Compiled by Jason Morningstar and Moyra Turkington
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames: “Most of Brazilian surnames derive from Portuguese surnames. When someone’s surname was unknown, not verifiable or considered unpronounceable in Portuguese language, their surname was usually registered as “da Costa” when living near the sea coast or “da Silva” (from the forest) if lived inland. The surname “dos Santos” (from the saints) was given to orphan children.”