Cunha
A Portuguese surname meaning “wedge,” originally a topographic nickname or place-based name.
The #6,555 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 59,719 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Portuguese cunha means “wedge,” from Latin cuneus, “wedge.” As a surname, it likely began either as a nickname for someone associated with a wedge-shaped object or place, or from a toponym formed with the same word. In Portuguese naming, such surnames often became hereditary and spread through Iberian and Portuguese overseas communities.
History
The name is long established in Portugal and also appears widely in Portuguese-speaking regions, especially Brazil and former Portuguese colonies. Historical records also show it among Sephardic and other Iberian Jewish surnames, as reflected in 19th-century surname lists. In modern usage it remains distinctly Portuguese and relatively common in Lusophone populations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same word cunha is still used in modern Portuguese for a wedge or shim.
From the historical record
“1 Da Costa, Spinosa, Da Cunha, Carvalho, De Pinto, Diaz, Vaz, Santilhano, Pinedo, Pereira, Salvador, Ferares, Meiides, Chuma- ceiro, Del Oanho, Alveres Vega, Sequeira, Sarphati, Oliveira, Sal- zedo, De Lima (en verbasterd De Lieme), Capadose, De Leon, Cardozo, Caminha, D'Andrade, De Souza, De Miranda, Montanhes…”
— De Nederlandsche geslachtsnamen in oorsprong, geschiedenis en beteekenis