Show ContentsLopes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In Portugal, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that described a person's temperament or appearance were frequently used. Such nicknames sometimes became hereditary and were passed down as surnames onto further generations. The name Lopes is thought to be derived from the Latin word "lupus," meaning "wolf."

Alternatively, the name could have been a patronymic name, meaning "Son of Lope", where Lope is a Spanish given name deriving from Latin lupus, meaning "wolf".

Early Origins of the Lopes family

The surname Lopes was first found in the province of Lugo where today it is the most common name in that area.

Lopes Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lopez, Lopes, Lope, Llop, Lupus, Llopis and others.

Lopes Ranking

In the United States, the name Lopes is the 2,275th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Lopes is ranked the 371st most popular surname with an estimated 11,272 people with that name. 2


Lopes migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lopes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Abraham Lopes, who arrived in America in 1679 3
Lopes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mathew Lopes, aged 37, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1826 3
  • F Lopes, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
  • Gabriel Lopes, aged 25, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
  • I L DeFonso Lopes, aged 34, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
  • Hario Lopes, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1830 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lopes (post 1700) +

  • Lisa Nicole Lopes (1971-2002), American rapper, singer and dancer
  • Jose Ramos Lopes (b. 1915), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly, 1959-67 (New York County 14th District 1959-65, 75th District 1966, 70th District 1967) 4
  • Fátima Lopes (b. 1965), Portuguese fashion designer
  • Thomé Lopes, Portuguese scrivener
  • Pedro Miguel de Santana Lopes (b. 1956), Portuguese lawyer and politician, was Prime Minister of Portugal from 2004 to 2005
  • Cristóvão Lopes (1516-1594), Portuguese painter
  • Gregório Lopes (1490-1550), one of the most important Renaissance painters from Portugal
  • António Pedro de Brito Lopes (b. 1978), Portuguese professional footballer
  • Hugo Miguel Almeida Costa Lopes (b. 1986), Portuguese footballer
  • Fernão Lopes (1385-1459), Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook