Furtado
A Portuguese and Spanish surname from a nickname meaning “the stolen one,” often linked in old tradition to a child said to have been rescued or taken away.
The #6,250 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,505 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Furtado comes from the past participle of Iberian verbs meaning “to steal” or “to take away” — Portuguese furtar and Spanish hurtar, both from Latin furtum, “theft.” As a surname, it was originally a nickname applied to someone associated with being “stolen,” “taken,” or perhaps exposed to a story of abduction or rescue. In some medieval records it appears as a byname before becoming hereditary.
History
The name is well attested in medieval Iberian records, where it appears as a personal byname rather than a fixed family surname. Later genealogical tradition in Spain connected Furtado with a child supposedly saved after a family defeat, but this is best treated as a family legend rather than secure etymology. The surname spread through Portugal and Spain and is now especially associated with Portuguese-language communities, including Brazil and other Lusophone diasporas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In medieval Spanish usage, the same underlying root appears in both Hurtado and Furtado, with spelling varying by language and period.
From the historical record
“Fertugon ^ Fortnng ^ Fortungo^ Fortuno^ Flortun^ Ortufio, OrhicJio, Tlordordus^ Ordwjnno^ Ordo- neo, Ordon, Ordo, Forto, Furtado, Hurtado, For- 12 — 134 —”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanosNotable people named Furtado
- Nelly Furtado (b. 1978)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.