Ferreira

The origin of the surname Ferreira

Ferreira comes from ferro, “iron,” for a smith or place of ironworking.

What kind of surname is Ferreira?

As an occupational surname, the surname Ferreira began as a description of the bearer's job, trade or office — one of the oldest and richest sources of family names. In the medieval world, a person was naturally identified by what they did, so the baker, the smith, the miller and the weaver each lent their trade to a name that later became hereditary. These surnames are wonderfully transparent windows onto everyday life in earlier centuries, preserving crafts and roles that in many cases no longer exist. Because certain trades were common everywhere, occupational surnames are among the most widespread family names in many countries.

How Portuguese surnames work

Portuguese surnames classically use the patronymic ending “-es” (“son of”), as in Fernandes, Gonçalves and Rodrigues. Alongside these are religious and nature-based names — Santos (“saints”), da Silva (“of the forest”), Pereira (“pear tree”) — and locational names introduced by “de” or “da.” Portuguese-speaking families traditionally carry more than one surname, combining the mother's and father's lines.