Portugal Naming Customs

Portugal Names

Surname Customs for Wives and Children
Between 1910 and 1960 the customs regarding surnames for wives and children went through a transition.


 * Before 1910 it was the custom for a wife to retain her maiden surname throughout her life.
 * Before 1910 some children were given their father's surname, some were given their mother's surname, some were given a double surname of both the father and the mother and some children were given a surname associated with neither the father or the mother.

A large family would topically exemplify all of these options.


 * From 1960 to the present it has been the almost universal custom for a wife to use her husband's surname as her own.
 * From 1960 to the present it has been the custom for children to be given their father's surname.