Portuguese Names
Portuguese names are elegant, rooted in history and surprisingly easy to fall for. In Portugal, parents choose from an official list of approved first names, so royal and saintly classics like Leonor, Afonso, Duarte and Matilde stay perennially popular. Brazil, home to most of the world’s Portuguese speakers, adds its own freer, more international style.
This guide gathers 80+ Portuguese names with meanings — popular picks, names of kings and navigators, everyday nicknames and common surnames. For full lists, explore Portuguese boy names, Portuguese girl names and Portuguese last names, or cross the ocean to our Brazilian names.
Portuguese Names: browse all lists
Popular Portuguese girl names
Portugal’s favorites blend queens’ names with soft classics. See more in our Portuguese girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Maria | Mary; possibly “beloved” | mah-REE-ah |
| Leonor | Portuguese Eleanor | lee-oo-NOR |
| Matilde | “Mighty in battle” | mah-TEELD |
| Carolina | “Free woman” | kah-roo-LEE-nah |
| Beatriz | “She who brings happiness” | bee-ah-TREESH |
| Inês | “Pure”; Portuguese Agnes | ee-NESH |
| Constança | “Steadfast” | kohn-SHTAHN-sah |
| Margarida | “Pearl”; also “daisy” | mar-gah-REE-dah |
| Benedita | “Blessed” | beh-neh-DEE-tah |
| Francisca | “Free one” | frahn-SEESH-kah |
| Madalena | “From Magdala” | mah-dah-LEH-nah |
| Luísa | “Famous warrior” | loo-EE-zah |
Popular Portuguese boy names
Francisco has topped Portugal’s charts for years, with historic names close behind. Find more in Portuguese boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Francisco | “Frenchman, free one” | frahn-SEESH-koo |
| Afonso | “Noble and ready” | ah-FOHN-soo |
| Duarte | Portuguese Edward | DWAR-t |
| Tomás | “Twin” | too-MASH |
| Lourenço | “From Laurentum” | loh-RAIN-soo |
| Santiago | “Saint James” | sahn-tee-AH-goo |
| Martim | “Of Mars” | mar-TEENG |
| Gonçalo | From Germanic gund, “battle” | gohn-SAH-loo |
| Salvador | “Savior” | sahl-vah-DOR |
| Rodrigo | “Famous ruler” | roo-DREE-goo |
| Guilherme | Portuguese William | gee-LYERM |
| Dinis | From Dionysius | dee-NEESH |
Names from Portuguese history
Kings, queens, poets and the navigators of the Age of Discovery have given Portugal a deep pool of heritage names. Fans of history might also enjoy royal baby names.
| Name | Famous bearer | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Vasco | Vasco da Gama, navigator | Boy |
| Henrique | Henry the Navigator | Boy |
| Fernão | Fernão de Magalhães (Magellan) | Boy |
| Bartolomeu | Bartolomeu Dias, rounded the Cape of Good Hope | Boy |
| Nuno | Nuno Álvares Pereira, national hero | Boy |
| Sebastião | King Sebastião, “the Desired” | Boy |
| Luís | Luís de Camões, national poet | Boy |
| Isabel | Queen Saint Isabel | Girl |
| Filipa | Philippa of Lancaster, mother of Henry the Navigator | Girl |
| Catarina | Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England | Girl |
| Amália | Amália Rodrigues, the voice of fado | Girl |
| Mafalda | Queen Mafalda, wife of Portugal’s first king | Girl |
Portuguese Marian names
A distinctive Portuguese custom: girls named for titles of the Virgin Mary, usually shortened from Maria da… or Maria de….
