D'Souza
A Goan and Mangalorean surname ultimately meaning “of Sousa,” pointing to a family connection with the place-name Sousa in Portugal.
The #9,511 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,356 Americans shares it.
Etymology
D'Souza is a Portuguese-style surname built from the preposition de, meaning “of” or “from,” plus Sousa, a place-name and family name in Portugal. In practice it indicates someone from Sousa or connected with a Sousa family line; the deeper place-name is usually traced to a river or locality name of ancient origin, often linked to the Latin word salsus, “salty,” or to an older pre-Roman root. The spelling with an apostrophe is common in South Asian usage, especially among Christians in Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala.
History
The name spread widely through Portuguese colonial contact, especially in Goa and other parts of western India, where many Christian families adopted or retained Portuguese surnames. In modern usage, D'Souza is strongly associated with Goan Catholic, Mangalorean Catholic, and other Indian Christian communities, though it remains recognizably Portuguese in form. English-language records often simplify or vary the punctuation, producing forms such as Dsouza, de Souza, or Souza.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The apostrophe in D'Souza is a modern convention in many English contexts; in older Portuguese-style spelling, the surname is often written simply as de Souza or Souza.