This is one of the very unusual Spanish medieval descriptive nicknames which was used to differentiate between a grown person (usually male) and a child of the same name. The nearest modern equivalent would be the American junior (or senior) and the name derived from the Latin 'facere' through the pre medieval Spanish 'fer' - words meaning 'to create'. The name appears in the Netherlands as Feitama ,and in Germany as, Feitsma, the latter also being the holder of a Coat of Arms, whilst the meaning changes to 'The Warden' or 'Housekeeper'. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Phillipe Feitosa which was dated 1591 Madrid, Espagne. during the reign of King Philip II of Spain 1527-1598 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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