Show ContentsDacosta History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Distinguished surnames, such as Dacosta, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Dacosta, 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 Dacosta family originally lived on a slope, riverbank or along the coast. The surname Dacosta is originally derived from the Old French word Coste, which referred to a slope or bank by the river.

Early Origins of the Dacosta family

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

Early History of the Dacosta family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dacosta 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 Dacosta History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dacosta Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Dacosta 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; Pedro Costa, eighteenth century Spanish sculptor; Joaquín de Acosta, nineteenth century Colombian historian...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dacosta Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dacosta World Ranking

In the United States, the name Dacosta is the 5,006th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Dacosta is ranked the 348th most popular surname with an estimated 11,638 people with that name. 2


United States Dacosta migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dacosta Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peorine M DaCosta, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 3
  • Bartolome Dacosta, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1858 3

New Zealand Dacosta migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dacosta Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Frederick Gomaz Da Costa, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "England" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd September 1865 4

West Indies Dacosta migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Dacosta Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Del Mz DaCosta, who landed in Jamaica in 1740 3
  • Isaac Nunez DaCosta, who landed in Jamaica in 1741 3
  • Jacob Nunez DaCosta, who landed in Jamaica in 1741 3
  • Moses Nunez DaCosta, who landed in Jamaica in 1743 3
  • Abraham Nunez DaCosta, who landed in Jamaica in 1743 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dacosta (post 1700) +

  • Morton DaCosta (1914-1989), American Tony award, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated theatre and film director, film producer, writer, and actor
  • Amanda DaCosta (b. 1989), American professional soccer midfielder
  • Yaya DaCosta (b. 1982), American actress and fashion model
  • Alain da Costa Soarès (1935-2023), Gabonese professional football manager
  • Luísa Dacosta (b. 1927), Portuguese writer
  • Noel G. DaCosta (1929-2002), Nigerian-Jamaican composer, jazz violinist, and choral conductor
  • António Dacosta (1914-1990), Portuguese painter and poet


  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. 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)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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