Toponymy

For the toponymic origin of the parish, there are several hypotheses, but all of them are not very credible.

A priest, in the 19th century, defined his origin as “Labrica” ​​because, in remote times, the local people lived here.

Another priest attributes his origin to “labore” – from the Latin work, work – for considering his parishioners to be work people.

As well as another hypothesis, which could be more viable, it would be the junction of “arrugio” (stream, small river) with Lavra (neighboring parish of the municipality of Matosinhos) which would result in Labruge, were the term “arrugio” not a very long term used in the south of Portugal and not in the north.

Furthermore, how could the labrugeiro, labrujó variants and the existence of other settlements in other distant counties with the same name be justified, and which do not have neighbors Lavra as neighbors?

Another research points out that the name of the parish of Labruge was borrowed from the River Onda, which is born in the parish of Guilhabreu, in “Poça do Inferno”, and where it is known as Rio de Moures, although it takes on several different names along its route, according to the locality it crosses. This small water line runs from Malta, Vilar and Modivas to Labruge.

The origin of the name of this parish is unknown, despite the various allusions to hypothetical origins that get some weight when said by someone, in principle, with a socio-cultural level above the customers who hear it. Some of the possible origins were advanced without any historical rigor or force. From “Labrica” ​​to “labore” everything serves to try to justify what is completely unknown. The origin of the name of the parish may come from the laurel tree, a tree typical of our forest alongside many others, unfortunately, increasingly difficult to be seen. We know that in its genesis it was called “Labrugia “, Latinized toponym which, in Old Portuguese, meant laurel. Now, knowing that it is normal and frequent for a town to be associated with something that existed or happened in it, we can believe that this river was known as”labrugia river“, these lands being known for lands of labrugia, changing phonetically and graphically over time until reaching Labruge.

[This research was done by João Rodrigues, (immigrant living in Labruge in the 70s)].