{{about|the Portuguese surname|the Galician-language surname|Coello (disambiguation){{!}}Coello}} '''Coelho''' ({{IPA|pt|ku'eʎu}}, Hebrew: קוּאֵלְיוֹ) is a surname of Portuguese and Jewish (Sephardic) origin, meaning "rabbit". The surname indicates Jewish priestly origin, likely adopted due to its phonetic similarity to the surname Cohen.<ref>Name your roots: Name analysis report. (n.d). Name your roots.[https://nameyourroots.com/home/names/Coelho]</ref><ref>Beider, A. (n.d.). The etymology of Sephardi surnames: Achievements and perspectives. Academia</ref> This connection would have been significant in preserving the family's historical identity during periods of assimilation and exile. During the Portuguese Inquisition, many Sephardic families – including those bearing the surname Coelho – adopted or retained such surnames as a means of survival and identity preservation.<ref> Waas, M. (2019, December 3). On Sephardic Surnames. Hollander-Waas Jewish Heritage Services. https://www.hollander-waas.com/blog/on-sephardic-surnames</ref> Evidence predating the Inquisition suggests the family originated in the Beira Litoral region, particularly around Coimbra and Aveiro.<ref>Herbert, A. (2014). The Pharmaca of Jozeph Coelho: A Family of Converso Apothecaries in Seventeenth-Century Coimbra. The Recipes Project. https://doi.org/10.58079/tcs9</ref><ref>Bodian, Miriam. “Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation: The Ambiguous Boundaries of Self-Definition.” Jewish Social Studies 15, no. 1 (2008): 66–80. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40207034</ref> Notable people with the surname include: * Arnaldo Cézar Coelho, Brazilian football referee * Bento Coelho da Silveira (ca. 1630–1708), Portuguese painter * Carlos Coelho, Portuguese politician * Carlos Pinto Coelho, Portuguese journalist, writer, photographer and media professor * Claire Coelho, Australian football (soccer) player * Duarte Coelho, Portuguese nobleman and colonial administrator * Dyego Rocha Coelho, Brazilian football player * Eduardo Prado Coelho, Portuguese writer, journalist, columnist and university professor * Eduardo Teixeira Coelho, maker of comic books * Eliane Coelho, Brazilian soprano * Elzo Coelho, Brazilian football player * Evelina Coelho, Portuguese artist * Fabián Coelho, Uruguayan football player * Gaspar Coelho, Portuguese Jesuit * Gonçalo Coelho, Portuguese explorer * Henrique Maximiano Coelho Neto, Brazilian writer, politician, and professor * Humberto Coelho, Portuguese football player * Jackson Avelino Coelho, commonly known as Jajá, Brazilian footballer born 1986 * Jackson Coelho Silva, Brazilian footballer * Jaime Luiz Coelho (1916–2013), Brazilian Roman Catholic archbishop * José Dias Coelho, Portuguese painter and sculptor * José da Silva Coelho, Goan Catholic writer * Joseph Coelho, British poet and children's book author * Manuel Rodrigues Coelho, Portuguese organist and composer * Maria de Belém Roseira Martins Coelho Henriques de Pina, Portuguese politician * Mário Coelho Pinto de Andrade, Angolan poet and politician * Nicolau Coelho, Portuguese explorer * Nuno André Coelho, Portuguese footballer * Nuno Miguel Prata Coelho, Portuguese footballer * Oliverio Coelho, Argentine writer and critic * Paulo Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist * Paulo de Almeida Coelho, Portuguese Paralympic athlete * Pedro Passos Coelho, Portuguese politician and prime minister * Ricardo Coelho, Portuguese marathon canoeist * Sara Pinto Coelho, Portuguese writer and playwright * Tony Coelho, American congressman
==See also== * Engenheiro Coelho, a municipality in São Paulo state in Brazil. * Pedro Manuel Oliveira Martins (born 1988), known as Coelho, Portuguese futsal player * Conejo, a Spanish-language surname, variant of Coelho * Coello, a Galician-language variant
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==References== <references /> Category:Portuguese-language surnames Category:Sephardi surnames Category:Surnames of Jewish origin