Bettencourt Name in the Azores originates from Flanders
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In reply to:
Jewish Roots??
Launa Valente 1/26/05
In the Azores, the name Bettencourt originates from Flanders.In the 1500s, a Flemish noblemen whose surname is Bettencourt was given a land grant to settle the island of Terceira in Azores archipelago.Thus, he brought a few hundred Flemish settlers to settle Terceira, where these settlers later dispersed to other islands.The Azores islands were uninhabited islands prior to the 1400s.And during their settlement they were settled by mostly Portuguese from the mainland but also a few Flemish settlers.
In the island of Terceira, the descents of this nobleman are mostly found in Angra, and the Ramo Grande Area (Vila Nova, Altares, Sao Bras, Lajes) andthroughout the Azores.Although some of these descents may have inherited the name Bettencourt and some of their land, the Bettencourt name was not used exclusively used by family members.
In the Azores, people would name their children in honor a noblemen, their benefactors, godparents, relatives, friends or employers and so forth.
Thus during the inquisition there may have been some Jewish families who may have changed their last name to Bettencourt only if converted to Christianity. In Portugal, Bettencourt is mostly used in the Azores.Yet, Portuguese Jewish families who remained in Portugal and converted to Christianity usually changed their name after names of objects in nature, such as trees, plants, and flowers: Carvalho, Rosa.
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