Explore the Family Name De Sousa
The meaning of De Sousa
1. Portuguese: habitational name, with preposition de ‘from’, for someone from any of numerous places in Portugal named Sousa (see Sousa). This name was also taken to Goa and other Portuguese settlements in western India. Compare De Souza and D’Souza. 2. Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the name in 1 above at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later), some descendants retained the surname their families used as Catholics. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Carlos, Mario, Fernando, Luis, Jorge, Cesar, Francisco, Geraldo, Adelino, Armando. Portuguese Joao, Joaquim, Agostinho, Paulo, Vasco, Duarte, Ligia, Manoel, Valentim.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name De Sousa in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname De Sousa has increased between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname rose from 9287 in 2000 to 8437 in 2010, showing a significant increase of approximately 9.15 percent. In terms of sheer numbers, the count of individuals with the De Sousa surname also grew from 3227 to 3915, marking an impressive increase of 21.32 percent. The proportion of people with the De Sousa surname per 100k people also saw a positive shift from 1.2 to 1.33, an increase of almost 11 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,287 | #8,437 | 9.15% |
| Count | 3,227 | 3,915 | 21.32% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.2 | 1.33 | 10.83% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name De Sousa
When looking into the ethnic identity of individuals carrying the De Sousa surname, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there have been some shifts between 2000 and 2010. Notably, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native appear for the first time in the 2010 census, making up 2.89 percent and 0.26 percent respectively. Those identifying as White made up the majority, increasing slightly from 81.59 percent to 83.37 percent. There was a substantial increase in the Hispanic category, growing by 24.84 percent, and those identifying as Black also increased from 2.42 percent to 3.73 percent. Interestingly, there was a significant decrease in the number of individuals identifying as two or more races, dropping by nearly 76 percent during this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 81.59% | 83.37% | 2.18% |
| Hispanic | 6.32% | 7.89% | 24.84% |
| Black | 2.42% | 3.73% | 54.13% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 2.89% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 7.72% | 1.86% | -75.91% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.26% | 0% |
De Sousa ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname De Sousa is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 68.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (7.1%) and French & German (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Southern Indian & Sri Lankan, Southern Indian Subgroup, Angolan & Congolese, Italian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 68.8% |
| British & Irish | 7.1% |
| French & German | 3.8% |
| Other | 20.3% |
Possible origins of the surname De Sousa
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name De Sousa have recent ancestry locations in Portugal and Brazil.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Azores, Portugal | 73.30% |
| Madeira, Portugal | 73.30% |
| Aveiro District, Portugal | 72.00% |
| Lisbon, Portugal | 70.70% |
| Leiria District, Portugal | 66.70% |
What De Sousa haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname De Sousa is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with De Sousa surname are: M, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname De Sousa have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"De Sousa" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"De Sousa" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Kinesthetic Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through hands-on activities, practical experiences, and active engagement.
"De Sousa" Surname 46.7%
23andMe Users 61.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"De Sousa" Surname 12.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name De Sousa?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname De Sousa are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition