Lima Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Lima last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Lima last name
Meaning of the Lima last name: "from the Lima river". Lima is a Portuguese surname from the Lima river valley in the Minho, linked in legend with the Lethe, the river of forgetting. It is one of the most common last names in Brazil, especially in the northeast. The Peruvian capital has an unrelated name.
Arms associated with the Lima name
Portugal gathered coats of arms in great armorials, and heraldry associated with Lima belongs to that tradition.
Get your full Lima family history
This is only a glimpse of the Lima story. The full Lima 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 Lima coat of arms. Get the full Lima report.
Lima name FAQ
What does the Lima name mean?
"from the Lima river". Common variants include De Lima, Lime.
Where does the Lima surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, Angola and Cape Verde.
Is there a Lima coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Lima 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).