His father's last name was de Sousa, whose nickname was Saramago, the name of a wild plant. This nickname was mistakenly entered on José's birth certificate.
[About his name change to Saramago in a 2007 interview] My father wasn't very happy, but if that was his son's official name, well, then he had to take it.
Scorpio
José de Sousa Saramago
Azinhaga, Golega, Portugal
(age 87)
Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain