Perera = Pears, Silva = Forest, Fonseka = Oasis, Peiris = Saucer -- Do you know the Sinhala meanings of Portuguese names?

Perera = Pears, Silva = Forest, Fonseka = Oasis, Peiris = Saucer -- Do you know the Sinhala meanings of Portuguese names?

There are various things that society came to inherit after Ceylon became a colony of the Portuguese. Useage of surnames is one of those. Though a large number of people still happen to use Portuguese surnames ... most people have no

idea as to what meanings those surnames possess. Given below are a list of surnames such as Silva, Perera, Fonseka, Fernando, Alwis, Dias, Costa, Almeida, de Mel, Vaas, Mendis, Rodrigo and an attempt has been taken by a Sri Lankan named Jamika Manohara Subasingha to inquire into as to what those surnames connote and those are as follows. He has mentioned that these meanings are interpreted according to information with the aid of an English dictionary as stated by a university student of Mozambique, Africa which still is a Portuguese colony.

Perera

meaning - Pears tree

Silva

meaning - bush, scrub forest

(derivative of Latin to Portuguese Language)

de Silva

('de' in English gives the meaning 'of')

meaning - in the Bush, in the scrub forest

Mel

meaning - bee honey

de Mel

meaning - in bees honey

Croos

meaning - cross

Peiris

meaning - saucer

Dias

meaning - date (days)

Mendis

meaning - son of Menendo

(Menendo is a Catholic saint who influenced Europe as well as a royal prince)

Fernando

meaning - the Ferdinand royal heritage

Nonis

meaning - Nunepge (a Portuguese hero) son/nine/grandfather

Gomes/Gomis

meaning - 'man' / human son

Fonseka

meaning - Fon (fountain), sicca (dry land) or an oasis in a desolate land

Costa

meaning - river bank, slope, sea beach

Vaas

meaning - Iron

(Derived from Hungarian to the Portuguese Language)

Alwis

meaning - Alfer's son

(Derived from German to Portuguese Language)

Rodrigo

meaning - Derived from the name of Spanish Major Rodrigo Dias

Soysa

meaning - Inhabitants of Susa River Valley / Saltish

Almeida

meaning - A Spanish town which came under attack by Musulmans. Arabs identified it as 'Al maida'.

Cabral

meaning - Where goats dwell

Corea

meaning - Heart

Pasqual

meaning - Feast of Easter

Information -- Jamika Manohara Subasingha