From Where Does The Surname Originate? ^{meaning and history}

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Almeida is an Arabic name formed by the junction of two words, "Al" the same as the, and "Majid", the same as glorious or in a geographical sense, the same as flat land. Almajid, over time, developed into Almaida, Almeyda and finally Almeida; since 1258. The Almeida family originates from the Portuguese nobility. The first to get the name, and therefore the founder of the family, was Don Payo Paes Guterres Amado, who at the time of Sancho I (1154-1211), 2nd King of Portugal, took the Arabs in Riba Coa, the Castle of Almeida and received as fiefdom D 'El Rei. From this achievement, the castle's name came to be used as a family name; the first member to receive it was the son of Don Payo, Pedro Paes de Almeida. The Almeida family, therefore, comes from the Hispanic family Gutierrez. Thus, in addition to having been a "glorious achievement" or an achievement for someone "glorious", as suggested by the word Almeida, its meaning also refers to "the castle is a glorious abode." It is therefore a surname of toponymic origin whose archaic spelling is Almeyda. It is a common name, especially in Portugal, but also in Brazil.

In fact, the surname Almeida comes from the Arabian, al meida, that means 'the table'. The present city of Alcalá de Henares, in Spain, was called in the Middle Age 'Me­dina Celi' (i.e. Medina al Selim what means 'City of Salomon'). It also was called by the Moors 'Medina Almeida' ('The city of the Table'), on account of a wonderful table kept there, which they believed to have been worked by genii at the com­mand of Solomon. It was said to consist of one entire emerald set in gold, and enriched with pearls and jacinths, supported on three hundred and sixty feet of gold elegantly wrought. It had been among the spoil taken at Rome by Alaric, and was long the boast of the Gothic treasury. It was probably of pure green glass, the existence of emeralds of such great size being doubtful; but its size, beauty, and costly setting rendered it an object of admira­tion. The fame of the wonderful table induced the military commandant Tarif to seek it as a lit present for the caliph (Cf. L. Callcott, The History of Spain. Vol. I. London: Murray, 1840. Vol. I, p. 89).

Of Spanish and Portuguese local origin, coming from Arabic word for plateau, "Al maida". Very popular in Puerto Rico.

Almeida was a name of a fortress City in Portugal.