Brazilian Last Names and Meanings

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and many of its last names come from other countries. In the 18th to 20th centuries, people from all over the world immigrated and colonized Brazil. This included Portugal, Spain, Italy, Japan, and many more countries.

In fact, if you have Portuguese ancestry, it's highly likely that your family may have ties to Brazil. Colonization is a major reason why Brazil’s official language is Portuguese and why the Brazilian people adopted the Portuguese people’s naming traditions. Let's take a closer look at these traditions and some specific surnames and meanings from all around Brazil!

Naming Traditions in Brazil

When it comes to last names, the people of Brazil typically have two. They take on both their mother's and father’s surnames to continue both family lines. Most Brazilian women will drop their mother’s name and replace it with their husband’s name after marriage. However, it is not uncommon for some women to keep both and have three surnames.

Place names were most commonly the inspiration behind choosing a family’s last name. Brazil is a country that wants to preserve its history, and using places as the base of last names helps them to do that.

The Most Popular Brazilian Last Names

Some of the most common Brazilian last names not only have impactful meanings that echo through generations, but they also carry the rhythm and warmth that makes Brazilian culture so captivating.

1. Afonso - Noble and ready
2. Almeida - From places called Almeida in Portugal
3. Castro - Castle or fortress
4. Correia - Maker or seller of leather straps
5. Ferreira - Near iron workings or a forge
6. Garcia - Young
7. Henriques - Son of Henrique
8. Jose - He shall add
9. Macedo - Near an apple grove; or, from a village in Lugo, Galicia
10. Nunes - Son of Nuno
11. Pedro - Rock
12. Ramos - Near a wooded area
13. Teixeira - Yew tree
14. Urbano - From the city

Colonial Portuguese Surnames in Brazil

These surnames reflect Brazil's colonial Portuguese heritage and remain among the most common Brazilian surnames today, carried by millions of families across the country.

1. Alves - Son of Álvaro, elf warrior
2. Barbosa - Bearded place
3. Cardoso - Thistle place
4. Carvalho - Oak tree
5. Costa - Coast or hillside
6. Fernandes - Son of Fernando, brave journey
7. Gomes - Son of Gome, man
8. Gonçalves - Son of Gonçalo, battle genius
9. Jesus - Jesus Christ
10. Lopes - Son of Lopo, wolf
11. Marques - Marquis or nobleman
12. Martins - Son of Martin, warlike
13. Melo - Apple tree, blackbird; or, from the town of Melro
14. Mendes - Son of Mendo, offering
15. Moreira - Mulberry tree
16. Oliveira - Olive tree
17. Pereira - Pear tree
18. Ribeiro - Stream or brook
19. Rocha - Rock or cliff
20. Rodrigues - Son of Rodrigo, famous ruler
21. Santos - Saints
22. Silva - Forest or woods
23. Sousa - Salt marsh
24. Teixeira - Yew tree
25. Vieira - Scallop shell

Brazilian Last Names Inspired by Nature

Brazil's incredible biodiversity and natural beauty are reflected in many surnames that connect families to the land, plants, and animals of this magnificent country.

1. Areia - Sand
2. Campo - Field
3. Campos - Fields
4. Carvalho - Oak
5. Cedro - Cedar
6. Ceu - Sky
7. Estrela - Star
8. Figueira - Fig tree
9. Floresta - Forest
10. Flor - Flower
11. Fonseca - Dry fountain
12. Jardim - Garden
13. Lago - Lake
14. Lua - Moon
15. Montanha - Mountain
16. Monteiro - Hunter
17. Palmeira - Palm tree
18. Pedra - Stone
19. Pinheiro - Pine tree
20. Praia - Beach
21. Rio - River
22. Rosa - Rose
23. Sol - Sun
24. Terra - Earth
25. Vale - Valley

Religious & Spiritual Brazilian Surnames

Brazil's deep Catholic heritage is beautifully reflected in surnames that honor saints, religious concepts, and spiritual devotion.

1. Anjos - Angels
2. Apostolo - Apostle
3. Batista - Baptist
4. Bento - Blessed
5. Capela - Chapel
6. Caridade - Charity
7. Convento - Convent
8. Cruz - Cross
9. Esperança - Hope
10. Espírito - Spirit
11. Evangelista - Evangelist
12. Fé - Faith
13. Glória - Glory
14. Graça - Grace
15. Igreja - Church
16. Jesus - Jesus Christ
17. Mosteiro - Monastery
18. Padre - Father (a priestly title)
19. Paraíso - Paradise
20. Paz - Peace
21. Reis - Of the kings; or, the Three Wise Men in the Bible
22. Salvação - Salvation
23. Santana - Saint Anne
24. Santos - Saints
25. São - Saint

Italian-Brazilian Last Names

The massive Italian immigration to Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought beautiful Italian surnames that are now deeply woven into Brazilian culture.

