Coelho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ku'eʎu], Hebrew: קוּאֵלְיוֹ, romanized Ladino: Kuelyo) is a Portuguese-Jewish surname that means "rabbit".
The Coelho's are a historically known Sephardic Jewish family with connection to the inquisitions of Spain (Galicia) and Portugal.
[1] The surname may be indicative of Jewish priestly origin, likely adopted by Portuguese Jews due to its phonetic similarity to the surname Cohen.
[2][3] This would have been crucial in preserving the historical origin of the family, particularly during periods of assimilation and exile.
[4] Pre-inquisition evidence suggests the family originated from the central and northern regions of Portugal: Coimbra.