| Name | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fátima | After the shrine at Fátima | Our Lady of Fátima |
| Conceição | “Conception” | Immaculate Conception |
| Graça | “Grace” | Our Lady of Grace |
| Luz | “Light” | Our Lady of Light |
| Glória | “Glory” | Our Lady of Glory |
| Rosário | “Rosary” | Our Lady of the Rosary |
| Dores | “Sorrows” | Our Lady of Sorrows |
| Aparecida | “She who appeared” | Patron saint of Brazil |
Unique Portuguese names
Want something genuinely Portuguese that few people outside Lusophone countries will have heard? Try these. More in unique baby names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Brites | Old Portuguese form of Beatriz | Girl |
| Guiomar | Medieval name; possibly “famous in battle” | Girl |
| Açucena | “Madonna lily” | Girl |
| Florbela | “Beautiful flower” | Girl |
| Iara | “Lady of the waters” (Tupi, Brazil) | Girl |
| Estrela | “Star” | Girl |
| Simão | Portuguese Simon, “he has heard” | Boy |
| Tomé | Portuguese Thomas | Boy |
| Brás | Portuguese Blaise | Boy |
| Lopo | “Wolf” | Boy |
| Telmo | After São Telmo, patron of sailors | Boy |
| Crispim | “Curly-haired” | Boy |
Portuguese nicknames
Portuguese speakers shorten names with affection, often in ways English speakers wouldn’t guess.
| Nickname | Full name | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Zé | José | Boy |
| Quim | Joaquim | Boy |
| Tó | António | Boy |
| Chico | Francisco | Boy |
| Manel | Manuel | Boy |
| Nando | Fernando | Boy |
| Tiaguinho | Tiago (the -inho ending means “little”) | Boy |
| Guida | Margarida | Girl |
| Bia | Beatriz | Girl |
| Nela | Manuela | Girl |
| Tina | Cristina | Girl |
| Joaninha | Joana (“little Joana”; also “ladybug”) | Girl |
Common Portuguese last names
Portuguese surnames often describe trees and landscapes or come from a father’s name. Full details in our Portuguese last names list.
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Silva | “Forest, woods” | Nature |
| Santos | “Saints” | Religious |
| Ferreira | “Ironworks” | Place |
| Pereira | “Pear tree” | Nature |
| Oliveira | “Olive tree” | Nature |
| Costa | “Coast, slope” | Place |
| Rodrigues | “Son of Rodrigo” | Patronymic |
| Martins | “Son of Martim” | Patronymic |
| Sousa | From the Sousa river | Place |
| Carvalho | “Oak tree” | Nature |
| Almeida | From Arabic, “the plateau” | Place |
| Medeiros | Place name; common in the Azores | Place |
| Magalhães | Village in northern Portugal | Place |
How to choose a Portuguese name
- Pick your accent. European and Brazilian Portuguese sound different — Rodrigo is roo-DREE-goo in Lisbon and hoh-DREE-goo in Rio.
- Keep the diacritics. Inês, Constança and Simão rely on accents and the cedilla; they’re part of the name’s identity.
- Consider a compound name. Pairings like Maria Leonor or João Pedro are traditional and let you honor two relatives.
- Explore the explorers. Vasco, Fernão and Bartolomeu are rare outside Portugal and carry stories of the sea — see also names that mean ocean.
- Compare with Spanish and Italian. Our Spanish names and Italian names share roots but often differ in spelling and sound.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular names in Portugal?
Francisco, Afonso, Tomás, Duarte and Lourenço have been among the top boy names, and Maria, Leonor, Matilde, Carolina and Alice among the top girl names in recent years.
Can you name a baby anything in Portugal?
No. Portugal’s civil registry keeps an official list of permitted first names, and names must follow Portuguese spelling. Parents with a foreign nationality can use names from their own culture.
How many names do Portuguese people have?
Typically one or two first names and two to four surnames — usually one or two from the mother followed by one or two from the father. Legally, a person can have up to six names in total.
Are Portuguese and Brazilian names the same?
They share most names, but spelling and taste differ: Portugal writes António and prefers traditional names, while Brazil writes Antônio and uses more international names like Enzo, Valentina and Heloísa.
What is the most common Portuguese surname?
Silva, meaning “forest”, is the most common surname in both Portugal and Brazil.