I have a little doubt about the etymology of my
surname LOPES (Portuguese Lopes = Spanish Lopez)
All dictionaries consider LOPES as the patronymic
of LOPO, an old form of Portuguese LOBO "wolf".
But I found many problems in this
etymology:
1) In Medieval times the name LOPO is common
in Portugal, but we never find the most "popular" form LOBO used as given name.
If Lopo is the erudite form, we might find the popular form also used (cf.
Portuguese CIPRIANO, erudite from Cyprianus, and popular obsolete form CEBRA~O,
CIBRA~O)
2) Portuguese prenomen is LOPO, but the SPanish
form is LOPE. Latin Lupus cannot give "LOPE".
I sugest that Lopo is just a Portuguesized form of
Spanish Lope, that cannot come from LUPUS.
So, I sugest LOPE < *LUPPIS
But what could *LUPPIS mean? A Celtic name? A
Germanic name? Basque one?
An alternative would be see *LUPPIS as *LUGUPPIS,
trying to give a Celtic explanation, but it's just a guess.
Joao SL
Rio de Janeiro