Amaral

Portuguese: habitational name from any of the numerous minor places called Amaral. The place name is of uncertain etymology, probably from the term amaral, denoting a kind of black grape (from Latin amarus ‘bitter’). Alternatively, the origin may be a collective noun derived from Spanish maro, amaro ‘cat-thyme’ (Latin marum, influenced by Spanish amargo ‘bitter’).

GIVEN NAMES: Spanish 21%; Portuguese 11%. Manuel (84), Jose (50), Carlos (19), Mario (8), Armando (7), Fernando (7), Luis (7), Jorge (6), Eduardo (5), Francisco (5), Ernesto (4), Joaquin (4); Joao (7), Joaquim (6), Paulo (3), Guilherme, Serafim, Vasco.

See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.