Portuguese Definition

Malcolm   Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:16 pm GMT
I have a friend whose last name is "Azeredo". He doesn't speak Portuguese but his family came to the US from Portugal many generations ago. Can anyone tell me the meaning of his family name? He said that he believes "Azeredo" is actually an adjective made from a verb, much like "dorado" in Spanish. In this case he believes "Azeredo" is a past tense verb. Any ideas?
zatsu   Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:07 am GMT
Hmm, no, it's not an adjective nor a verb.
"Azeredo" is like a plantation of azereiros. Apparently, the plant is called "Portugal Laurel" in English, you can see it here:
http://www.paghat.com/portuguallaurel.html

It is said that these last names coming from plants, fruit trees and whatnot actually were given to the Jewish who converted to Christianism back in the 16th century.


The past participle of "azerar" is "azerado", which was maybe what your friend was thinking about, but that's a different thing and I never heard of it as a last name. Actually that's also a very rarely used verb.
Skippy   Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:27 am GMT
My last name is Heckman (originally Heckmann)... Any help with that one? It's German... I'm guessing Hecke+Mann but I could be off.
Malcolm   Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:27 am GMT
Thanks Zatsu. You rock!
zatsu   Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:09 am GMT
No problem, Malcolm^^


Skippy, I don't know German at all, but check this page:
http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Heckmann-name-meaning.ashx
Guess you were right, Hecke+Mann.
Teutonic Wonder   Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:44 am GMT
My last name has an anglicized spelling from the German word for heron.
Colette   Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:45 am GMT