"Do you know, Joao Evangelista daSilva Se?" "No, I am sorry to say, I have never heard of him." "But you must have, he is the young man leaving for America do Norte, his father is Antonio "O Papagaio." "Why didn't you say so, O filho do Antonio, "O Papagaio," I know him and his family very well."
Individuals and entire families became known by their "alcunhas" (nickname).
Often, as in the dialogue above, their "apelidos/sobrenome" (surnames) were unknown to the villagers, it was the "alcunha" that gave them their identity.
This practice is still very much in use today, right here in the United States. You probably know of a "Smithy," "Tex" or "Junior," but do you know their full name, probably not.
Alcunhas often denote an individual's personal description, (Redondo, Branco, Preto, Preta, Capelo) their mannerism, (Papagaio, Valente, Carrico, Alegria, Bicho, Pulgueiro) or food preference (Alho, Bacalhau, Pepino), and/or a dwelling place or occupation, (Algarvio, Borrageiro, Chada, Vereda, Marvao, Canico, Ribeiro, Feitor, Fogareu, Tesouro, Tesoura, Capateiro, Geral). Below is a small sampling of the alcunhas that appeared in my family history research, is it possible they also appear in yours?
"Borrageiro" said to be a word taken after a plant. This "alcunha" dates back to Jose Goncalves "Borrageiro" one of my 5th. great grandfathers, born 1669 in the Estreito da Calheta, Madeira. This nickname was passed down, generation after generation, as seen in church records. In 1712 to Francisco; 1743 Francisco Jr.; 1786 Antonio; and in 1816 to Manuel.
"Papagaio" parrot, chatterbox. I located a document dating back to 1786, that made mention of Manuel daSilva Se, "O Papagaio" de alcunha oficial de Lameiro, Estreito da Calheta. Verbal history has it that one of my direct line ancestors always wore a colorful green vest, and that he was blessed with the "gift of gab" hence the villagers dubbed him, "O Papagaio" the parrot. To date the only documentation of this alcunha is the one cited above. I am proud to be associated with this alcunha, though I do not wear a green vest, I too have been known to be a chatterbox.
"Redondo" round, possibly this ancestor was fat, whatever the reason Antonio Rodrigues, born abt 1609, was known by this nickname.
"Canico" meaning "reed" and also the name of a city in Madeira. Joao Rodrigues born: 1570 and his son Francisco Rodrigues born: 1602 shared this nickname. Did they harvest reed for the production of wicker products, or was Canico their dwelling place ?
"Bacalhau" Pedro Goncalves, born: abt 1575. Pedro may have been a fisherman, or his love of "Bacalhau" (Cod Fish), may have earned him this alcunha. It has been said that the Portuguese know 365 ways of preparing "Bacalhau."
"Algarvio" Sebastiao Rodrigues' nickname denotes his place of origin, the Algarve, Portugal. He was born abt 1555.
"Mixo" meaning unknown to me, became Manuel Pereira's alcunha. He was the son of Domingos Pereira and Filipa daCosta, from the Calheta.
"Pulgueiro" another alcunha of which the meaning is unknown to me. Pulga means flea. Did Antonio Gonsalves, from the Lombo da Estrella, Calheta, born: abt 1710 have fleas or did he jump around alot?
"Alho" Manuel Dias born: abt 1650, son of Manuel Dias and Catarina Rodrigues. Alho is the Portuguese word for garlic. Did Manuel harvest alhos, or just eat them like "Candy?" What do you think?
"Branco" meaning white. This appears to be an alcunha, given to people of fair skin, and light hair. Another 5th. great-grandfather, Jose Goncalves, who was married to Ana Gomes, was called "O Branco." Among their decendants the following "apelidos" appear, Gomes, Sardinha, Freitas and daSilva Se.
"Feitor" meaning, foreman. A 6th. great-grandfather, Joao Goncalves, "O Feitor" married Maria daConceicao. Their grandson, Antonio Sardinha, married Teresa Gomes, in 1758, she was the daughter of Jose Goncalves, "O Branco" (mentioned above).
"Tesouro" meaning treasurer. Was Salvador Goncalves, a treasurer of a large company, or a treasure hunter? If we change the spelling of tesouro to tesoura (scissors) now was he a taylor or a barber?
"Cabecas" meaning heads or hills. I really do not believe that Jose Gomes "Cabecas" was born with two heads, but it's possible that he and his family resided on a hillside.
