Araújo or Araujo or Arauxo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐɾɐˈuʒu], Spanish: [aɾaˈuxo], Galician pronunciation: [aɾaˈuʃʊ]) is a Galician and Portuguese surname. The surname Araújo is of toponymic origin derived from a place in the Province of Ourense which is part of the Autonomous Community of Galicia in North Western Spain next to the Portuguese border where a Crusader Knight of French Noble descent, Don Rodrigo Anes, was rewarded with reconquered Iberian lands during the Reconquista. Don Rodrigo Anes de Araújo lived in the 14th century during the reign of King Ferdinand I of Portugal (1367-1383). Don Rodrigo Anes de Araújo built a Castle and named it Araújo which can be found in all the ancient Galician maps. Later Pedro Anes de Araújo decided to move from Galicia to live in Portugal and because of this 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. A poisonous plant with white fragrant flowers, Araujia sericifera, was named after the botanist António de Araújo e Azevedo, 1st Count of Barca (1754–1817), who was a descendant of Rodrigo Anes de Araújo.
