Portuguese Last Names
Portuguese last names are wonderfully descriptive. Many come from trees and landscapes (Oliveira, “olive tree”; Silva, “forest”), others from a father’s name with the old -es ending (Rodrigues, “son of Rodrigo”), and a distinctive group from Catholic devotion, like Santos, Reis and Nascimento. Portuguese children usually receive surnames from both parents — mother’s first, father’s last — and it is the final surname that people use day to day.
Below are 95+ Portuguese surnames with meanings, grouped by origin, including the Azorean names common in New England, California and Hawaii. For first names, see our Portuguese names hub, and compare these surnames with Brazilian last names and Spanish last names.
The most common Portuguese last names
Silva and Santos lead in both Portugal and Brazil. Many of these were adopted by families without a surname, which explains why they are so widespread.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin type |
|---|---|---|
| Silva | “Forest, woods” (Latin silva) | Place / nature |
| Santos | “Saints”; for All Saints’ Day | Religious |
| Ferreira | “Ironworks, iron mine” | Place |
| Pereira | “Pear tree” | Nature |
| Oliveira | “Olive tree” | Nature |
| Costa | “Coast, slope” | Place |
| Rodrigues | “Son of Rodrigo” | Patronymic |
| Martins | “Son of Martim” | Patronymic |
| Jesus | Devotional name | Religious |
| Sousa | From the Sousa river | Place |
| Fernandes | “Son of Fernando” | Patronymic |
| Gonçalves | “Son of Gonçalo” | Patronymic |
| Gomes | “Son of Gome” | Patronymic |
| Lopes | “Son of Lopo”, “wolf” | Patronymic |
| Marques | “Son of Marcos” | Patronymic |
| Alves | “Son of Álvaro” | Patronymic |
| Almeida | From Arabic al-ma’ida, “the plateau” | Place |
| Ribeiro | “Stream, brook” | Place |
| Pinto | “Chick”, or “painted, spotted” | Nickname |
| Carvalho | “Oak tree” | Nature |
Patronymic surnames ending in -es
The -es (or -az) ending meant “son of”, much like English -son. Several come from medieval first names now rare in Portugal; see Portuguese boy names for the living ones.
| Surname | Meaning | From the name |
|---|---|---|
| Mendes | “Son of Mendo” | Mendo, from Hermenegildo |
| Nunes | “Son of Nuno” | Nuno |
| Henriques | “Son of Henrique” | Henry |
| Álvares | “Son of Álvaro” | Álvaro, “all guard” |
| Dias | “Son of Diogo” | Diogo, a form of James |
| Esteves | “Son of Estêvão” | Stephen |
| Vaz | “Son of Vasco” | Vasco |
| Soares | “Son of Soeiro” | Soeiro, a Germanic name |
| Antunes | “Son of Antão” | Anthony |
| Pais | “Son of Paio” | Paio, from Pelagius |
| Simões | “Son of Simão” | Simon |
| Peres | “Son of Pero” | Pero, an old form of Pedro |
Portuguese surnames from nature
Trees, animals and the land: these names often began as a way to describe where a family lived. For first names in the same spirit, see nature names.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pinheiro | “Pine tree” | Very common in the north |
| Figueira | “Fig tree” | Also a coastal town |
| Nogueira | “Walnut tree” | Place name |
| Moreira | “Mulberry tree” | Common across Portugal |
| Loureiro | “Laurel tree” | Also a grape variety |
| Teixeira | “Place of yew trees” | Place name |
| Azevedo | “Holly grove” | Place name |
| Coelho | “Rabbit” | Nickname origin |
| Lobo | “Wolf” | Medieval nickname |
| Leão | “Lion” | Nickname or emblem |
| Raposo | “Fox” | Nickname for a clever person |
| Cordeiro | “Lamb” | Nickname or shepherd |
| Rocha | “Rock” | Place |
| Barros | “Clay, clay pits” | Place |
| Serra | “Mountain range” | Place |
| Fontes | “Springs, fountains” | Place |
| Vale | “Valley” | Place |
| Campos | “Fields” | Place |
Religious Portuguese last names
Devotional surnames were often given to foundlings or chosen by converts, and they’re especially common in Brazil.
| Surname | Meaning | Feast or devotion |
|---|---|---|
| Cruz | “Cross” | The Holy Cross |
| Batista | “Baptist” | St. John the Baptist |
| Nascimento | “Birth” | The Nativity |
| Anjos | “Angels” | Our Lady of the Angels |
| Reis | “Kings” | The Three Kings (Epiphany) |
| Ramos | “Branches” | Palm Sunday |
| Paixão | “Passion” | The Passion of Christ |
| Trindade | “Trinity” | The Holy Trinity |
| Assunção | “Assumption” | Assumption of Mary |
| Espírito Santo | “Holy Spirit” | Pentecost; also a noble family |
Place-name and noble Portuguese surnames
Many aristocratic families took their names from their lands, and some became famous worldwide through explorers.
