Brazil is a Portuguese-speaking country, so many Brazilian names are also Portuguese names. But there are also some differences between the names you encounter in Brazil and those you encounter in Portugal.
For instance, the Brazilian name Thiago is often spelled Tiago in Portugal.
Maicon is a Brazilian version of the given name Michael. The Portuguese version is Miguel (which is also used in Brazil).
Brazilian names also include some names from the Tupi language, a classical language of Brazil that predates the arrival of the Europeans.
Examples of Brazilian names from the Tupi language include female names like Iara, Janaína, Jussara, Tainá, and Araci (also spelled Aracy), as well as male names such as Caíque, Cauã, Moacir, and Jurandir.
Here is a selection of male names that you can encounter in Brazil:
Some Brazilian names have English equivalents. For example:
| Brazilian name | Corresponding English name |
|---|---|
| João | John |
| José | Joseph |
| Luiz | Lewis |
| Thiago | James |
| Paulo | Paul |
| Mateus | Matthew |
| Carlos | Charles |
| Pedro | Peter |
| Raimundo | Raymond |
| Marcos | Mark |
| Sebastião | Sebastian |
| Antônio | Anthony |
| Marcelo | Marcel |
| Joaquim | Joachim |
| Miguel | Michael |
| Eugênio | Eugene |
| Damião | Damian |
| Henrique | Henry |
| Ronaldo | Ronald |
| Rogério | Roger |
Other Brazilian names have no common English equivalents. Examples of these include Márcio, Tarcísio, Dorival, and Célio.
Here are some girl names that you can encounter in Brazil:
In Spanish, you sometimes see a letter ‘n’ with a tilde (for example “El Niño,” the climate phenomenon). In Portuguese, you often see the tilde on the letter ‘a’ which indicates a nasal vowel. Several Brazilian names have a tilde, for example João, Sebastião, Damião, and Adão.
Some of the names used in Brazil are identical to names used in Spanish-speaking countries from Latin America. Examples of these include names like Carlos, Pedro, and Miguel.
Small spelling differences sometimes differentiate a Brazilian name from the corresponding Spanish name.
For example, Mário is a Brazilian (and Portuguese) name spelled almost the same as Mario, a name you find in Italy, Spanish-speaking countries, and many other places.
Another example is the name Sílvio (with an accent), which is mostly found in Brazil (and Portugal). The version Silvio (without an accent) is also used in Brazil, as well as in Italy and several other countries.
The form of the Portuguese language used in Brazil differs from that used in Portugal. This means that when you learn Portuguese, you choose between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese.
This also means that the spelling of some Brazilian names differs from the spelling of equivalent names used in Portugal. Here are some examples:
| Brazilian spelling |
European Portuguese spelling |
|---|---|
| Antônio | António |
| Sônia | Sónia |
| Mônica | Mónica |
| Verônica | Verónica |
Luiz and Luís are two versions of the same name. The form Luiz is mainly seen in Brazil. It used to be used in Portugal a long time ago, but it has been mostly replaced by the other version (Luís).
| Individual | Occupation |
|---|---|
| Paulo Coelho | Brazilian novelist who wrote “The Alchemist” |
| João Gilberto | Brazilian musician who was one of the pioneers of the bossa nova musical genre |
| Antônio Carlos Jobim | Brazilian bossa nova musician who recorded an album with Frank Sinatra |
| Dorival Caymmi | Brazilian samba and bossa nova musician |
| Vicente Ferreira Pastinha | A key figure in the history of capoeira (Afro-Brazilian martial art) |
| Heitor Villa-Lobos | Brazilian composer |
| Gilberto Gil | Brazilian musician |
| Ronaldo Nazário | Brazilian football (soccer) player |
| Sebastião Salgado | Brazilian photographer |
| Rodrigo Santoro | Brazilian actor |
| Fernanda Montenegro | Brazilian actress |
| Fernando Henrique Cardoso | Former President of Brazil |
| Aluísio Azevedo | Brazilian novelist |
| Luiz Fernando Carvalho | Brazilian film director |
| Glória Pires | Brazilian actress |