My Brazil List (it's pretty long)

Girl Names
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Here is a list of name combinations I challenged myself to create. They subtly reflect my country in terms of common/historical names, names from nature, music, literature, places etc. I will try my best to specify where each name comes from. I hope you guys will enjoy this… it’s not a small read.

Amora [name_f]Alice[/name_f]–> amora is a fruit equivalent to the mulberry. It has been used as a name many times and I love that it contains the word “Amor” in it, which in Portuguese is love. The [name_f]Alice[/name_f] (here pronounce [name_m]Ah[/name_m]-[name_u]Lee[/name_u]-See) is for [name_f]Alice[/name_f] Ruiz, a poet and a singer I love, [name_f]Alice[/name_f] Caymmi.

[name_f]Aurea[/name_f] Tarsila--> [name_f]Aurea[/name_f] refers to the Lei [name_f]Aurea[/name_f] ([name_u]Golden[/name_u] [name_m]Law[/name_m]), which legally abolished slavery in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]. Tarsila is for one of [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]'s greatest female painters, Tarsila do Amaral.

[name_f]Azalea[/name_f] [name_f]Amada[/name_f]–> Azaleas (here spelled Azaléia) are shrubery originated in [name_f]China[/name_f], but easy to find growing in gardens and streets of [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]. The [name_f]Azalea[/name_f] has a beautiful and aromatic pink flower. [name_f]Amada[/name_f] means “loved”, but it is also a feminization of Brazilian author [name_m]Jorge[/name_m] [name_m]Amado[/name_m].

[name_f]Brisa[/name_f] Capitolina–> [name_f]Brisa[/name_f] is breeze and Capitolina is the full name of one of [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]'s greatest and most controversial literary characters, Capitu, from the book “[name_m]Dom[/name_m] Casmurro” by Machado de Assis. I’m also proud that it’s the name of an online feminist magazine, that focuses on teens and contrasts greatly with the beauty and celebrity obsessed ones (like Seventeen magazine) that are sold everywhere.

[name_f]Elisa[/name_f] [name_m]Sol[/name_m]–> [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] is a common, simple and beautiful name. The “s” sounds more like a “z”. [name_m]Sol[/name_m] means sun, which we have in abundance.

[name_f]Eva[/name_f] Amazonas–> [name_f]Eva[/name_f] means life and nothing represents the Amazon Rainforest more than this word. Doesn’t hurt that historically the Amazonas were feminist badasses.

[name_m]Iara[/name_m] [name_f]Flor[/name_f]-de-Lis–> [name_m]Iara[/name_m] is a mythical sort of mermaid/siren that inhabits the rivers of the Amazon region. She leurs fishermen, travellers and any man with her beautiful and melodic voice (and good looks). They however, disappear deep into the darkness of the water. [name_f]Flor[/name_f]-de-Lis (from the [name_m]French[/name_m] [name_f]Fleur[/name_f]-de-Lis) is a beloved Brazilian song, famously sung by Djavan.

Lygia [name_f]Luz[/name_f]–> Lygia is after the [name_m]Tom[/name_m] Jobim song, the artists Lygia Pape and Lygia [name_m]Clark[/name_m], as well as the Brazilian author, Lygia Fagundes Telles. [name_f]Luz[/name_f] means light.

[name_f]Mar[/name_f]é [name_f]Luiza[/name_f]–> I’ve never heard [name_f]Mar[/name_f]é ([name_f]Mar[/name_f]-Eh) be used as a name, but the sound of it is gorgeous (means “tide”). [name_f]Luiza[/name_f] is another very common name in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u] and is also the name of another Jobim song.

[name_f]Maria[/name_f] do Céu–> Here in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u] we love [name_f]Maria[/name_f]'s. There are many types of [name_f]Maria[/name_f]'s, the saints, the not so saintly, the white and the black, the ones who dance and the ones who don’t… but everyone loves to call out to [name_f]Maria[/name_f] do Céu when they hear or see something bad. (Refers to the Virgin [name_f]Mary[/name_f]). Céu (Seo) means sky.

