18 Onomastics and toponomastics

This chapter offers a general overview of the history of proper names in Brazil from the colonial period until current times: place names and personal names. This historical overview focuses on the contact between Native groups and Europeans, emphasizing the onomastic consequences of these contacts. From a structural perspective, the chapter briefly describes the main features of Brazilian toponyms and the primary constituents found in Native Brazilian place names, and illustrates some aspects of ethnonyms and glossonyms. We also include examples of urban toponymy. Finally, the chapter provides insights into certain aspects of Brazilian anthroponymy.