Freitas is a very common surname in Madeira Autonomous Region, Portugal. Its origin seems related to the 300-million-year-old 'Birthing Stones' phenomenon which occurs in remote northern Portugal, locally called Pedra Parideira, particularly in the village of Castanheira, nestled into the site of Freita Mountain, Arouca Geopark.[1]
According to the Dictionary of American Family Names citing Oxford University Press, it is a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of stony ground, from Portuguese (Pedras) Freitas ‘Broken Stones’ Late Latin (Petrae) Fractae.[2]
Gallery
Coat of arms of family name Freitas%252C_Museu_Geol%C3%B3gico_de_Lisboa%252C_Portugal.jpg.webp)
Birthing Stone from Serra da Freita, in the Geological Museum of Lisbon
References
- ↑ Fox, Esme. "Portugal's mysterious 'birthing stones'". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ↑ Hanks, Patrick (2003-05-08). Dictionary of American Family Names: 3-Volume Set. Oxford University Press. p. 603. ISBN 978-0-19-508137-4.
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