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Amadore would seem to be a Spanish form of the Italian medieval name Amatore, also found as Amador and Amator. It is based on the Latin word for "lover", though the original connotation would have been "lover of God", not the modern use of the word "lover" to designate a sexual partner. There were several saints of this name, including one who founded a shrine in Provence which was a popular site for pilgrimages in medieval times, and a Spanish St. Amador who was martyred at Cordoba in the 9th century.

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The above information is from Hanks & Hodges's A Dictionary of Surnames, under their discussion of the Italian surname Amatore.

This message was edited 1/3/2006, 3:48 PM