Few people know, but in Brazil there are cities with curious names like Feliz Natal, Não-me-Toque, and Varre-Sai, which may seem like random names, but originated from real events, local habits, and natural characteristics.

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 06/04/2026 at 18:17

Updated on 02/05/2026 at 18:48

1 person reacted to this.

Discover how the names of curious Brazilian cities emerged and understand the real stories behind these denominations.

Brazil is known for its cultural diversity — and this is also reflected in the names of its Brazilian cities. In different regions, municipalities draw attention for unusual names that seem to have emerged randomly, but in fact, have well-defined origins.

These names were born from concrete situations, such as landscape characteristics, everyday habits, or significant events.

Today, with the support of official records, such as those from IBGE, it is possible to understand how these stories were constructed and preserved.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Happy Christmas: a remarkable episode gave rise to the name

Among Brazilian cities, Feliz Natal is an example of a name that emerged from a specific moment.

According to official reports, workers faced difficulties during a crossing during Christmas in 1978. After the episode, the place began to be called by this name.

Over time, the name was adopted by the community and formalized.

Discover how the names of curious Brazilian cities emerged and understand the real stories behind these denominations. Source: Globo.

Brazilian cities and names linked to everyday life

Not all names originate from significant events. In some cases, everyday life was decisive. This is the case of Varre-Sai, where travelers needed to clean the space after using it for rest.

The expression “sweep and leave” ended up becoming a reference for the place. Later, it became the name of the city.

Volta Redonda: geography shaped the name

Another example among Brazilian cities is Volta Redonda. The name may seem curious at first glance.

However, it emerged from the observation of a curve of the Paraíba do Sul River made by explorers in the 18th century. Thus, the denomination is directly linked to the local landscape.

Don’t Touch Me: multiple origins for a curious name

Among the most well-known names of Brazilian cities, Não-Me-Toque stands out.

According to official records, there are two main explanations. One relates the name to a thorny plant common in the region.

The other points to an old farm registered with that name in the 19th century.

Why do Brazilian cities have such different names?

The names of Brazilian cities reflect how the first inhabitants identified the places. It was common to use direct references.

This included natural elements, daily practices, and important events. Over time, these denominations were formalized. Thus, what seems curious today was once functional.

To better understand the names of Brazilian cities, there are reliable sources. The Geographic Names Bank of Brazil is one of them.

The platform allows for detailed information about different municipalities. Additionally, local documents help to complement the data. This way, it is possible to avoid incorrect interpretations.

Brazilian cities with curious names arouse interest

The names of Brazilian cities serve as an invitation to curiosity. They draw attention for being different.

By investigating their origins, stories related to the formation of the country emerge. This makes the topic even more interesting. Moreover, these names help preserve local memory.

More than curiosity, the names of Brazilian cities represent cultural identity. They show historical and regional influences.

Each name carries its own narrative, built over time. Therefore, its preservation is important. Thus, knowing these origins is also to better understand Brazil.

With information from GAZETA DE SP

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Few people know, but in Brazil there are cities with curious names like Feliz Natal, Não-me-Toque, and Varre-Sai, which may seem like random names, but originated from real events, local habits, and natural characteristics.

Discover how the names of curious Brazilian cities emerged and understand the real stories behind these denominations.

Happy Christmas: a remarkable episode gave rise to the name

Brazilian cities and names linked to everyday life

Volta Redonda: geography shaped the name

Don’t Touch Me: multiple origins for a curious name

Why do Brazilian cities have such different names?

Brazilian cities with curious names arouse interest

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Using high-resolution satellite images, archaeologists rediscovered the Egyptian city of Imet, buried for centuries in the Nile Delta, revealing rare multi-story houses, granaries, and a sacred road linked to the cobra goddess Wadjet, from about 2,400 years ago.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Brazil delivers a giant dam worth R$ 365.7 million in Rio Grande do Sul, capable of forming an artificial lake with 138 million m³ of water, equivalent to 55,300 Olympic swimming pools and an area larger than 2,500 football fields.

African country mobilizes students, public servants, and religious communities in a giant task force, plants 350 million trees in just 12 hours, surpasses world record, and now aims for 50 billion seedlings by 2026 to restore forests that have shrunk from 35% to just 4% of the territory.

Now it’s a reality: researchers at Unicamp develop AI capable of identifying anxiety with 80% accuracy directly on a smartwatch, paving the way for continuous mental health monitoring with low energy consumption.

Fish farming becomes the new giant of Brazilian agribusiness and transforms tilapia into the “water ox,” in a chain that already moves R$ 11 billion per year and exceeds 1 million tons produced.

Few people know, but in Brazil there are cities with curious names like Feliz Natal, Não-me-Toque, and Varre-Sai, which may seem like random names, but originated from real events, local habits, and natural characteristics.

Discover how the names of curious Brazilian cities emerged and understand the real stories behind these denominations.

Happy Christmas: a remarkable episode gave rise to the name

Brazilian cities and names linked to everyday life

Volta Redonda: geography shaped the name

Don’t Touch Me: multiple origins for a curious name

Why do Brazilian cities have such different names?

Brazilian cities with curious names arouse interest

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Using high-resolution satellite images, archaeologists rediscovered the Egyptian city of Imet, buried for centuries in the Nile Delta, revealing rare multi-story houses, granaries, and a sacred road linked to the cobra goddess Wadjet, from about 2,400 years ago.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

African country mobilizes students, public servants, and religious communities in a giant task force, plants 350 million trees in just 12 hours, surpasses world record, and now aims for 50 billion seedlings by 2026 to restore forests that have shrunk from 35% to just 4% of the territory.

With 3.3 million liters of water, 23 thousand square meters, and more than 300 species, AquaFoz ranks among the largest aquariums in South America.

Greece’s old power grid came under suspicion after 15 major fires, 51,000 acres burned, and low-hanging cables crossing dry areas like clotheslines on windy days.

Indigenous teenagers paddled nearly 500 km by kayak along the Klamath River after 4 dams were removed, salmon returned to ascend the waters, and the United States celebrated the largest removal of this kind in its history.

Sewage returns into homes in a poor city in the USA, residents lose furniture and live in fear of rain while a $30 million repair attempts to contain old network failures.

Brazil delivers a giant dam worth R$ 365.7 million in Rio Grande do Sul, capable of forming an artificial lake with 138 million m³ of water, equivalent to 55,300 Olympic swimming pools and an area larger than 2,500 football fields.

African country mobilizes students, public servants, and religious communities in a giant task force, plants 350 million trees in just 12 hours, surpasses world record, and now aims for 50 billion seedlings by 2026 to restore forests that have shrunk from 35% to just 4% of the territory.

Now it’s a reality: researchers at Unicamp develop AI capable of identifying anxiety with 80% accuracy directly on a smartwatch, paving the way for continuous mental health monitoring with low energy consumption.

Fish farming becomes the new giant of Brazilian agribusiness and transforms tilapia into the “water ox,” in a chain that already moves R$ 11 billion per year and exceeds 1 million tons produced.