Acosta History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

Distinguished surnames, such as Acosta, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Acosta, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. Many Spanish local names reflect Arabic words or place-names because the Muslim Moors from the 8th to 12th centuries conquered Spain. The Acosta family originally lived on a slope, riverbank or along the coast. The surname Acosta is originally derived from the Old French word Coste, which referred to a slope or bank by the river.

Early Origins of the Acosta family

The surname Acosta was first found in Castile, preeminent among the Christian kingdoms of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Acosta family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acosta research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1139, 1352, 1810, 1826, 1827, 1867 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Acosta History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acosta Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Acosta, Costa, Costas, Dacosta and others.

Early Notables of the Acosta family

Prominent among members of the family

were Alvaro de Acosta, sixteenth century nobleman from Valladolid
José de Acosta, sixteenth century Spanish author and naturalist
Félix Acosta y Riaza, eighteenth century Cuban patriot
Joaquín de Acosta, nineteenth century Colombian historian, politician and military officer
Cecilio Acosta, nineteenth century Venezuelan lawyer and literary figure
Mariano Acosta, nineteenth century Argentinian statesman
Santos Acosta, nineteenth century Colombian politician, and President of Colombia 1867-1868

Acosta Ranking

In the United States, the name Acosta is the 519^th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 1 However, in South America, the name Acosta is ranked the 42^nd most popular surname with an estimated 93 people with that name. 2

Acosta migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Acosta Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Enrique de Acosta, who immigrated to America in 1527
Gonzalo de Acosta, a conquistador who voyaged with Diego García de Moguer and Sebastian Cabot to the Río de la Plata in 1527
Juan de Acosta, went to Florida in 1538
Magdalena de Acosta, went to Peru in 1592
Gerónimo de Acosta and his wife Juana de León, to Peru in 1593

Acosta Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan de Acosta, who assisted Pizarro in the conquest of Peru
Rosa Acosta, settled in New Orleans in 1821
Rosa Acosta, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1821 3
F. Acosta, aged 26, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1826 3
Federico Acosta, went to New Orleans in 1826
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Acosta Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Adela Acosta, aged 35, who settled in America from Maiquetia, Venezuela, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Acosta (post 1700) +

Rene Alexander "Alex" Acosta (b. 1969), American attorney, academic, and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Labor (2017-)
Rolando T. Acosta, American politician, Justice of New York Supreme Court 1st District;Elected 2002 4
Robert Acosta, American Republican politician, Candidate for Virgin Islands legislature from St. Croix, 2002 4
Raymond L. Acosta (b. 1925), American politician, U.S. District Judge for Puerto Rico, 1982-94 4
R. Alexander Acosta, American Republican politician, Member, National Labor Relations Board, 2002-03 4
Patricia Acosta, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2000, 2004 4
Lynette Acosta, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Florida, 2012 4
Luis O. Acosta, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Superior, Arizona, 1964-67 (acting, 1964-65) 4
Guillermo Acosta, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 17th District, 2006 4
Carmen Acosta, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2004 4
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html