Medeiros
A Portuguese surname originally tied to a place with meadows or hayfields.
The #1,889 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,223 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Medeiros is a Portuguese surname formed from place names such as Medeiros, from medieval Portuguese words related to a meadow or hayfield. In surname use, it would originally have identified someone who came from a place called Medeiros or from land characterized by such meadows. The name is therefore locational rather than descriptive of a personal trait.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Portugal and also appears in the Portuguese-speaking Atlantic world, especially Brazil, the Azores, and Madeira, where many surnames spread through settlement and migration. In modern times it is also found in Portuguese-descended communities in the United States and elsewhere. The name is well known through numerous bearers in sports, politics, and the arts, especially in Lusophone countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medeiros is one of several Portuguese surnames that preserve a link to landscape and place rather than to an ancestor’s occupation or nickname.