Costas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

The name Costas and its many variations originate in the numerous places in Portugal named da Costa or Costa having derived from the Portuguese word 'costa,' which means coast or shore. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Latin word "costa," meaning "rib".

Early Origins of the Costas family

The surname Costas was first found in at Quinta da Costa, in the region of Guimaraes, and dates from the reign of King Afonso Henriques in the 12th century.

Don Joao Ribeiro Gaio, Bishop of Malaca, wrote a lyric poem extolling the bravery of the Costas family. An excerpt from the work states, "With ribs he defended himself, breaking the sword of his enemy, his beloved at his side, even though she also died."

In some cases, the family was Cristãos-novos, or New Christians who converted from Judaism to Catholicism by state edict at 1497. But there are multiple cases where individuals returned to Judaism including Uriel da Costa (c. 1585-1640) the Portuguese philosopher and Catherine Rachel da Costa (1679-1756) whose family fled to London during the Spanish Inquisition.

Costas Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Da Costa, Costa, Costas, De Costa, De la Costa, Dalla Costa and many more.

Early Notables of the Costas family

Prominent members of the family include Jorge da Costa (1406-1508), a Portuguese Cardinal, was Archbishop of Lisbon (1464-1500) and 108th Archbishop of Braga (1486-1501.) Catherine Rachel da Costa (1679-1756), née Mendes, was an English miniaturist. She grew up in London and studied painting under Bernard Lens III. Most of her surviving portraits are of family and friends, and there is also a picture of Mary Queen of Scots. Francesco Costa (1672-1740) was an Italian painter...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Costas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Costas Ranking

In the United States, the name Costas is the 18,758^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Costas migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Costas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francisca Costas, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1831 2
Jaime Costas, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1831 2
Francisco Antonio Costas, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1855 2
Setback Costas, went to Puerto Rico in 1873
Esteban Costas, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1873 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Costas (post 1700) +

Manuel Costas Sanromán (1942-2020), Spanish professional footballer who played as a defender
Abel Costas Montaño (1920-2015), Bolivian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Tarija (1974-1995)
José Costas Gual (1918-2011), Spanish astronomer
Abel Costas Montaño (b. 1920), Bolivian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
Leticia Costas Moreira, professional Spanish tennis player
Costas Kouklis, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1972

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)