Desoto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The original bearer of the name Desoto, 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. The Desoto family originally lived in one of the numerous towns or villages named Soto. The place-name Soto is derived from the Spanish word "soto," which refers to a "thicket" or "grove." This word is itself derived from the Latin word "saltus," which refers to a pasture land containing a forest or wood.

Early Origins of the Desoto family

The surname Desoto was first found in Castile, in north central Spain.

Early History of the Desoto family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Desoto research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1227 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Desoto History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desoto Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Soto, de Soto, Desoto, Sota, de Sota, de la Sota, Desota, Sotela, Sotelo, de Sotelo, Sotera, Sotero, Sotillo and many more.

Early Notables of the Desoto family

Prominent among members of the family Domingo de Soto, 16th century Spanish theologian and professor at the University of Salamanca; 17th century Spanish actress Catalina Sotomayor; 19th century Honduran politician Marco Aurelio Soto; 19th century Spanish military officer Raimundo María Soto; 19th...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Desoto Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desoto Ranking

In the United States, the name Desoto is the 13,540^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Desoto migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Desoto Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alonso DeSoto, who arrived in Cartagena in 1835 2
Maria DeSoto, who arrived in New Spain in 1835 2
Agostin DeSoto, who landed in New Spain in 1836 2
Rodrigo DeSoto, who arrived in Florida in 1838 2
Sebastian DeSoto, who landed in Mexico in 1838 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Desoto (post 1700) +

Ernest Leo DeSoto (b. 1931), American Air force pilot who disappeared over Vietnam in 1969
Lewis deSoto (b. 1954), American artist
Rosana de Soto (b. 1950), American film actress, best known for her roles in Stand and Deliver, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, and in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Hernando DeSoto Money (1839-1912), American politician, United States Senator from Mississippi (1897-1911)

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)