The Portuguese name of Vila Real is given to towns founded by monarchs and directly dependent on them. The town, in fact, was founded by D. José I in 1774 [Vid. DOELP (s. v. Vila Real1)]. As a curiosity, the name occasionally appears in acronyms: VRSA; this has a certain logic from a functional point of view, for while Vila Real is not sufficiently distinctive, the full name, which is, can be excessively long.

Cited bibliography:

DOELP = Machado, José Pedro. Dicionário onomástico etimológico da língua portuguesa. Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, 2003, 3ª ed.