[name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_f]Coralina[/name_f]–> [name_f]Nina[/name_f] is from menina which means “girl” and I love that it rhymes with [name_f]Coralina[/name_f] which is the second name of [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]'s great grandma poet, [name_f]Cora[/name_f] [name_f]Coralina[/name_f].

Pétala [name_u]Elis[/name_u]–> Pétala means, well… [name_f]Petal[/name_f]. [name_u]Elis[/name_u] is for [name_u]Elis[/name_u] [name_f]Regina[/name_f], one of the greatest and most legendary Brazilian singers. She’s my favorite.

[name_f]Rosa[/name_f] [name_f]Olinda[/name_f]–> [name_f]Rosa[/name_f] is a flower, yes, but it’s also the name of a huge percentage of characters in Brazilian Popular [name_f]Music[/name_f]. From [name_u]Jo[/name_u]ão [name_m]Gilberto[/name_m]'s “[name_f]Rosa[/name_f] [name_f]Morena[/name_f]” to the children’s song “[name_f]Rosa[/name_f] Amarela” (Yellow [name_f]Rose[/name_f]). [name_f]Olinda[/name_f] is simply a jewel of a city, a UNESCO world heritage sight located in the coast of [name_f]Pernambuco[/name_f]. It’s a cry of admiration “Oh, [name_f]Linda[/name_f]” (Oh, beautiful).

[name_f]Tereza[/name_f] Lira Lua–> [name_f]Tereza[/name_f] is already considered a grandma name, it’s my grandma’s name, but it’s also very much loved. Lira refers to the first Carnaval march “Ó Abre [name_m]Alas[/name_m]” by [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]'s first ever female composer Chiquinha Gonzaga. Lira is from the Greek word lyre… which refers to music. “[…]Sou da Lira” can be translated to I’m from/of the music. I belong to the music. Lua is what we call the [name_f]Moon[/name_f].

[name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Celestina[/name_f]–> [name_f]Vera[/name_f] ([name_u]Cruz[/name_u]) was one of [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]'s first names when the Portuguese here arrived in the first years of the 16th century. [name_f]Celestina[/name_f] also refers to the sky and to the Virgin [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and to the color blue.

I’m sorry this got to being so long, but this is just about the only place I could share this with people. :smiley:

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Wow [name_f]Rosa[/name_f] [name_f]Olinda[/name_f] is gorgeous- and such a great meaning

[name_f]Elisa[/name_f] [name_m]Sol[/name_m] is a simple name that nevertheless is still unusual and charming, I like is a lot

[name_m]Iara[/name_m] [name_f]Flor[/name_f]-de-Lis sounds so magical!

Quick question-
There are a few users from [name_u]Brazil[/name_u] on this site and I’ve noticed they seem to be attracted to [name_m]German[/name_m] sounding names for boys a lot (such as [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and [name_m]Franz[/name_m] from your own signature), have you noticed this as well? I find this very interesting and wonder if you can think of any reasons why this may be. Perhaps they sound exotic in the same way South American names sound to english speakers?

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You have some very beautiful names on this list and I really like that you are choosing ones that have meaning to you. I would rework a lot of your combos, though, as many do not flow well. Indeed, some are tongue twisters and some come across as cartoonish, no offense.

[name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_f]Coralina[/name_f] is cartoony and silly sounding. I really like both names but I would pair them with others…how about [name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_m]Sol[/name_m] (that’s a pretty combo!) or [name_f]Mare[/name_f] [name_f]Coralina[/name_f]? Amora [name_f]Alice[/name_f] does not flow well either, though both names are gorgeous. [name_m]How[/name_m] about Amora [name_u]Elis[/name_u]? I really like [name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Celestina[/name_f], though I’d change [name_f]Celestina[/name_f] to [name_f]Celestine[/name_f]. It’s very rhymey when both names end in the same sound…which is most of your combos. Lygia [name_f]Luz[/name_f] isn’t bad, but again, starts to border on cartoonish. My very favorite name on your list is [name_m]Iara[/name_m]. I knew a girl named [name_m]Iara[/name_m] though she spelled it Iyara and she was so sweet and beautiful. [name_m]Iara[/name_m] [name_f]Flor[/name_f]-de-Lis is actually very nice. I would also love [name_m]Iara[/name_m] [name_m]Sol[/name_m], [name_m]Iara[/name_m] [name_f]Celestine[/name_f], and [name_m]Iara[/name_m] Ceu. [name_f]Brisa[/name_f] and [name_f]Tereza[/name_f] are also lovely but I would prefer the middles of both to not end in a…

