Family name origins & meanings
- Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, English, French, and Jewish : 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). In some cases the surname may be simply a nickname for someone who had business connections with Portugal.