Sampaio Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Sampaio last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Sampaio last name
Meaning of the Sampaio last name: "Saint Pelagius". Sampaio is a Portuguese surname from places called São Paio, Saint Pelagius, a young martyr of Córdoba. Jorge Sampaio was president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. The old spelling Sampayo also appears. The last name is common in Portugal and Brazil.
Arms associated with the Sampaio name
In Portugal a coat of arms was often carved over the family house, and Sampaio heraldry shares that habit.
Get your full Sampaio family history
This is only a glimpse of the Sampaio story. The full Sampaio 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 Sampaio coat of arms. Get the full Sampaio report.
Sampaio name FAQ
What does the Sampaio name mean?
"Saint Pelagius". Common variants include São Paio, Sampayo.
Where does the Sampaio surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, Angola and France.
Is there a Sampaio coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Sampaio 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).