption of more than one name came about because of the increase in population
+/- 2850 BC – Surnames began to be used almost 5,000 years ago in China. Around 2850 BC, the population grew too much and it was no longer possible for people to have only one name. The Fushi Empire then forced the Chinese to have three: one of their own, one from the family, and a third taken from a poem.
+/- 500 BC – In the West, the habit was first adopted in the Roman Empire. They used three names: the “praenomen” (proper name), the “nomen” (which designated the clan to which they belonged) and the “cognomen” (family name). When the Romans declined, the use of surnames fell into disuse.
+/- 1000 AD – During the Middle Ages, with population growth, surnames reappeared in Europe. It was a way to better identify people. They were used first by nobles and feudal lords and later by merchants and commoners. The most common were patronymic surnames, which refer to the father’s name.
+/- 1500 AD – In Brazil, surnames arrived with colonization. Around 95% came from other countries, such as Portugal, Japan, Germany and Spain. The remaining 5% are indigenous, such as Capanema or Pirajá. Many freed slaves incorporated the surnames of their former owners.
Discover the three most common surnames in some countries around the world
Germany – Muller, Schmidt, Schneider
Argentina – Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Gomez
Canada – Li, Smith, Lam
China – Wang, Li, Zhang
USA – Smith, Johnson, Williams
France – Martin, Bernard, Dubois
England – Smith, Jones, Taylor
Italy – Rossi, Russo, Ferrari
Japan – Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi
Portugal – Silva, Santos, Ferreira
Arab countries – Ali, Ahmedi, Ahmad
trees and animals
To escape the Inquisition, many Jews and Muslims living in Portugal and Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries converted to Catholicism. They changed their last names to things from nature, like Leão, Carneiro and Pinheiro – although these nomenclatures are not exclusive to them.
union by blood
There is no more popular surname in Brazil than Silva, but this is not the biggest family in the country, as it is divided into several distinct family groups. The largest family with blood ties is the Cavalcanti, from Pernambuco. There, legend says that “either you are Cavalcanti, or you are Cavalgado”.
cannibal nobles
For the cannibal Indians who lived in Colonial Brazil, last names were a matter of acquisition: they added those of the people they ate! Everyone was born with just one and collected throughout their lives – the quantity was a reason for pride and ostentation.
Subscription in weight
The Brazilian imperial family always had kilometric names (d. Pedro I had more than 15 surnames). It was a way of honoring the closest ancestors and also a habit of the Portuguese nobility, who liked to incorporate the names of parents, uncles and grandparents to new family members.
Sources: Dictionary of Brazilian Families, by Carlos Barata and Cunha Bueno; and websites Name origin, Recanto das Letras It is Oak Geology. Consultancy: Marcelo Amaral Bogaciovas, genealogist and president of the Brazilian Association of History and Genealogy Researchers (Asbrap).