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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1998-03 > 0888791670


From: Francisco Antonio Doria< >
Subject: Re: Common surnames in Portugal.
Date: 1 Mar 1998 14:34:30 -0800


>
> Chico,
> Many of the names you mention below are of Sephardic origin,
> specifically: Silva, Sousa, Fernandes, Dias, and da Costa. Some
> Sephardim took on religious names such as , Santos or dos Santos to
> throw off prying eyes. You may want to tune into www.lusaweb. com
> Scroll to genealogy then to Sephardic names.
>
> Harry
>

No, no, no, on the contrary. Silva, for instance, is an old noble family,
traceable to one Paio Guterres in the 11th century; the Sousas are one of
the oldest Portuguese families, which married into royalty in the late
13th century and gave rise to two main branches, Sousas de Arronches (now
dukes of Lafoes, dukes of Palmela) and Sousas do Prado (counts of
Linhares, of Prado, marquesses of Minas).

The thing is unclear, but it seems that converted jews adopted their
godfathers' names when baptised. In some cases (the Dias de Meneses
family, for example) they incorporated the Meneses name through female lines.

da Costa is complicated. It's simply a locative, from the coast. In my
case, with the caveat - if you believe the 18th century Brazilian lineage
books, plus some research done by Eugenio de Andreia da Cunha e Freitas,
I come from the branch that later developed into the Costas do
Armeiro-Mor. But I know of at least one Sephardic family which from start
has the name da Costa: those descended from the Algarve-born Diogo Mendes
da Costa (late 16th century).

Chico Doria

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