Carvalho Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Carvalho last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Carvalho last name
Meaning of the Carvalho last name: "oak tree". Carvalho is a Portuguese surname for someone who lived by an oak tree, from carvalho, "oak", or came from a place called Carvalho. The Galician form is Carballo. The last name is among the most common in Portugal and Brazil.
Arms associated with the Carvalho name
In Portugal a coat of arms was often carved over the family house, and Carvalho heraldry shares that habit.
Get your full Carvalho family history
This is only a glimpse of the Carvalho story. The full Carvalho history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Carvalho coat of arms. Get the full Carvalho report.
Carvalho name FAQ
What does the Carvalho name mean?
"oak tree". Common variants include Carvalhal, Carballo.
Where does the Carvalho surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, Angola and France.
Is there a Carvalho coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Carvalho coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (Lisboa, 1984); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).