1. Benedetti - Blessed
2. Bianchi - White-haired
3. Bruno - Brown-haired
4. Cattaneo - Captain
5. Colombo - Dove
6. Conti - Count
7. De Luca - From Luca
8. Esposito - Exposed (as in, a foundling)
9. Ferrara - From Ferrara
10. Ferrari - Blacksmith
11. Gallo - Rooster
12. Gentile - Gentle
13. Greco - Greek
14. Lombardi - From Lombardy
15. Mancini - Left-handed
16. Marchetti - Little Marcus
17. Marino - Of the sea
18. Moretti - Dark-haired
19. Pellegrino - Pilgrim
20. Ricci - Curly-haired
21. Romano - Roman
22. Rossi - Red-haired
23. Russo - Red-haired
24. Santoro - All saints
25. Vitale - Vital

German-Brazilian Surnames

German immigration to southern Brazil created communities that maintained their heritage while becoming thoroughly Brazilian, contributing these surnames to Brazilian culture.

1. Bauer - Farmer
2. Becker - Baker
3. Braun - Brown
4. Fischer - Fisher
5. Hartmann - Hardy man
6. Hoffmann - Steward
7. Klein - Small
8. Koch - Cook
9. Krüger - Innkeeper
10. Lange - Tall
11. Meyer - Steward
12. Müller - Miller
13. Neumann - New man
14. Richter - Judge
15. Schäfer - Shepherd
16. Schmidt - Smith
17. Schmitt - Smith
18. Schneider - Tailor
19. Schulz - Mayor
20. Schwarz - Black
21. Wagner - Wagon maker
22. Weber - Weaver
23. Werner - Defending warrior
24. Wolf - Wolf
25. Zimmermann - Carpenter

Japanese-Brazilian Last Names

Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, and Japanese surnames have become an important part of Brazilian cultural diversity.

1. Abe - Peace
2. Hashimoto - Bridge base
3. Hayashi - Forest
4. Ikeda - Pond rice field
5. Inoue - Above the well
6. Ishikawa - Stone river
7. Ito - Wisteria
8. Kato - Increase wisteria
9. Kimura - Tree village
10. Kobayashi - Small forest
11. Matsumoto - Base of the pine
12. Mori - Forest
13. Nakamura - Middle village
14. Sasaki - Help tree
15. Sato - Helping wisteria
16. Shimizu - Clear water
17. Suzuki - Bell tree
18. Takahashi - High bridge
19. Tanaka - Middle of the rice field
20. Watanabe - Crossing point
21. Yamada - Mountain rice field
22. Yamaguchi - Mountain entrance
23. Yamamoto - Base of the mountain
24. Yamazaki - Mountain promontory
25. Yoshida - Lucky rice field

Lebanese-Brazilian Surnames

Lebanese immigration to Brazil brought Middle Eastern heritage and Arabic surnames that have become part of Brazilian identity.

1. Abdalla - Servant of Allah
2. Aziz - Beloved
3. Cury - Priest
4. Dagher - Striker
5. Elias - Jehovah is God
6. Farah - Joy
7. Fares - Knight
8. Gazal - Gazelle
9. Habib - Beloved
10. Haddad - Blacksmith
11. Hayek - Weaver
12. Jamil - Beautiful
13. Kassab - Butcher
14. Khalil - Friend
15. Maluf - Familiar
16. Mansour - Victorious
17. Mattar - Rain
18. Nader - Rare
19. Nassar - Helper
20. Safra - Journey
21. Salim - Safe
22. Tannous - Friendly
23. Temer - Dates (fruit)
24. Zahra - Flower
25. Zogbi - Mercury

Descriptive Brazilian Surnames

These surnames originally described physical characteristics, personality traits, or notable qualities of the people who first carried them.

1. Alegre - Happy
2. Alfaiate - Tailor
3. Alto - Tall
4. Amargo - Bitter
5. Baixo - Short
6. Barbeiro - Barber
7. Branco - White
8. Bravo - Brave
9. Caçador - Hunter
10. Calmo - Calm
11. Carpinteiro - Carpenter
12. Castanho - Brown
13. Claro - Clear
14. Doce - Sweet
15. Ferreiro - Blacksmith
16. Forte - Strong
17. Fraco - Weak
18. Gordo - Fat
19. Grande - Big
20. Jovem - Young
21. Lavrador - Farmer
22. Loiro - Blonde
23. Magro - Thin
24. Manso - Gentle
25. Moleiro - Miller
26. Moreno - Dark-haired
27. Novo - New
28. Padeiro - Baker
29. Pastor - Shepherd
30. Pedreiro - Stone mason
31. Pequeno - Small
32. Pescador - Fisherman
33. Preto - Black
34. Ruivo - Red-haired
35. Sapateiro - Shoemaker
36. Triste - Sad
37. Velho - Old

The Beauty of Brazilian Surnames

You know the saying, "you are the sum of all your ancestors"? Well, in our increasingly complex world, that adage feels both grounding and liberating, particularly when it comes to the traditional roots of our surnames. Not only do last names anchor people in a certain culture, but they also let us expand our horizons along historical and linguistic latitudes that we might have previously overlooked!

For more information, check out these popular topics:

• South American Last Names and Meanings
• Peruvian Last Names and Meanings
• Argentinian Last Names and Meanings

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