Show ContentsSouza History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Souza 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 Souza is the Castillian form of the Galician and Portuguese surname Souza or Sousa.

Early Origins of the Souza family

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

Early History of the Souza family

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

Souza 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 Souza family

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

Souza Ranking

In the United States, the name Souza is the 1,695th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1


United States Souza migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Souza Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Eligio Souza, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1881 2
Souza Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Agostinho Jose Tavaies Souza, aged 25, who settled in America from Neiros, Portugal, in 1912
  • Amalia Souza, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Loule, Portugal, in 1916
  • Adelaide Souza, aged 22, who landed in America from Lisbon, Portugal, in 1916
  • Alexandre Souza, aged 22, who settled in America from Villa Verde, Portugal, in 1916
  • Alfredo Souza, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Va. P. Aguiar, Portugal, in 1916
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Souza (post 1700) +

  • Joe Souza (b. 1970), American singer and actor
  • Justin Richard Souza (b. 1985), American professional baseball player
  • Steven E. de Souza (b. 1947), American producer, director and screenwriter
  • Pete Souza (b. 1954), American photojournalist and the current chief White House photographer for President Barack Obama
  • Michael Souza (b. 1978), American professional ice hockey forward
  • Edward Souza (1921-1979), American soccer player
  • James Souza, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Hawaii, 1964 3
  • Florentin Souza, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Champerico, 1884 3
  • Elsie Souza, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1996, 2004 3
  • Cliff Souza, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 3
  • ... (Another 20 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. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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