Portuguese (Brazilian) Submitted Place Names

These names are a subset of Portuguese names used more often in Brazil. See also about Portuguese names.
type
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Acre (Political Subdivision & River) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
Most likely from Aquiri, a transliteration by European explorers of the Ipurinã term Umákürü or Uakiry. Other theories include the name originating from Tupi a'kir ü ("green river") or a'kir ("to sleep"), or from Yasi'ri, or Ysi'ri, meaning "flowing or swift water"... [more]
Alagoas (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
Plural form of Portuguese alagoa, a variant of lagoa ("lagoon"), referring to the Manguaba (the "southern lagoon") and Mundaú (the "northern lagoon") estuarine lagoons... [more]
Amapá (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Of uncertain origin. It may come from Tupi amapá, meaning "the place of the rain"; from a Nheengatu term meaning "island" or "land that ends", or from an Arawak term denoting the Hancornia amapa, a local species of tree; or from a Northern Geral term indicating a local species of tree... [more]
Amesterdã (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Amsterdam.
Amsterdã (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Amsterdam.
Bagdá (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Baghdad.
Bahia (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, English
Literally "bay" in Portuguese, this name comes from the Bay of All Saints (Baía de Todos os Santos), for which a Portuguese captaincy was named. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Caledônia (Region) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Caledonia.
Caracas (Settlement) English, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish
From the earlier name Santiago de León de Caracas. The name Caracas is most likely derived from the name of a tribe that used to live in the area. This is the name of the capital city of Venezuela.
Ceará (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Most likely from Tupi ceará, probably a combination of the words cemo ("to sing loudly", "to scream") and ara ("small macaw, parakeet, jandaia"), thus "the jandaia sings". Another interpretation is that the name means "river originating from the mountains"... [more]
Chechênia (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Chechnya.
Cidônia (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Cydonia.
Cingapura (Country, Island & Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Singapore
Copenhague (Settlement) French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Tagalog
French, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and Tagalog form of Copenhagen.
Espírito Santo (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, English
Portuguese for "Holy Spirit", the third person of the Christian Trinity. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Estônia (Country) Malagasy, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Malagasy and Brazilian Portuguese form of Estonia.
Gênova (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Genoa.
Goiás (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the name of the (possibly mythical) Guaiá indigenous community; the name itself is composed of the Tupi words gua and , meaning, among other things, "the same person" or "people of the same origin." This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Havaí (Political Subdivision & Island) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Hawaii.
Helsinque (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Helsinki.
Lacônia (Political Subdivision & Region) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Laconia.
Letônia (Country) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Latvia via its New Latin name Lettonia.
Livônia (Region) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Livonia.
Luanda (Settlement & Other) English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish
From lu-, a plural marker in several Bantu languages, and ndandu, "value" or "object of commerce", referring to the shells of sea snails, which were used as currency in the ancient kingdoms of Kongo and Ndongo.... [more]
Madagascar (Country & Island) English, Catalan, Nahuatl, French, Italian, Manx, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Corsican
From Middle French Madagascar, from Madageiscar, as a corrupted transliteration of Mogadishu by Marco Polo's misreading of Arabic.... [more]
Maiombe (Region, Settlement, Political Subdivision & Other) Portuguese, Portuguese (African), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Portuguese variant of Mayumbe.
Maranhão (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Of uncertain origin: it may come from Tupi mar'anhan ("running sea"), a name for the Amazon River. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Mato Grosso (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Literally "thick bush" in Portuguese. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Mato Grosso Do Sul (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
Literally "South Mato Grosso" in Portuguese; mato grosso means "thick bush". This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Messênia (Political Subdivision & Region) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Messenia.
Minas Gerais (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
Literally "general mines" in Portuguese. It is unclear whether the adjective Gerais refers to the many mines within the region or to the Matos Gerais (or Campos Gerais), the fields that were far away from the mines... [more]
Mônaco (Country) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Monaco
Paraíba (Political Subdivision & River) Portuguese (Brazilian)
From Tupi pa'ra ("river") and a'íba ("difficult to invade/navigate"), referring to the narrow mouth of the Paraíba River. This is the name of a river and a state of Brazil.
Paraná (Political Subdivision & River) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
From Geral paraná, meaning "river". Some sources claim that the name comes from Guaraní para ("sea") and anã "resembling", owing to the width of the river Paraná. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Peônia (Region) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Paeonia.
Pernambuco (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
Four theories exist over the origin of the name. The first theory is that it may come from Tupi para'nã ("great river" or "sea") and buka, meaning "hole", thus meaning "hole in the sea", perhaps indicating the Canal de Santa Cruz, which separates the island of Itamaracá from mainland Brazil.... [more]
Piauí (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
From Piagoí, through the earlier name Piagüí, which is an early rendition of Tupi piauí, which means "river of the piabas" (piaba being a term used to indicate several types of fish)... [more]
Piemonte (Political Subdivision) Italian, Danish, Galician, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, Swedish, Venetian
Italian and Portuguese form of Piedmont, a region in northern Italy.
Pireneus (Mountain) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Pyrenees.
Rio Grande Do Sul (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, English
Literally "Great River of the South" in Portuguese. This name comes from the Lagoa dos Patos, which was thought to be the mouth of the Rio Grande by Dutch explorers. This is the name of a state in Brazil.
Rondônia (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese
Named after Marshal Cândido Rondon, who explored the area in the 1910s. This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Saara (Region) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Sahara.
Sergipe (Political Subdivision) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Union of the Tupi words siri (the local name for the Callinectes genus of crabs) 'y ("river") and pe ("in"), thus "in the river of the siri". This is the name of a state of Brazil.
Teerã (Settlement) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Tehran.
Tibre (River) French, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian)
French and Portuguese form of Tiberis.
Tocantins (Political Subdivision & River) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Union of Tupi words tukana ("toucan") e tim ("beak"), thus "toucan's beak". This is the name of a river and a state of Brazil.
Túnis (Country & Settlement) Icelandic, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Icelandic and Brazilian Portuguese form of Tunis. The Icelandic name refers to both the country of Tunisia and the city of Tunis, while the Portuguese name refers only to the city.