Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Ferreira” come from?

Ferreira is a Portuguese surname derived from Portuguese ferreira, meaning a place where iron is worked or a blacksmith's forge.

Ancestry of “Ferreira”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portugueseferreirafemale equivalent of ferreiro
2Latinferrārius—
3Latinferrumiron; any tool made of iron; fight, clash
4Cornish-er—
5English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
6Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
7Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
8Latin-āre—
9Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
10Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
11Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
13Chichewaiyehe, she
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