De Sousa
A Portuguese surname meaning “from Sousa,” originally pointing to someone from a place called Sousa.
The #8,437 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,862 Americans shares it.
Etymology
De Sousa is a Portuguese surname built from the preposition de, meaning “of” or “from,” plus Sousa, a place name in Portugal. In its original sense it identified someone who came from or belonged to the Sousa area or estate. The place name itself is usually traced to a pre-Roman or Latinized hydronym, often linked with a river or stream name.
History
The name is strongly associated with Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world, and it traveled widely through emigration to Brazil, Africa, North America, and other diaspora communities. In some records the spacing and capitalization vary, appearing as De Sousa, de Sousa, or fused as Desousa. Because it is a toponymic surname, it often arose independently in families connected to the same place-name tradition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Sousa is also the source of the famous Portuguese noble family name associated with several medieval lineages, which helped keep the surname prominent for centuries.