Goan Catholic Names and Surnames - Names

Names

Konkani variants of most Goan Catholic names are derived from Hebrew, Greek, and Latin names from the Old and New Testament Biblical canons. Nowadays Indian names like Sandeep, Rahul and Anita, etc. are also used. Some Indian names like Kristadasa (Christopher) have European Christian translations. Bilingual names, having variants in both Konkani and English, like Pedru (Peter) and Mâri (Mary) are common among Goan Catholics. Portuguese names like António, João, Maria, Ana are common among the older generations of Goan Catholics who were born in Portuguese India. The Goan Catholic variant of many first names is the Goan Catholic Konkani version of its Portuguese counterpart which was borrowed from the Portuguese language (examples include Zâbel from the Portuguese Isabel, Zuãuñ from the Portuguese João, Pedru from the Portuguese Pedro, and Zoze from the Portuguese José). Most Goan Catholic names for males follow the second declension. Among women, the names follow the first declension, while among young girls, the names follow the second declension. Another popular naming convention uses English names, like Kevin, Kenneth and Sanferd, that have no Konkani variants. European names such as Savio, Mario and Andrea are also popular.