How to research possible sephardic converso ancestry?

Hi all,

Without giving doxing details, I’ve come to suspect that my family’s last name may be a Sephardic converso name. It appears in historical records around the 11th century in Portugal during the Reconquista, along with other atypical features. This makes me wonder whether my family may have originally been Jewish but lost that connection over the intervening centuries.

I understand this would be on the “wrong” side of the family, since the surname is passed down paternally, whereas Jewish identity is traditionally considered matrilineal. As far as I know, my mother’s side of the family is not Jewish. Still, I’m curious whether there are resources that could help determine if my father’s side has converso origins.

I think it would be amazing if that turned out to be the case. I’ve been considering conversion, as I’ve felt a pull toward Jewish culture for as long as I can remember -- what some call the Pintele Yid. But being able to restore a “lost family” to the tribe would be something beyond that: a kind of reclaiming of Jewish identity, restoration of stolen heritage.

I’d love to hear similar stories from others in this sub.