View Message

New Post
Search
Help
Archives
De SOUZA Surname
by Ann Hopper (guest)
8/21/2004, 8:45 AM
The De SOUZA surname is associated with the SAQUI surname in Bevis Marks synagogue records of my Sephardic ancestors (ca 1700). Is De SOUZA a toponym? I once heard it meant "happy". Does anyone know if it is a root name or variation of the surname SAQUI? I understand that SAQUI could be a derivation of SAX, or ISAAC, also meaning "one who gives joy"; and there is reference to SAQUI, meaning "fortunate" in Mapuche, an obscure, native South American language. Does anyone know if there is any convincing support linking the surnames SOUZA and SAQUI? Many thanks for help analyzing/supporting/attacking this hypothesis!
Reply
vote up1vote down

Replies

- isabel ornelas (guest)
9/19/2004, 5:02 AM
i have a very good fiend who is "de Souza". her name is actually portuguese-indian, back from the days when portugal colonized India. in its original form, it is somewhat rare nowadays in portugal, but the adapted "de Sousa" is a very common name nowadays.
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Sean Foglai (guest)   +5
8/21/2004, 8:38 PM
Souza to me, has always been a Portuguese name ...I checked a site, but couldn't find an exact translation ...though they pointed out that many names from Iberia are related to fruits and vegetables ...or the growers thereof ...so I'd postulate that maybe it is relate to Sosa which means "soda" ...though an interesting site at: http://www3.sympatico.ca/geoles/ makes mention of significant Jewish ancestory in Portugal ...
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Ann Hopper (guest)   +1
8/25/2004, 11:54 AM
Thank you for this information.....and for the information provided by Anon. Is there any information about the meaning of the surname SAQUI ?
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Anon. (guest)
8/27/2004, 12:11 PM
http://www.robincmiller.com/articles/hanna1.htm thinks Da Souza and Sassoon both mean 'from Susa', which is a city in Persia. Does he mean to say that ALL people called Da Souza have Jewish ancestors? That surprises me.
http://www.sephardim.com/html/translated_names.html thinks the same about the Sephardic surname Souza, but they still leave room for a 'Portuguese' Da Souza with its own origin.
I'm confused now :D
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Anon. (guest)   +2
8/22/2004, 8:46 AM
Da Souza means '(the one) from a salty place'. It derives from the name of an estate in Portugal.
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Sean Foglai (guest)   +1
8/22/2004, 9:03 PM
Excellent ...I saw it as a possibility, but wasn't sure ...what's your source?

Thanks!
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Anon. (guest)
8/23/2004, 1:52 AM