2000
#15,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Dsouza
A surname of Portuguese origin, derived from the phrase "de Souza," meaning "of Souza," referring to a town in Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,200 Americans carry the last name Dsouza. That puts it at #7,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dsouza surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dsouza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,914
Census rank
#7,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,535 bearers of the surname Dsouza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dsouza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dsouza
The surname DSOUZA has its origins in the Goan region of India, where it traces its roots back to the 16th century. It is a Portuguese-influenced spelling of the name "de Souza," which itself derives from the Portuguese word "sousa," meaning a place of willows or a willow grove. The name's earliest recorded instances can be found in baptismal records from the Catholic Church in Goa, following the Portuguese colonization of the region.
As a surname, DSOUZA is believed to have first emerged among the Portuguese-influenced Catholic community of Goa, many of whom adopted Portuguese surnames during the colonial period. The name likely originated as a reference to a person's place of origin or residence, indicating they hailed from an area known for its willow groves.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the surname DSOUZA was Goncalo de Sousa, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the establishment of Portuguese rule in India during the early 16th century. Born in 1480, he was appointed the first viceroy of Portuguese India in 1505 and oversaw the expansion of Portuguese territories in the region.
Another notable figure associated with the name was Luiz de Sousa, a 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit missionary and writer, born in 1555. He is renowned for his contributions to Portuguese literature, including his widely acclaimed work, "The Life of the Venerable Father Mestre João de Almeida."
In the 18th century, Bernardo de Sousa Rego, born in 1690, was a prominent Portuguese military commander who served as the Governor of Mozambique and later as the Captain-General of the Portuguese Azores Islands. His legacy includes several military campaigns and contributions to the administration of Portuguese colonial territories.
Moving into the 19th century, Manuel de Sousa Coutinho, born in 1805, was a Brazilian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Brazil during the reign of Emperor Pedro II. He played a crucial role in shaping Brazil's foreign policy and diplomatic relations during a pivotal period in the country's history.
Finally, Alfredo de Sousa Mendes, born in 1879, was a Portuguese diplomat who gained recognition for his humanitarian efforts during World War II. As the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, France, he defied orders from his government and issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees, allowing them to escape Nazi persecution. His actions were later recognized by Israel, which honored him as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dsouza
Among Census respondents with the surname Dsouza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dsouza bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dsouza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.7% · 3,615
- White8.8% · 399
- Two or more races8.1% · 369
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 97
- Black or African American0.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dsouza
Dsouza appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,417
+1,632 bearers (+91.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 5,643 places
2020
#7,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,535
+1,118 bearers (+32.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 2,402 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,154 | 1,785 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,511 | 3,417 | 1.16 | +1,632 bearers (+91.4%) | Up 5,643 places |
| 2020 | #7,109 | 4,535 | 1.52 | +1,118 bearers (+32.7%) | Up 2,402 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dsouza surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,511 | #7,109 | 25.3% |
| Count | 3,417 | 4,535 | 32.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.52 | 30.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dsouza bearers went from 3,417 to 4,535 (+32.7% change). The surname moved up 2,402 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,511 to #7,109.
FAQ
Dsouza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dsouza?
Name Census estimates that about 5,200 living Americans carry the surname Dsouza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,914 residents.
How common is Dsouza?
Dsouza ranks #7,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,535 people with the surname Dsouza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dsouza.
Has Dsouza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dsouza went from 3,417 recorded bearers to 4,535. That is an increase of 1,118 (+32.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,511 to #7,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Dsouza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dsouza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dsouza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (3,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dsouza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.7%), White (8.8%), Two or More Races (8.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dsouza (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dsouza mean?
A surname of Portuguese origin, derived from the phrase "de Souza," meaning "of Souza," referring to a town in Portugal. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dsouza (1.52 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Dsouza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.