Find out how popular the last name Sousa is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sousa.

Sousa, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sousa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sousa in America

Sousa is the 2370th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sousa surname appeared 15,377 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Sousa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sousa to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sousa

The surname Sousa originated in Portugal, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Portuguese place name "Sousa," which refers to a municipality located in the northern region of Entre Douro e Minho. The place name itself is thought to have originated from the Latin word "sausa," meaning "willow grove" or "willow plantation."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sousa can be found in medieval Portuguese charters and documents, often associated with noble families from the region. One notable example is the 13th-century nobleman Gonçalo Garcia de Sousa, who served as a military commander during the Reconquista period and was granted lands in the region of Sousa for his service.

Over the centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, including Sosa, Souza, and Sooza, reflecting regional linguistic differences and scribal variations common in historical records. The surname also became linked to several prominent figures in Portuguese history, such as Martim Afonso de Sousa, a 16th-century explorer and colonial administrator who played a significant role in the Portuguese colonization of Brazil.

Beyond Portugal, the surname Sousa has spread to various parts of the world through emigration and colonization. One notable bearer of the name was John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), an American composer and conductor widely regarded as the "King of March" for his iconic military marches, including "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

Another prominent figure was Luis Muñoz Sousa (1898-1968), a Puerto Rican politician and diplomat who served as the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico. In the arts, João Sousa Carvalho (1745-1798) was a celebrated Portuguese painter and engraver during the Baroque period, known for his religious works and engravings.

The surname Sousa has also been associated with notable figures in sports, such as José Paulo Bezerra Maciel Sousa (born 1965), better known as Paulo Sousa, a former Portuguese footballer and current manager who has coached several international teams.

Sousa continues to be a prominent surname in Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-speaking regions, as well as in communities with significant Portuguese diaspora populations around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sousa

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sousa.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sousa was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sousa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sousa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sousa, please contact us.

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