Sosa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

Etymology of Sosa

What does the name Sosa mean?

This place-name is derived from the Latin word 'salsa,' which means 'salty,' and indicates that the location so named was once known for a salt deposit.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Latin word Saxa, later Sausa, meaning 'rocks'.

Early Origins of the Sosa family

The surname Sosa was first found in northern Portugal, where many take their name from the Sousa River, a tributary of the Douro.

Don Egal Gomes de Sousa (1035-?) was an 11th century Lord and the first known bearer of the name. He was Lord of Sousa, Novelas and Felgueiras, and took his name from his estates in the first Lordship. Don Egal was the grandson of King Fernando of Castille and married dona Falmula Gomes, great, great grand-daughter of King Ramiro I. He was governor of the entire region of Entre Douro e MinhoIt and is thought that the line of the Sosa family descends from their noble roots.

Early History of the Sosa family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sosa research. The years 1386, 1500, 1503, 1512, 1555, 1557, 1564, 1579, 1583, 1590, 1594, 1624, 1631, 1632, 1649, 1663, 1666, 1714 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Sosa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sosa Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: De Sousa, De Souza, De Sosa, De Soza, Sousa, Souza, Sosa and many more.

Early Notables of the Sosa family

Prominent members of the family include Tomé de Souza (1503-1579), the first governor of Brazil and founded Salvador, Bahia; and João de Sousa, 3rd Marquis of Minas (1666-1722), the 6th Count of Prado, Portuguese nobleman and member of the Royal Council of War on October 26, 1714. Cristóvão Falcão (c. 1512 - c. 1557), sometimes Cristóvão Falcão de Sousa or Cristóvão de Sousa Falcão, was a Portuguese poet, that came of a noble family settled at Portalegre in the Alentejo, which had originated with John Falconet, one of the Englishmen who went to Portugal in 1386 in the suite of Philippa of...
Another 149 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sosa Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sosa Ranking

In the United States, the name Sosa is the 965^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 1 However, in South America, the name Sosa is ranked the 22^nd most popular surname with an estimated 129 people with that name. 2

Sosa migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sosa Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Silvestre de Sosa, who sailed to America in 1512
Juan de Sosa, who sailed to America in 1528
Isabel de Sosa, who sailed to New Spain in 1536
Antonio de Sosa, who sailed to Guatemala in 1538
Gracia de Sosa, who sailed to Peru in 1579

Sosa Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Silvestre De Sosa, who landed in America in 1812 3
Gaspar de Sosa, who sailed to Puerto Rico in 1816
Gaspar De Sosa, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 3
Juan De Sosa, who landed in America in 1828 3
Cristobal De Sosa, who arrived in Spanish Main in 1834 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sosa (post 1700) +

José Ernesto Sosa (b. 1985), Argentine football attacking midfielder
Esteban Sosa, American Democratic Party politician, Elected Texas State Board of Education 3rd District 1992 4
Douglas Sosa, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1996 4
David Sosa, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1996; Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 118th District, 1997 4
Dan Sosa Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New Mexico 2nd District, 1992 4
Osvaldo "Chiche" Sosa (1945-2020), Argentine football manager and player
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa (b. 1968), former Dominican Major League Baseball right fielder
Porfiro Lobo Sosa (b. 1947), elected President of Honduras in 2010
Mercedes Sosa (1935-2009), Argentine singer
Elias Sosa Martinez (b. 1950), Dominican relief pitcher in Major League Baseball
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html