"Fogareu" meaning bonfire. Both Joao Rodrigues, and his son, Francisco, born 1736 in the Calheta, were known by this "Alcunha." Perhaps they were in charge of burning the cane fields, or responsible for lighting the bonfires that warn the villagers of pending danger. Only continual research may solve this mystery.
"Marvao" a name of a town in the Planicies area of mainland Portugal. A border town frontier, between Spain and Portugal, most likely the birthplace of Jose Goncalves. Jose's daughter, Luzia Francisca, born 1696 in the Calheta, married Jose Gomes "Cabecas."
"Bicho" an animal, bug , or maybe "matar o bicho." Was this ancestor strong as an animal? Did he looked like a bug? Even better, perhaps his love of "drink" earned him this alcunha. Manuel Rodrigues, married to Maria Serra in the late 1600s, was known as "Bicho."
"Carrico" said to be a very small bird, that sings beautifully. Joao Rodrigues, born abt. 1560, and his son Francisco Rodrigues, born 1602 in the Estreito da Calheta, were known by this "alcunha." Did they raise "Carricos" or were they both blessed with beautiful singing voices?
"Preto and Preta" meaning black... Andre Fernandes "Preto" born abt 1560, married to Maria Farinha. He and his daughter, Maria Preta, shared the masculine and feminine meaning of the word "Black." Were they really black or just very dark from working in the fields?
As one can see the surnames/apedilos of Rodrigues and Goncalves appear often, and to differentiate between individuals, the use of "alcunhas" became a necessity.
Perhaps the true meaning or reason for these alcunhas will be found in other documents, but if not, it is still fun and harmless to continue guessing...
Until then, let us continue on this "Journey of Discovery."
Douglas Collaço Borba writes: Cara prima, Here are some thoughts on the nicknames you presented: I believe that the nickname Caniço was given to him because he was very skinny.
As to Pulgueiro, sounds more like the living ground of pulgas rather than he jumped a lot.
Bicho: we used to call those who were wild, with bad manners, not knowing how to express themselves well as bicho do mato. Bicho is also applied to animals in the jungle. Abraços
From MariaV... Pat, thanks for the info ref the names and nicknames, I would like to add some other meanings that may shed some light.
Bicho- worm, animal or anything in between. When children talk they refer to anything that moves as "o bicho". People also call bicho, those who are bullies, unfriendly, or even hairy. They would say "olha o bicho, or parece um bicho" Look at the bicho or looks like a bicho.
Cabecas- Heads- even today in Portugal we say, she has a good cabeca, meaning, smart, inteligent, a good head on her shoulders.
Carrico- There are several meanings here, it can mean a wild reed, the male of the small, brown bird carrica, (Wren?), therefore, I would say a small, but fast paced individual. It also means carolo or the hard part of a corncob.
Marvao- The name of a small and lovely Serra (Mountain) on Alto alentejo, bordering Spain, and yes with Jewish remains. One of the spots crossed off on our trip due to our perpetual delays. We had so many questions...
Mixo, Mixa- was a drug made in pharmacies of fruit juices and meat broth, also the upper part of the mandibula of birds. Would they have a different meaning in Madeira? Maybe a mix?
Pulgueiro- A person with fleas
Tesouro- is not treasurer, but treasure. While in Portuguese treasurer is Tsoureiro, dealing with the tesousaria or tesouro, Tesouro is the treasure, riches to deal with. It may also mean, the source. So maybe the guy was a good source of info or knew or had a treasure, rich.
And from Marcelo Barbio... Olhando em sua página, vi que você tem dúvidas a respeito do significado da palavra Pulgueiro, Cabeça e Mixo.
No Brasil, cuja lingua portuguesa, as vezes, é muito conservativa, Pulgueiro é o vendedor de coisas antigas. É muito comum chamar Mercado de Pulgas, a um mercado onde são encontrados coisas muito velhas, tais como roupas usadas, utensílios domésticos usados e etc.
Cabeça, certamente era porque este seu ancestral tinha uma cabeça grande. No Brasil chamaria-mos ele de Cabeção (Big head).
Mixo é uma forma pejorativa de dizer que é pouca coisa, que não dá para nada. Por exemplo, recebi uma mixaria de dinheiro. Ou seja, recebi pouco dinheiro. Espero que estas explicações lhe ajudem. Abraços
Jose Deolim, Boston,MA.U.S.A.
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