Siqueira (surname)

Siqueira Family

Siqueira, Sequeira, Sequerra  - Is a surname from the region of La Coruña, Spain. There are registers of a Brás Siqueira in the region of the State of Espirito Santo in 1694. There is another meaning for the name "siqueira" as "Sekher" which means "açude" in Portuguese (water reservoir). The origin of Sekher is the hebrew word " סכר".

The variables of the name are: Sequeira and Sequeros. In Portuguese, in accordance with Ferreira et al., 1994, the name means the place without (or lack of ) water, dry. The Sequeros name is thought to come from the province of Salamanca, or Esquerra, situated in the province of La Coruna, both of which is in Spain. In 1279 they were already (using) or known as the Esquerra family. In the X1V century Ben Esquerra was known and in the XVIII century the Sequeira variants were used; Sequerra and Sequeyra. In the south of Portugal - in the locality of Faro, the Faro Jewish cemetry have names of the Sequeira family. There were numerous Jewish families in Portugal, however when the inquisition was introduced those who could escape or immigrate to more tolerant European countries or the Americas, did so. Sequeirra was one of the most important names mentioned. One was a physicist named Isaac Henriquez Sequeira (1738-1816) the other medical age - Dr. John de Sequeyra (1712-1795), who lived in the colony of Williamsburg, Virginia, in the United States. Dr. John practiced medicine for 50 years and was responsible for the introduction and use of the tomato as food which was thought of as a flower not a vegetable. The Sequeira family were also one of the first families to settle in Sao Jorge - Island of the Acores.