Novais Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Novais last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Novais last name
Meaning of the Novais last name: newly cleared land. Novais is a Portuguese surname from places called Novais in the north of Portugal, from Latin novalis, "newly cleared land". The last name is found in Portugal and Brazil, where it is also spelt Novaes. Curiously, the same Latin root novus, "new", gives the Portuguese word novo and the English word novel.
Arms associated with the Novais name
Coats of arms associated with the Novais surname belong to Portuguese heraldry, whose blazon traditions reached Brazil.
Get your full Novais family history
This is only a glimpse of the Novais story. The full Novais 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 Novais coat of arms. Get the full Novais report.
Novais name FAQ
What does the Novais name mean?
Newly cleared land. Common variants include Novaes.
Where does the Novais surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, France and the United States.
Is there a Novais coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Novais coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da LÃngua Portuguesa (Lisboa, 1984); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).