45+ Portuguese Last Names As Beautiful As The Algarve

Last names provide a solid connection to our family’s past. There are a number of last names that have made their way all over the globe through either immigration or colonization. Portuguese last names are one such example: like Spanish last names, you can find them not just in their homeland, but in North and South America and parts of Asia. They’re even common amongst Indians and Sephardi Jews, so they’ve certainly gotten around.

We’ve compiled a list of Portuguese last names and their meanings. Read on to see if your last name is below!

1. Gonçalves

Meaning: Son of Gonçalo.

1. Albuquerque

Meaning: White oak.

1. Ribeiro

Meaning: Small creek or by the river.

1. Oliveira

Meaning: Olive tree.

1. Guerra

Meaning: War.

1. Braga

Meaning: From Braga, or of the Bracari tribe.

1. Martines

Meaning: Son of Martin.

1. Ferreira

Meaning: Blacksmith.

1. Silva

Meaning: Forest or woodland.

1. Henriques

Meaning: Son of Henry.

1. Pinto

Meaning: Dark in complexion.

1. Gama

Meaning: Deer or doe.

1. Marques

Meaning: Son of Marcus.

1. Cavaco

Meaning: Log.

1. Fonseca

Meaning: Dry well.

1. Moniz

Meaning: Son of Munio.

1. Luz

Meaning: Light.

1. Barreto

Meaning: Hat maker.

1. Sousa

Meaning: Stones, or a person who lived near the River Sousa.

1. Pacheco

Meaning: Noble one.

1. Alves

Meaning: Son of Alvaro.

1. Carvalho

Meaning: Oak.

1. Mendes

Meaning: Son of Mendo.

1. Carreira

Meaning: Carter.

1. Pereira

Meaning: Pear tree.

1. Queiros

Meaning: Stronger or stone.

1. Esteves

Meaning: Son of Stephen.

1. Amaral

Meaning: From Amaral or a person who lived on a grape plantation.

1. Noronha

Meaning: From Noreña.

1. Amaral

Meaning: Plantation of Amaral grapes.

1. Candido

Meaning: Innocent or white.

1. Amorim

Meaning: From a location in Portugal.

1. D’Sousa

Meaning: A person from the several locales named Sousa.

1. Cardoso/Cardozo

Meaning: A Sephardi Jewish surname.

1. Barbosa

Meaning: A southwestern Galician surname.

1. Araujo

Meaning: Derived from the autonomous region in Galicia.

1. Martins

Meaning: Of Mars or warlike.

1. Rodrigues

Origin: Portuguese/Spanish Meaning: Son of Rodrigo.

1. Afonso

Origin: Portuguese/Old German Meaning: Portuguese version of Alfonso, meaning noble and ready.

1. Almada

Origin: Portuguese Meaning: Anyone living in the town of Almada, from the Arabic meaning ore mine.

1. Abreu

Origin: Portuguese Meaning: Anyone living in or from the locale of Abreu in Minho province of Portugal. A common Portuguese last name for Sephardi Jews.

1. Alto

Meaning: From the Portuguese word meaning tall.

1. Madeira

Meaning: Wood or timber, refers to someone who is a carpenter.

1. Magro

Meaning: Thin, lean.

1. Mata

Meaning: Woods or forest.

1. Nazario

Meaning: Someone from Nazareth.

1. Lopes

Meaning: Wolf.