Coelho
A Portuguese surname meaning “rabbit.”
The #6,124 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,202 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Coelho is the Portuguese word for “rabbit,” ultimately from Latin cuniculus, which also gave rise to related Romance forms. As a surname, it most likely began as a nickname for someone thought to resemble a rabbit in some way, or as a name with a modestly descriptive or symbolic sense. In some cases it may also have functioned as a house or sign name rather than a personal nickname.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Portugal and Portuguese-speaking communities, especially Brazil. It appears in medieval and early modern Iberian naming patterns, where animal-based surnames were often inherited from nicknames, house signs, or local usage. It remains common in Portugal and is well known internationally through migration to Brazil, Africa, and Portuguese diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same animal word appears in a number of Iberian place names and old house names, so some bearers may have inherited the surname from a location or sign rather than directly from a nickname.