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Thank you for the compliments! On the [name_m]German[/name_m] names… I can only answer for myself. [name_m]Franz[/name_m] is a name I love because of the classical music composers (Liszt, Schubert, Lehar…) and the author [name_m]Franz[/name_m] [name_m]Kafka[/name_m], which I really appreciate and because I once taught a [name_m]German[/name_m] boy English and his name was [name_m]Franz[/name_m] and I fell in love with the name. I got to [name_m]Otto[/name_m] through my love for Otavio and [name_f]Ottavia[/name_f]… it was really a happy accident. As for your question on other Brazilian users being attracted to these names (and they aren’t really common here), depends on the region they are from and their family history. Many Brazilians descend from Germans, Dutch, Italian etc. [name_m]Just[/name_m] like in the US, our country is a melting pot.

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Thank you that’s very interesting, it’s just something I noticed a few times so maybe it’s a family history thing or a coincidence

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I guess when I was creating the combos, I was thinking of them in Portuguese… pronunciation differs a whole lot. Guilty as charged. I can’t agree with you though, when you say most of them are cartoonish. Beauty is relative… My intention was to share here on Nameberry some new names and different possibilities of combinations. In [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], many people take naming their children for granted, therefor there is no place online where the rare name lovers like me can share their ideas and insights.

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I very much enjoyed reading this! I visited [name_u]Brazil[/name_u] in 2007 for about two weeks, and it’s instilled a love for all things Brazilian in me. I’d love to go back, and always love hearing things about Brazilian culture! [name_f]Rosa[/name_f] [name_f]Olinda[/name_f] is gorgeous from this, and I love the alliteration of Lira Lua, too! I always thought the word “menina” sounded like such a beautiful name, too, if it weren’t already a word. :slight_smile: [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Nina[/name_f] are already so well-loved; I can sort of see Menina catching on, but I sort of hope it doesn’t, just because it seems silly to name a little girl “girl”. :slight_smile:

I love that so many Brazilians (alright, er, a couple) have joined Nameberry, because I love seeing what you all have to say about Brazilian culture!

ETA: I just wanted to add that I think Vera Celestina is gorgeous, as well, and I love the repeated “A” endings in a lot of them; they sound so melodic to me, and so reminiscent of Brazilian/Latino culture, both in Spanish and in Portuguese.

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Olinda is in Pernambuco, not in Bahia. o.o

I like Eva Amazonas (as Amazonas is my grandfather’s middle), but I see the majority of your combos as a bit over the top. I don’t plan on using middle names for my kids, because that’s not common around here and people always assume it is a double name. I have a double name and even though I love both of them, I feel like my name would be a lot stronger if it was just Ana or just Caroline, so that maybe be a personal pref.

That said, I like most of the names you listed by themselves, but as a combo, they are just too much. I wouldn’t like being called Nina Capitolina or Vera Celestina in a sea of just Anas, Sofias, Manuelas, etc.

I love Nina, Amora, Brisa, Eva, Lygia, Maria do Céu and Tereza, but the only combinations I like are Eva Amazonas and Lygia Luz and Rosa Olinda. The others are a bit too heavy and would stand out, maybe a bit too much. If I met a Tereza Lira Lua or an Amora Amada, I would assume her parents were hippies living in Chapada dos Veadeiros or something like that hehehe. They would be lovely names in a country used to more diversity in naming, but I feel we’re still a bit too conservative for some of them (that makes me sad as most of my loved portuguese combos fall in the same category as well, I got used to the possibilities in english names and now I feel a little restricted thinking about realist possibilities).

From your signature combos, I LOVE Maria Olimpia Elis, Nina Valentina Rose and Eva Heliodora Celeste!

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You’re right I mixed the two up! Thanks for letting me know!

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I edited my post, somehow I posted it without the full thing written down!

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Thank you for the compliments, I’m glad you liked the names! Menina does have a lovely sound, but you’re right on it not being okay to name a little girl, girl. :slight_smile: I’m a sucker for names that have alliteration, rhyme and end in “a”. I feel they have a sort of musicality, which you mentioned.

These are however, just random combinations of names. Other than [name_f]Tereza[/name_f], I probably would never name my child these… mostly because I’m not this bold.

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that makes me sad as well. I feel we have such wonderful combinations and possibilities with portuguese names, but we would all look crazy if we were bold enough to use them. our names are so musical and it kills me that middle names are not a thing here =~~

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You’re absolutely right about the names being over the top and not so practical in our culture (and even a bit hippie!) :slight_smile: These arent’t names I would give to real people, rather a fun little challenge I put myself through. I love playing with names and meanings and creating things that are rather unexpected. Like I said before, [name_f]Tereza[/name_f] is probably the only name I would use for a child of mine from this list.

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Concordo com você! Goodness, we are open to so many different things, why couldn’t people be more daring with names? I guess we do come out as wacky. When I told my mother that she was most likely to have a granddaughter named [name_f]Olimpia[/name_f], she just looked at me as if I were crazy. My grandmother was more verbal in criticizing it. “What a horrible name!”

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The downside of learning so many great languages is that I always think beautiful words would make really lovely names in English! I think the same thing about the [name_m]French[/name_m] verb ameliorer/ameliore. :slight_smile: (ah-may-lee-or-ay or ah-may-lee-or) Same with the Icelandic (?) Svala and the Danish Laerke (LAIR-keh), but those are actually used as names in those cultures. :slight_smile:

I just glanced at your signature, and I love [name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Violeta[/name_f] [name_f]Helena[/name_f]! What a gorgeous combo! Out of curiosity, how is [name_f]Helena[/name_f] said in Portuguese?

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Thank you! [name_f]Helena[/name_f] is pronounced with a silent H. [name_f]Ell[/name_f]-IN-uh… it’s really hard to write down pronunciation… but I think this is close enough. [name_f]Violeta[/name_f] is Vee-oh-lit-a (small oh).

I’m curious, where was it that you visited when you came to [name_u]Brazil[/name_u]?

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Erm, we referred to it as Iguape, but that’s not the full name? It’s about half an hour from Fortaleza, in the state of [name_f]Ciara[/name_f]. A little fishing village. I went to a small private [name_m]Christian[/name_m] boarding school, and we went on a small mission trip there. We built a bench, had a dental clinic, held vacation Bible school, planted a bunch of trees, brought a lot of donated clothing from people we knew… It was honestly the best two weeks of my life so far! I loved it so much, and grew so heartsick when I watched the World Cup last summer, haha. I really wish I could go back, but I don’t have money for international travel right now. :frowning:

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@ashthereamer, brilliant! Ceará is a beautiful state and full of breathtaking beaches and a very rich and amazing culture. My grandfather’s parents were born in Ceará and because of the heavy droughts and hunger, migrated to Manaus, Amazonas. I visited Fortaleza about two or three years ago and remember having a wonderful time there.

You seem to have had a great time in Iguape and it’s always wonderful to be involved in humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, the northeast of [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], where Ceará is, is one of the poorest of our country.

I know how you feel about not having the means to travel. I’m stuck here at home as well, wishing I could visit other places. Right now I’m obsessed with visiting either Portugal or somewhere in Eastern Europe.

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@beasobreira - omgoodness, yes. It was so gorgeous there. We were told when we arrived that it was the poorest state in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], but highest in tourism because of the beautiful beaches and landscapes. I remember the beach there being so beautiful, and one day we climbed this dune-mountain thing and watched the sunset, and it was so breathtaking. I mainly want to visit Europe, haha, but I would love to go back to [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], and I’d love to go to [name_u]Peru[/name_u], as well, to visit the little girl I sponsor there. She’s nearly seven, and I’d like to visit her before she gets too much bigger! It would take thousands of dollars to get there that I just don’t have, though, unfortunately. :frowning: My brother and I might go see Montreal this summer, though, which is about as far as I’m going to get with the amount of student loans I have, haha!

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Thank you for reading!