Origins of the Ornelas Surname
Portuguese: altered form of Dornelas (by its misinterpretation as d’Ornelas), a habitational name from any of several places called Dornelas, from the plural diminutive of dorna ‘vat, tub’. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Juan, Jesus, Manuel, Francisco, Carlos, Raul, Miguel, Pedro, Javier, Ramon, Arturo. ~ Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
The surname Ornelas originated in Dornelas, in the ancient province of Entre Douro e Minho, now Amares, Distrito de Braga, in northern Portugal. From there Alvaro de Ornelas, a fidalgo in service of Prince Henry the Navigator, sailed to the island of Madeira around 1445. From Madeira, the descendants then spread to other parts of the world, like Brazil and Mexico.
In Los Altos de Jalisco (the high country of Jalisco, Mexico), another Alvaro de Ornelas, a descendant of the first, got married in 1586. From there, the Mexican descendants spread to nearby areas, such as Lagos de Moreno and other parts of Jalisco. As you can see, the Ornelas origins in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco are not very far from the Ramirez origins in Leon, Guanajuato (about 35 minutes).
Entre Douro e Minho Province
Lagos de Moreno to Leon
Palácio dos Ornelas, Funchal, Madeira
Palácio dos Ornelas Crest
