De sousa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

This place-name is derived from the Latin word 'salsa,' which means 'salty,' and indicates that the location so named was once known for a salt deposit.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Latin word Saxa, later Sausa, meaning 'rocks'.

Early Origins of the De sousa family

The surname De sousa was first found in northern Portugal, where many take their name from the Sousa River, a tributary of the Douro.

Don Egal Gomes de Sousa (1035-?) was an 11th century Lord and the first known bearer of the name. He was Lord of Sousa, Novelas and Felgueiras, and took his name from his estates in the first Lordship. Don Egal was the grandson of King Fernando of Castille and married dona Falmula Gomes, great, great grand-daughter of King Ramiro I. He was governor of the entire region of Entre Douro e MinhoIt and is thought that the line of the De sousa family descends from their noble roots.

Early History of the De sousa family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De sousa research. The years 1386, 1500, 1503, 1512, 1555, 1557, 1564, 1579, 1583, 1590, 1594, 1624, 1631, 1632, 1649, 1663, 1666, 1714 and 1722 are included under the topic Early De sousa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De sousa Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the De sousa family

Prominent members of the family include

Tomé de Souza (1503-1579), the first governor of Brazil and founded Salvador, Bahia; and João de Sousa, 3rd Marquis of Minas (1666-1722), the 6th Count of Prado, Portuguese nobleman and member of the...
Cristóvão Falcão (c. 1512 - c. 1557), sometimes Cristóvão Falcão de Sousa or Cristóvão de Sousa Falcão, was a Portuguese poet, that came of a noble family settled at Portalegre in the Alentejo, which...
Frei Luís de Sousa (born Manoel or Manuel de Sousa Coutinho; 1555-1632) was a Portuguese monk and prose-writer, born at Santarém, a member of the noble family of Sousa Coutinho
Nzinga Ana de Sousa Mbande (c. 1583-1663) was a southwest African ruler who ruled as queen of the Ambundu Kingdoms of Ndongo (1624-1663) and Matamba (1631-1663), located in present-day northern Angola
Martim Afonso de Sousa (c. 1500-1564) was a Portuguese fidalgo, explorer and colonial administrator. He was born in Vila Viçosa, and had been raised in the Duke of Braganza household and was a persona...
Pedro Lopes de Sousa, was the 1st Governor of Portuguese Ceylon in 1594

De sousa Ranking

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

De sousa migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

De sousa 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 De sousa (post 1700) +

Frank DeSousa (b. 1943), American professional baseball player
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
Maria de Sousa GCSE GOSE (1939-2020), Portuguese immunologist, poet and writer; she died from COVID-19
Chris DeSousa (b. 1937), Portuguese international sailor
Mannie DeSousa (b. 1953), Portuguese professional footballer
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
Teresa Nunes Alves de Sousa (b. 1979), Spanish, Lisbon based visual artist
Mauricio Araújo de Sousa (b. 1935), Brazilian cartoonist who has created over 200 characters for his popular series of children's comic books
... (Another 3 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/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result