Sousa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

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

Early Origins of the Sousa family

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

Early History of the Sousa family

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

Sousa 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 Sousa family

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

Sousa Ranking

In the United States, the name Sousa is the 2,156^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Sousa is ranked the 3,445^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Sousa migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sousa Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Mathias Sousa, (Tousa), who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 3
Abraham Sousa, who arrived in America in 1679 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Sousa (post 1700) +

Melissa De Sousa (b. 1967), American actress
Lisa Sousa (b. 1962), American academic historian
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), American composer and conductor best known for his military and patriotic marches
G. Gary Sousa, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1952 4
Francisco David Sousa (b. 1980), Spanish footballer
João Crisostomo de Abreu e Sousa (1811-1895), army general who became the Prime Minister of Portugal 1890–1892
Tomé de Sousa (1503-1579), first governor-general of Brazil from 1549 to 1553
Tomas Bernardo Rodrigues Sousa (b. 1987), Portuguese rally driver
Osmel Ricardo Sousa (b. 1946), Venezuelan-Cuban impresario
Martim Afonso de Sousa (1500-1571), Portuguese fidalgo and explorer
... (Another 10 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/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html