2000
#1,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.48
Uncommon Last name
Souza
A Portuguese surname derived from the Latin word "saxa," meaning "rocks" or "boulders."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,065 Americans carry the last name Souza. That puts it at #1,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Souza 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 Souza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,150
Census rank
#1,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,730 bearers of the surname Souza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Souza, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Souza
The surname "SOUZA" is believed to have originated in Portugal and Spain, and it is derived from the Latin word "salice," which means "willow." The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 12th century in the Iberian Peninsula.
In Portugal, the name was initially spelled as "Sousa," and it was associated with the town of Sousa, located in the northern region of the country. The town itself was named after the Sousa River, which flows through the area and was once lined with willow trees.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name "Sousa" was Gomes Mendes de Sousa, a Portuguese nobleman who lived in the 12th century and fought alongside King Afonso Henriques during the conquest of Lisbon from the Moors in 1147.
As Portuguese explorers and settlers ventured to different parts of the world, the surname "Sousa" spread to various regions, including Brazil and other parts of South America. Over time, the spelling evolved to "SOUZA," particularly in Brazil.
In Brazil, one of the most notable individuals with the surname "SOUZA" was Tomé de Souza, who was appointed as the first Governor-General of Brazil in 1549. He played a crucial role in the early colonization and administration of the Portuguese colony.
Another prominent figure was Luís de Sousa, a 16th-century Portuguese historian and author who wrote the historical work "Vida de D. Frei Bartolomeu dos Mártires," which chronicled the life of the Archbishop of Braga.
In the realm of literature, the Brazilian writer and playwright Raquel de Queiroz, born in 1910, gained significant recognition for her novels and plays, including "O Quinze" and "Memorial de Maria Moura."
Martinho da Vila, born in 1938, is a renowned Brazilian samba composer and singer who has left an indelible mark on the country's musical landscape with his contributions to the genre.
Additionally, Pedro Leopoldo Souza Cruz, born in 1864, was a Brazilian businessman and industrialist who founded the Souza Cruz tobacco company, which became one of the largest cigarette manufacturers in Brazil.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Souza
Among Census respondents with the surname Souza, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Souza 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 Souza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 17,436
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 2,155
- Two or more races6.4% · 1,444
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 917
- Black or African American3.1% · 698
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 80
Timeline
Historical Census data for Souza
Souza 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
#1,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,373
+2,205 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 7.58
Rank movement Up 26 places
2020
#1,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,730
+357 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 7.60
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,627 | 20,168 | 7.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,601 | 22,373 | 7.58 | +2,205 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 26 places |
| 2020 | #1,538 | 22,730 | 7.60 | +357 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 63 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 Souza 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 | #1,601 | #1,538 | 3.9% |
| Count | 22,373 | 22,730 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.58 | 7.60 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Souza bearers went from 22,373 to 22,730 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,601 to #1,538.
FAQ
Souza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Souza?
Name Census estimates that about 26,065 living Americans carry the surname Souza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,150 residents.
How common is Souza?
Souza ranks #1,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,730 people with the surname Souza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Souza.
Has Souza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Souza went from 22,373 recorded bearers to 22,730. That is an increase of 357 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,601 to #1,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Souza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Souza, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Souza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (17,436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Souza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Hispanic (9.5%), Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Souza (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 Souza mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the Latin word "saxa," meaning "rocks" or "boulders." 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 Souza (7.60 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 Americans have the surname Souza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.