Category Archives: Brazilian-Portuguese Names

Jackson

Posted on by
Reply
boy sitting on stairs
Photo by Rene Terp on Pexels.com
  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: “son of Jack.”
  • Usage: English, Dutch (modern use), Brazilian-Portuguese
  • Gender: Male
  • First Est: 18th-century

From the transferred use of the English patronymic surname, it means “son of Jack.” Its use as a given name began in 18th-century England and North America, originally used as an honorific of a family surname. In early 19th-century America, its usage may have accelerated even further due to President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845).

Jackson has been in the U.S. top 1000 boys names since 1880, but did not enter the top 100 until 1998. It peaked at #14 in 2021 and currently ranks in at #35 (2024). Its rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • #23 (Canada, 2023)
  • #62 (New Zealand, 2024)
  • #73 (Australia, 2024)
  • #131 (England & Wales, 2024)
  • #364 (the Netherlands, 2024)

Jackson feels confident, friendly, and American-modern — a name that reads equally well on a child, artist, or CEO. It carries no stuffy baggage and fits neatly with contemporary tastes for short, crisp, strong names ending in -son (Hudson, Grayson, Mason).

Variant spellings include: Jaxen, Jaxon and Jaxxen. Short forms include: Jack and Jax.

Sources

Hudson

Posted on by
2
cityscape during nighttime near body of water and sail boat
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: “son of Hudde.”
  • Gender: Male
  • HUD-zen; HUD-sen
  • First Est. 1697

From the transferred use of the English surname, meaning “son of Hudde.” The element Hudde is an early Middle English diminutive of Hugh. In some medieval contexts, Hudde was also used as a diminutive of Richard, likely through phonetic blending and nickname overlap (compare “Hodge” and “Hob” from Richard/Robert).

As a given name, Hudson first appears as early as 1697, in the record of Hudson Spencer, baptized in Canterbury, Kent, England.

As a surname, it was well established by the 14th century, appearing in English tax rolls and parish records. It was most famously borne by Henry Hudson (c.1565–1611), the English explorer and navigator for whom the Hudson River and Hudson Bay are named.

An early notable bearer of the given name was Hudson Lowe (1769–1844), a British Army general who served as governor of St. Helena during Napoleon’s exile.

Hudson first appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 male names in 1880, debuting at #909.
It remained within the lower ranks of the Top 500 from 1881–1919, peaking at #538 in 1893, before fading from use through most of the 20th century. The name re-entered the Top 1000 in 1995 and climbed rapidly in popularity, reaching the Top 100 in 2012. As of 2024, Hudson ranks #22 in the United States. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • #7 (Australia)
  • #15 (New Zealand)
  • #22 (Canada, 2023)
  • #42 (England and Wales)
  • #54 (Scotland)
  • #76 (Northern Ireland)

The name is also used in Brazil.

A crisp, modern classic with roots in medieval England, Hudson combines rugged charm with upper-crust polish. Its surge in the 2000s was helped by the surname-as-first-name trend that swept English-speaking countries.

Today, Hudson evokes strength, exploration, and refinement — a name that bridges heritage and modern appeal.

Sources

Nubia, Núbia

Posted on by
Reply
ancient ruins by the nile river in egypt
Photo by Francesco Albanese on Pexels.com
  • Origin: Ancient Egyptian
  • Usage: English, Latin-American Spanish, Brazilian – Portuguese
  • Gender: Female
  • First Est. 1820s

It comes directly from the Latin and English geographical term Nubia, referring to the ancient region along the Nile south of Egypt — roughly modern northern Sudan and southern Egypt.

The etymology of the place name itself is is from the Ancient Egyptian word, nwb or nub (gold).

The use of Nubia as a personal name arose much later, during the Romantic and colonial periods of the 18th–19th centuries in England, when exotic place-names like Asia, India, Arabia, and Persia began to be used for girls.

In the 20th century, the name gained renewed use in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico, where Núbia or Nubia became moderately common among women born in the 1940s–1970s. It was further popularized in the 1950s by Brazilian singer Núbia Lafayete (1937-2007), whose birth name was Idenilde Araújo Alves da Costa.

In the United States, Nubia experienced a revival among African Americans during the late 1960s, part of a broader cultural movement that embraced African place-names and heritage-inspired names.

Sources

Maxander, Maxandre

Posted on by
Reply

Maxander and Maxandre are post-modern inventions that remix the classic strengths of Max and Alexander/ Alexandre into something sleek and new. They carry all the familiarity of ancient hero names but with a sharp, contemporary edge — perfect for parents who want recognizability with originality.

Maxander is a Brazilian Portuguese name while Maxandre is a recent newcomer among more creative French parents. Maxandre appeared in the top 900 boys’ names in France in 2015.

In France, it first appeared in the top 900 boys’ names in 1991. As of 2024, 779 people in France had this as a given-name.

Sources

Wallace

Posted on by
Reply
  • Gender: Primarily masculine (with rare modern unisex use)
  • Pronunciation: WAHL-iss
  • Origin & Meaning: “foreigner; Welshman.”
  • First Etab: 1500s as a male given-name

From the Anglo-Norman French waleis, meaning “Welshman” or “foreigner.” It was originally a descriptive surname for someone of Celtic origin living in England or for a newcomer from Wales or Scotland. It is related to the Old French wal(l)is and ultimately the Proto-Germanic root walhaz—the same root that gives us “Wales.”

As a given-name, it first came into use on males in the 15th-century. It is mostly found in use in Northern England and Scotland, no doubt used in honour of ir William Wallace (c. 1270–1305), the Scottish knight and freedom fighter immortalized in folklore (and contemporarily), the film Braveheart.

It was a Top-100 staple from 1900 through the late 1920s, peaking at #69 in 1923 (SSA data). As of 2024, it ranks in at #979.

Wallace is surprisingly common in Brazil, introduced via Scottish and English immigration and later boosted by football culture. Brazilian footballers such as Wallace Oliveira dos Santos and Wallace Reis keep the name visible; Portuguese speakers pronounce it roughly “WAH-lees.” It remains rare elsewhere in Latin America, making Brazil a standout.

Wallis Simpson (1896–1986), the American socialite whose marriage to King Edward VIII precipitated his abdication, gave the name a famously glamorous—and scandalous—feminine form (Wallis). Her high-society profile makes “Wallis/Wallace” an early example of a gender-crossing surname style. However, it has remained very rare among females.

It feels equal parts rugged (Scottish warrior) and urbane (Gilded Age boardroom).

There are the nicknames: Wally, Ace, or sleek minimalist Wallis for a gender-neutral spin.

Sources