| Surname | Origin | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Magalhães | Village in northern Portugal | Fernão de Magalhães (Magellan) |
| Albuquerque | Town in Spain; possibly “white oak” | Afonso de Albuquerque, viceroy of India |
| Castro | Latin castrum, “fort” | Inês de Castro |
| Guimarães | City called the birthplace of Portugal | Many Brazilian families |
| Braga | City in northern Portugal | Teófilo Braga, president |
| Bragança | City and royal house of Braganza | Portugal’s last dynasty |
| Lima | The Lima river | Common in Brazil |
| Andrade | Galician place name | Carlos Drummond de Andrade, poet |
| Cunha | “Wedge”; place name | Euclides da Cunha, writer |
| Vasconcelos | A noble manor in northern Portugal | Old aristocratic family |
| Meneses | Place in Castile | Noble family of explorers |
| Sampaio | “São Paio”, St. Pelagius | Jorge Sampaio, president |
| Barbosa | Place name | Rui Barbosa, Brazilian statesman |
Occupational and descriptive surnames
Nicknames for appearance, character or work turned into family names, just like English Brown or Smith. More in our cool last names.
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Monteiro | “Huntsman, forester” | Occupation |
| Machado | “Axe” | Occupation |
| Correia | “Leather strap, belt” | Occupation |
| Carneiro | “Ram” | Nickname or shepherd |
| Moura | “Moorish woman”; also a town | Place / nickname |
| Cardoso | “Thistly place” | Place |
| Calado | “Quiet, silent” | Character |
| Moreno | “Dark-haired, dark-skinned” | Appearance |
| Branco | “White” | Appearance |
| Louro | “Blond” | Appearance |
| Salgado | “Salted” | Nickname |
| Valente | “Brave” | Character |
| Guerra | “War” | Nickname |
Azorean and Portuguese-American surnames
Most Portuguese Americans descend from the Azores and Madeira, and these names are familiar in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California and Hawaii.
| Surname | Meaning / origin | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Medeiros | Place name in northern Portugal | Very common in New Bedford and Fall River |
| Furtado | “Hidden, stolen” | Nelly Furtado’s parents are Azorean |
| Silveira | “Bramble patch” | Common across the Azores |
| Melo | Place name; also spelled Mello | Old noble family |
| Pacheco | Old noble surname of uncertain origin | Frequent in California |
| Amaral | Place name, possibly from amaro, “bitter” | Common in the Azores |
| Freitas | Possibly “broken, rocky ground” | Also de Freitas |
| Tavares | The Tavares river | Common in Cape Verde too |
| Cabral | From cabra, “goat”; a goat pasture | Pedro Álvares Cabral |
| Botelho | Possibly “small wineskin” | Old Azorean family |
| Bettencourt | From Béthencourt in Normandy | Brought by Norman settlers to the Atlantic islands |
Tips for understanding Portuguese surnames
- Read the order carefully. In Portugal and Brazil the mother’s surname usually comes first and the father’s last — the reverse of Spanish custom.
- Watch the little words. Da, de, do and dos (“of the”) are part of the name, as in Silva dos Santos, but are usually ignored when alphabetizing.
- Expect spelling changes. Sousa is often Souza in Brazil, and Azorean immigrants to the US sometimes became Rose (Rosa) or Perry (Pereira).
- Look for the -es ending. It almost always marks a patronymic — handy for tracing a family’s first names.
- Compare the neighbors. Many surnames are shared with Hispanic last names, often differing by a single letter (Rodrigues vs. Rodríguez).
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Portuguese last name?
Silva is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil, followed by Santos, Ferreira, Pereira and Oliveira.
How do Portuguese last names work?
Children usually receive two to four surnames from both parents. The mother’s surname tends to come first and the father’s last, and people are generally known by the final one.
What does the surname Silva mean?
Silva comes from the Latin word for “forest” or “woods”. It likely began as a name for people living near a wooded area and spread widely across Portugal and its former colonies.
What is the difference between Portuguese and Spanish surnames?
They share many roots, but Portuguese patronymics end in -es (Fernandes) where Spanish uses -ez (Fernández), and Portugal puts the father’s surname last while Spain puts it first.
Why are there so many Portuguese names in Massachusetts and Hawaii?
From the 1800s, whalers and workers from the Azores and Madeira settled in New England ports and on Hawaiian sugar plantations, bringing surnames like Medeiros, Furtado and Silva.