Lopes
A Portuguese surname, originally a patronymic meaning “son of Lope.”
The #1,976 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,862 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lopes is the Portuguese form of a patronymic surname built on the medieval personal name Lope, the Spanish equivalent of Latin Lupus, meaning “wolf.” In origin, it meant “descendant of Lope” or “son of Lope.” The related Spanish spelling is usually López, while Lopes is the normal Portuguese form.
History
Historical surname dictionaries note the name as Portuguese in origin, and the spelling Lopes is especially associated with Portugal and Portuguese-speaking communities. The name also traveled widely through Portuguese diaspora, including to places such as Jamaica and England, and appears in some Spanish and Portuguese Jewish families as well. In modern usage it is common across Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The family name ultimately goes back to the Latin word for “wolf,” a common source of medieval personal names in Iberia.
From the historical record
“LOPES. Tlie baronet's family, of Portu- guese extraction, and long resident in the island of Jamaica, settled in England in the last century. LOPEZ. See Lopes. LOPPE. An uneven piece of ground, perhaps the same as Zoivc. LORAIGNE. LORAYNE. LOR- RAINE. From the well-known disti-ict of”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom