Almeida is a common surname in Portuguese-speaking nations of Portugal and Brazil, which was at one time colonized by the Portuguese. It is a toponym derived from the town of Almeida in Beira Alta Province, Portugal, or for any of a number of similarly named places in Portugal. In other instances it is a toponym derived from Almeida in the Province of Zamora, Spain.
There are several versions for the origin of the name Almeida. It is likely a derivation of toponymic Arabic Al Maidda meaning the table, because the village is located on a vast plateau, on the plateau of the tables. Some claim that it comes from Almeidan, field or place of horse racing. Frei Bernardo de Brito, born in Almeida and chief chronicler of the kingdom, claims that Almeida derives from the configuration of the land on which the village is built and whose original name is Talmeyda.[1] The surname, is like numerous other Portuguese surnames (and also in other European nations), of toponymic origin: referring to the particulars of a geographical location where people came from.