In Brazil, it is very common to find examples of well-known people who go by only one name which, in some cases, is not even their first name but actually a nickname.
Some of the most internationally recognized are Brazil’s ex-President Lula, which means squid (Luis Inacio da Silva), and soccer player Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), seen above.
In fact, it’s in the soccer world where you will find a host of players known by one name, such as Nene, meaning baby (Anderson Luiz de Carvalho), Zico (Arthur Antunes Coimbra) and Garrincha (Manuel Francisco do Santos). But this tradition also spills over into the arts world with famous singers such as Marina, Maisa, Xuxa, Cartola, and Pixinguinha, and even the internationally acclaimed contemporary arts brothers, Os Gemeos (The Twins). Other great instances of using monikers instead of the full names are Tiradentes, meaning tooth puller (Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier) an all time national hero, and Alejadinho (The Little Cripple), the renowned Baroque artist.
All this is in extreme contrast with another Brazilian tradition that involves giving children more than one last name, sometimes even four or five. So it is common for a child to have a compound first name followed by both the mother’s two maiden last names and the two last names of the father. This practice, which commonly takes place in well-to-do families, can sometimes give some excesses. Let’s look at Celi Elisabete Júlia Monteiro de Carvalho who married one of Brazil’s former presidents, Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello, and had a child whose name is Joaquim Pedro Monteiro de Carvalho Collor de Mello.
These super-sized last names do not mean that you are required to use all of them when addressing someone, not even when they are rich or powerful. Most often, all you need to be formal in Brazil is to precede a first name by Seu, (literally, Yours) for men or Dona (literally, Owner) for women and it becomes formal. So Brazil’s current President, Dilma Rousseff, would be happy if you called her Dona Dilma, as would the Vice-President, Michel Temer with Seu Michel.
One exception is the singer Seu Jorge. According to him, seu means your, as in your brother, your friend, Jorge, and not Mr. Jorge.
Seu and Dona are only used for addressing someone verbally, though. If you were to address the president and vice-president in a letter, they would become Vossa Excelencia Presidente da Republica, Dilma Rousseff and Vossa Excelencia Vice-Presidente da Republica, Michel Temer.
To learn more about how to address people in Portuguese, go to Lesson 1 of the Essential Portuguese book, or visit Lesson 1 of Essential Portuguese in the Language Lab.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
