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Portugal Family History

Portugal Surname Meaning

Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, English (Lincolnshire), and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) are all ethnic names or habitational names for someone from Portugal or who had connections with Portugal. The name of the country derives from Late Latin Portucale, originally denoting the district around Oporto.

Portus Cales is named with Latin portus meaning ‘port harbor’ and Cales, which is the ancient name of the city. In some cases, the surname may be simply a nickname for someone who had business connections with Portugal.

The English surname is a rare variant of Pettengill.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Portugal family from?

You can see how Portugal families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Portugal family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Portugal families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 5 Portugal families living in London. This was about 50% of all the recorded Portugal's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Portugal families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Portugal surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Portugal ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Portugal. 100% of Portugal women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Portugal | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Portugal family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2,000 census records available for the last name Portugal. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Portugal census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Portugal

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Portugal. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Portugal immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Portugal. For the veterans among your Portugal ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Portugal military records

You've only scratched the surface of Portugal family history

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What is the average Portugal lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Portugal life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Portugal in 1942 was 32, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Portugal

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Portugal ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Portugal family tree

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