Issa
A surname with several possible origins, including a personal-name source and, in some places, a borrowing from a Latin-based word-form.
The #8,110 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,525 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Issa is not securely explained from the excerpts provided, and it may have more than one independent origin. In some traditions it is a family name formed from a personal name, while in others it may reflect a word ultimately linked to Latin issa, which appears in later Celtic discussion as part of word-formation analysis. In broader onomastic use, Issa can also arise as a rendering of Semitic personal names, especially forms related to Jesus/Isa in Arabic and Hebrew contexts.
History
Because the historical excerpts do not give a direct dictionary entry for Issa, there is no single settled English surname history to report here. The name is found in modern usage across different communities, and its background may vary by family line and region. In English records, similar-looking spellings can also be confused with longer names or incidental OCR noise in archival material.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In many modern contexts, Issa is more often encountered as a given name or transliterated personal name than as a classic hereditary English surname.
From the historical record
“Ill : Kirby'a QueM, p. 110. Tkafnai Cornwafleia, co. Ncsl, isSa : FF. li. 376. isa6. William Saada and EHx. Corn- walSii : Marriaee Lie, (London), L 355.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances