Dear Luis B. Da Ressurreicao, do Rosario, de Sao Jose and other religious names often came with a FROM, I mean, "DE". Not only it makes the name sound and flow better, but it makes sense! The capitalized "De" doesn't exist in Portugal. As I wrote before, maybe in the US and other European countries, but not here. Luis K W Lisboa-Portugal ---------------------- MENSAGEM ORIGINAL ---------------------- I have always heard that the addition of "de" and "da" to a name was not just to show roots but also to make the name flow better when said out loud. For example my 2nd great grandfather's name was Manuel Rodrigues da Ressurreicao, now try saying Manuel Rodrigues Ressurreicao and you'll notice that it just does not flow as easily. Another thing is I do not ever remember the use of a "da" or "de" capitalized except here in the states where somehow it just became attached as part of the family name, ex. Da Silva, De Nobrega... Luis Beal Pat, In response to your first paragraph for the list I would rather not comment. Luis living in Portugal might know what I am referring to. If you send me an e-mail directly to me at jose.fernandes@yrdsb.edu.on.ca I would be most pleased to give you a background. Use of "de" is as per Luis' comments and it means "from". Its use or lack of use got carried away in Madeira. That was my comment. Use of "da" may mean "of" because it refers to belonging to (feminine) and "do" is the masculine form. But that is a good question. Why use "da"? I don't know. As far as the priest is concerned it is possible what you say. In fact I suggest that is a possibility and that is misuse got out of hand in Madeira, specifically in the 19th century. Others may have a different reading. On the other hand, the standardization of the language is very recent. Even today there is still debate on the orthographical agreement with Brazil which it seems is not yet been implemented. In my opinion the language of today and its spelling owe a lot to contemporary writers such as Eça de Queiroz or Pessoa. Please also remember that I believe that most of the original noble families (or who became noble) left the islands a long time ago. Many spent their time in the Court in Lisbon and never returned. Many 2nd sons left to the Azores very early or to Brazil. Finally, I believe all our families survived and worked hard. That is what I am proud of. José ------------- Clix ADSL até 24 Mb: a partir de € 29,90/mês A Internet mais rápida do mercado, agora com chamadas grátis e downloads ilimitados! Saiba mais em http://acesso.clix.pt/