Ferreira
An Iberian surname usually meaning “one who lived by” or “worked at” a smithy or ironworks.
The #1,260 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,067 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ferreira is an Iberian surname built from the word for ironworking: Portuguese and Spanish ferreiro/ferrero, from Latin ferrum, meaning “iron.” In many cases it likely began as an occupational name for a smith or worker in iron, or as a locational name for someone from a place associated with ironworks. The form with -eira is especially common in Portuguese and Galician surname formation.
History
The surname is especially common in Portugal and Galicia, and it also appears widely in Spanish-speaking areas through migration and settlement. It has long been one of the characteristic surnames of the western Iberian Peninsula, with many place-name and family-name branches. In modern times it spread broadly across the Portuguese diaspora, especially to Brazil.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Ferreira is one of the most recognizable Portuguese surnames worldwide, and it often appears in place names as well as family names.
From the historical record
“Ferrariö 6^. Ferrebvachia 92; ^Ferreira 438t Ferrettus 5921 F^rey 656. Ferri 256.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen