22,297 Global CABRAL Family Members

CABRAL Family History

Recorded in the spellings of Cabrera, Cabral, Cabrallo, and Cabrales, this Spanish and Portuguese surname is both residential and job descriptive. It describes a person who lived at a goat farm, which in most cases would also mean a goat farmer. In most parts of the word prior to the late 19th century, goat farming was one of the most important of all occupations. The milk from goats being free from the virus in cows milk which was a major cause of the scourge diseases such as smallpox. Originally derived from the Roman (Latin) word 'capraria', like all such occupational surnames, this one was not at first hereditary, and did not become so in many regions until the 16th century or even later...