Portuguese Baby Names

NINETY-SEVEN percent of the population of Portugal is Roman Catholic and this directly influences the bestowal of names. As in other Catholic countries, many names are chosen from those of popular saints and Bible characters. By far the most popular name for females is Maria. Among males, Joao and Jose are popular. Family names first developed as early as the 11th century among wealthy landowners and noblemen. Quite often they referred to themselves by using the names of their estates. Surnames became hereditary in the 15 th century, and fixed in the 16th century. The majority of the names are patronymics, but some families derive their names from the names of trees, and a few are derived from nicknames based on physical characteristics.