2000
#2,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.26
Uncommon Last name
Sousa
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Sousa in Portugal or referring to the Sousa rivers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,713 Americans carry the last name Sousa. That puts it at #2,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sousa 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 Sousa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,350
Census rank
#2,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,447 bearers of the surname Sousa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sousa, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sousa
Among Census respondents with the surname Sousa, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sousa 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 Sousa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 13,273
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 1,224
- Two or more races2.4% · 373
- Black or African American2.4% · 372
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 178
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sousa
Sousa 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
#2,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,377
+1,194 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Down 31 places
2020
#2,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,447
+70 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 5.17
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,339 | 14,183 | 5.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,370 | 15,377 | 5.21 | +1,194 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 31 places |
| 2020 | #2,300 | 15,447 | 5.17 | +70 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 70 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 Sousa 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 | #2,370 | #2,300 | 3.0% |
| Count | 15,377 | 15,447 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.21 | 5.17 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sousa bearers went from 15,377 to 15,447 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,370 to #2,300.
FAQ
Sousa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sousa?
Name Census estimates that about 17,713 living Americans carry the surname Sousa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,350 residents.
How common is Sousa?
Sousa ranks #2,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,447 people with the surname Sousa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Sousa.
Has Sousa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sousa went from 15,377 recorded bearers to 15,447. That is an increase of 70 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,370 to #2,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Sousa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sousa, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sousa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (13,273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sousa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sousa (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 Sousa mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Sousa in Portugal or referring to the Sousa rivers. 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 Sousa (5.17 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 last name Sousa?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Sousa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.