Fonseca Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Fonseca last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Fonseca last name
Meaning of the Fonseca last name: "dry spring". Fonseca is a Portuguese surname for someone from a place called Fonseca, from Latin fons sicca, "dry spring". The Fonseca lineage was prominent in Portugal and Castile. The last name is common in Portugal and Brazil, where Deodoro da Fonseca was the first president.
Arms associated with the Fonseca name
In Portugal a coat of arms was often carved over the family house, and Fonseca heraldry shares that habit.
Get your full Fonseca family history
This is only a glimpse of the Fonseca story. The full Fonseca 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 Fonseca coat of arms. Get the full Fonseca report.
Fonseca name FAQ
What does the Fonseca name mean?
"dry spring". Common variants include Da Fonseca, Fonsecca.
Where does the Fonseca surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, Angola and Cape Verde.
Is there a Fonseca coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Fonseca 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).