Decosta History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal

Etymology of Decosta

What does the name Decosta mean?

The name Decosta 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," as in "closer to the shore." 1 Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Latin word "costa," meaning "rib".

Early Origins of the Decosta family

The surname Decosta 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 Decosta 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.

Early History of the Decosta family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Decosta research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1406, 1464, 1478, 1486, 1500, 1501, 1508, 1541, 1585, 1604, 1640, 1665, 1672, 1679, 1740 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Decosta History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Decosta 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 Decosta family

Manuel da Costa (1541-1604), a Portuguese Jesuit and bibliographer from Lisbon. After teaching humanities and theology at several schools, he was chosen rector of Braga, then missionary to the Azores. Catherine Rachel da Costa (1679-1756), née Mendes, 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 of...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Decosta Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Decosta Ranking

the United States, the name Decosta is the 5,962^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Decosta migration to the United States +

Decosta Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Decosta, who landed in Maryland in 1664 3

Decosta Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joze Joaquim DeCosta, who arrived in New York, NY in 1796 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Decosta (post 1700) +

Benjamin Franklin DeCosta (1831-1904), American clergyman and historical writer
Eric DeCosta (b. 1971), American baseball executive, Assistant General Manager for the Baltimore Ravens (2012-)
Charles de Costa (1827-1879), Belgian storyteller

Sources +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"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)