Araújo or Araujo or Arauxo ([ɐɾɐˈuʒu], [aɾaˈuxo]) is a Galician and Portuguese surname. The surname Araújo is of toponymic origin derived from a place in the vicinity of the Miño River where a Crusader Knight of French Noble descent, Don Rodrigo Anes, was rewarded with reconquered Iberian lands during the Reconquista. The poisonous plant with white fragrant flowers known in Latin as Araujia sericifera was named after the botanist António de Araújo e Azevedo, 1st Count of Barca (1754–1817). The surname Araújo seems to be a habitational name in Portugal and can be found in and around Portuguese cities such as Coimbra, Elvas, Estremoz, Lisbon, Torre de Moncorvo, Monção, Serpa, Setúbal, and Vila Verde.
The progenitor of this surname Araújo is Rodrigo Anes, who was lord of the lands known as Araújo located in Southern Kingdom of Galicia in modern NW Spain close to the Miño/Minho river. This river marked the border between Kingdom of Galicia and Northern Portugal, which had been a part of the Kingdom of Galicia in the 12th century.
Rodrigo Anes, better known as Rodrigo Anes de Araújo, was descended from members of the royal families of the kingdom of France and the kingdom of Burgundy via a noble Knight named Jean Tiranoth. He was born around 1100 A.D., and in a battle at the River Lima, Portugal he defeated the first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques. Jean Tiranoth with a number of Burgundian and French crusaders had moved to Galicia to participate in the reconquesta of the Iberian Peninsula. It was very common for Frenchmen to participate in the reconquest of Spain and Portugal from Islamic control between the 8th and 14th centuries. Their reward for participating were reconquered lands.
Jean Tiranoth was a contemporary of Afonso Henriques the first King of Portugal and witnessed the separation of County of Portugal from the Kingdom of Galicia in 1139.
Rodrigo Anes de Araújo constructed the Castle of Araújo in the Kingdom of Galicia and married Doña Mayor Alvares de Aza, who was the daughter of a noble family which was somehow related to Rodrigo Anes de Araújo. Doña Mayor Alvares de Aza was the daughter of Don Rodrigo Alvares de Aza and Doña Maria Pires de Ambia. From this marriage descended the Araújo family of Kingdom of Galicia, who were lords of many houses in that Kingdom through marriage.
The Bishop of Malaca, João Ribeiro Gaio, wrote about the location of the ancient Araújo family cemetery in the following manner:
Através de Bitorinho
tem sepulcros já gastados
Araújos afamados
na terra que rega o Minho,
antigos, abalisados.
English Translation
Across the Bitorinho
lands watered by the Miño River
lies the graves of
the famous Araújos
ancient renowned Noblemen.
Later, in 1492, the Kingdom of Galicia along with other Kingdoms in the Iberian peninsula were united to become the Kingdom of Spain. Throughout Spain's colonial period between the 16th and 19th century a number of Galician Spaniards bearing the surname Araújo in the service of the King of Spain moved to colonize the territories of the Spanish Empire in North America and South America.
One of the grandchildren of Rodrigo Anes de Araújo known in Portuguese chronicles as Vasco Rodriguez de Araújo, decided to leave Spain and settle in Portugal, where he entered the service of the Kings of Portugal. Throughout Portugal's colonial period a number of Portuguese bearing the Araújo surname moved to settle Portugal's overseas empire.
Antonio de Araujo (d. 1632), Brazilian Jesuit missionaryFrancisco Correa de Araujo (1584-1654) Spanish renaissance organist, composer, and theorist.Emanuel Araújo (born 1942), history professorLuís Araújo (born 1949), Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Air ForceCheryl Araujo (1961-1986), American rape victimGwen Araujo (1985-2002), transgender teenagerEugênio de Araújo Sales (born 1920), longest-serving cardinal in the Roman Catholic ChurchOrestes Araújo (1853-1915), Uruguayan scholarHeriberto Araújo (born 1983), Spanish journalist and writerSerafim Fernandes de Araújo (born 1924), cardinal archbishop of Belo Horizonte, BrazilManuel de Araújo, Mozambican politicianArts and entertainment
Ana Paula Araújo (model) (born 1981), modelCândido José de Araújo Viana (1793-1875), Brazilian writerCésar Calvo de Araujo (1910-1970), Peruvian writer and painterCristiano Araújo (born 1986-2015), was a Brazilian singer, performer and songwriter in Sertanejo music style.Juan de Araujo (1646-1712), Spanish-Peruvian MusicianLoipa Araújo (born 1943), Cuban prima ballerinaManuel de Araújo Porto-alegre, Baron of Santo Ângelo (1806-1876), Brazilian poet and playwrightNelson de Araújo (1926-1993), renowned authorTaís Araújo (born 1978), Brazilian actressSonia Araujo (born 1970), Portuguese TV presenterKate DeAraugo (born 1985), Australian singerArturo Araujo (born 1967), Colombian ArtistÁlvaro Araújo Castro (born 1967), Colombian politicianArturo Araujo, president of El SalvadorConsuelo Araújo (1940-2001), Colombian politician, writer and self-taught journalistFernando Araújo Perdomo (born circa 1955), Minister of Development of ColombiaFernando de Araújo (born 1962), East Timorese politicianHernando Molina Araújo (born 1961), Colombian politicianJoão Augusto de Araújo Castro, Brazilian diplomat and ministerJoão Batista Oliveira de Araujo, Brazilian politicianManuel Enrique Araujo (1865-1913), President of El SalvadorMaría Consuelo Araújo (born 1971), Colombian politicianMariano de Araújo Matsinhe (born 1953), Mozambican politicianNelson Araujo (born 1987), American politicianTheolinda Olympio de Araújo, Brazilian politicianJosé Sarney de Araújo Costa, Brazilian PresidentNapoleon Araújo Doffigny (born 1929), South American pole-vaulting champion, Bolivian national fencing, track and football championGeorge Araujo (1931 - 1997), American boxerEronilde de Araújo (born 1970), Brazilian athleteMarcelo Araujo, Argentine sports journalistMárcio Araújo (born 1973), beach volleyball playerMário de Araújo Cabral (born 1934), former racing driverRafael Paulo de Lara Araújo (born 1980), Brazilian professional basketball playerArmindo Araujo (born 1977), Portuguese rally driverAlcides Araújo Alves (born 1985), Brazilian footballerCarlos Luciano Araujo (born 1981), Argentinian defenderClemerson de Araújo Soares (born 1977), Brazilian footballerDenílson de Oliveira Araújo (born 1977), football wingerGustavo Lazzaretti de Araújo (born 1984), Brazilian central defenderIlan Araujo Dall'Igna (born 1980), Brazilian football forwardJosé Carlos da Costa Araújo (born 1962), Brazilian football goalkeeperJoubert Araújo Martins (born 1975), Brazilian association football playerLeonardo Araújo (born 1969), football midfielderMárcio Rodrigues Araújo (born 1984), Brazilian defensive midfielderMarcos Gomes de Araujo (born 1976), Brazilian strikerNéstor Araujo (born 1991), Mexican footballerOélilton Araújo dos Santos (born 1981), Brazilian-born Croatian footballerPatricio Araujo (born 1988), Mexican footballerPaulo Araujo Jr. (born 1989), Brazilian strikerRaffael Caetano de Araújo (born 1985), footballerReginaldo Araújo (born 1977), Brazilian defenderRicardo Martins de Araújo (born 1986), Brazilian footballerRonny Heberson Furtado de Araújo (born 1986), Brazilian football defenderSaulo Araújo Fontes (born 1989), Brazilian goalkeeperSérgio Araújo (born 1963), Brazilian wingerTelmario de Araújo Sacramento (born 1983), Brazilian strikerThiago Luiz Moreira de Araújo (born 1988), Brazilian full backVinícius Vasconcelos Araújo (born 1993), Brazilian strikerAraújo family, Portuguese Americans in the film Mystic Pizza
