Show ContentsDesousa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Desousa comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The Spanish surname Desousa is the Castillian form of the Galician and Portuguese surname Souza or Sousa.

Early Origins of the Desousa family

The surname Desousa was first found in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.

Early History of the Desousa family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Desousa research. Another 331 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1037, 1139 and 1391 are included under the topic Early Desousa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desousa Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sosa, de Sosa, Soso, Soza, Sousa, de Sousa, Souza and many more.

Early Notables of the Desousa family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Desousa Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desousa Ranking

In the United States, the name Desousa is the 11,244th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Desousa is ranked the 613rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,715 people with that name. 2


United States Desousa migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Desousa Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Ester De Sousa, aged 3, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Lamartine" in 1851 3
  • Mary Ann De Sousa, aged 12, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Lamartine" in 1851 3
  • Wm De Sousa, aged 14, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Lamartine" in 1851 3
  • Emily De Sousa, aged 28, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Lamartine" in 1851 3
  • Manuel De Sousa, aged 30, Italian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Ariel" in 1864 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Desousa (post 1700) +

  • Frank DeSousa (b. 1943), American professional baseball player
  • Teresa Nunes Alves de Sousa (b. 1979), Spanish, Lisbon based visual artist
  • Ovídio de Sousa Martins (b. 1928), Portuguese famous Cape Verdean poet and journalist
  • Amílcar Augusto Queirós de Sousa (1876-1940), Portuguese medical doctor, and author of many health books, being the most famous O Naturismo (Naturism), published in 1912
  • João de Sousa Carvalho (1745-1798), foremost Portuguese composer of his generation
  • Marjorie de Sousa (b. 1980), born Marjorie Lissette, a Venezuelan actress and model of Portuguese descent
  • Mauricio Araújo de Sousa (b. 1935), Brazilian cartoonist who has created over 200 characters for his popular series of children's comic books
  • Ronald Bon de Sousa Pernes (b. 1940), Swiss-born, Canadian philosopher and academic, Emeritus Professor at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Toronto
  • Marcelo Damy de Sousa Santos (1914-2009), Brazilian physicist
  • Maria de Sousa GCSE GOSE (1939-2020), Portuguese immunologist, poet and writer; she died from COVID-19
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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