Costa (Italian: [ ˈkɔsta] Portuguese: [ ˈkɔʃtɐ, ˈkɔstɐ] Galician: [ ˈkɔstɐ] Spanish: [ ˈkosta] Catalan: [ ˈkɔstə, ˈkɔsta] Costas , da Costa , Da Costa , or Dalla Costa , is an Italian , Spanish , Portuguese , Galician , Catalan , French , and Greek mostly toponymic surname.
The surname spread throughout the world through colonization. It was also a surname chosen by former Jews due to Roman Catholic and other Christian (often forced) conversions.
Coat of arms of Costa family in PortugalIn Italy, Portugal, Galicia and Catalonia it is derived from the Latin word costa , "rib", which has come to mean slope, coast (close to the sea, or coastline locations) in Romance languages . In Spain, it originates from Catalonia or Galicia, with the Spanish (Castilian) equivalent being Cuesta .[1]
Mediaeval Galician inscription in a 14th-century house, in Noia : "ESTAS CASAS MANDOU FAZER VASCO DA COSTA , ERA DE MCCCLXXVII" These houses were ordered by Vasco da Costa, era 1377 (1339 AD)
As of 2014, 71.0% of all known bearers of the surname Costa were residents of Brazil (frequency 1:141), 7.6% of Portugal (1:67), 5.2% of Mozambique (1:255), 3.7% of Italy (1:801), 2.4% of the United States (1:7,460), 1.9% of Guinea-Bissau (1:44), 1.5% of Spain (1:1,531), 1.2% of East Timor (1:49) and 1.2% of Argentina (1:1,809).
In Brazil , the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:141) in the following states:
Maranhão (1:46)Amapá (1:60)Pará (1:74)Roraima (1:77)Acre (1:93)Rio Grande do Norte (1:97)Amazonas (1:98)Ceará (1:112)Bahia (1:112)Tocantins (1:113)Sergipe (1:117)Piauí (1:119)Paraíba (1:120)Alagoas (1:131)Federal District (1:131)Minas Gerais (1:140)In Italy , the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:801) in the following regions:
Liguria (1:214)Sicily (1:374)Piedmont (1:458)Veneto (1:489)Emilia-Romagna (1:676)Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (1:763)Lombardy (1:784)In Spain , the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:1,531) in the following autonomous communities:[2]
Balearic Islands (1:399)Catalonia (1:667)Galicia (1:672)Region of Murcia (1:845)Valencian Community (1:1,001)
Afonso Costa , (1871–1937), Portuguese Prime Minister 1913-17Albert Costa , Catalan tennis playerAlberto Costa , multiple peopleAldo Costa , Italian Engineering Director of the Mercedes Formula One teamAlfredo Costa , (1874–1913), Italian operatic baritoneAlfredo Bruto da Costa , (1938–2016), Portuguese politician of Goan descentAlfredo Luís da Costa (1883–1908), Portuguese publicist, editor, journalist and assassinAlfredo Nobre da Costa , (1923 - 1996), Português politician who also had Goan Konkani, Italian, French, and Danish ancestry, Prime Minister of Portugal from 28 August 1978 – 22 November 1978Andrea Costa , Italian socialist activistAntónio Costa , former Portuguese prime-ministerAntónio Félix da Costa , Portuguese racing driverAntonio da Costa Santos , Brazilian architect and politicianAntony Costa , British singerAsitha Costa , Sri Lankan cricketerBeatriz da Costa , interdisciplinary artistBenjamin Mendes da Costa (1803–68), English-Australian philanthropistBob Costas , American sports journalistCarles Costa , Catalan tennis playerCarlos Duarte Costa , Brazilian religious figureCatherine da Costa (1679–1756), Anglo-Jewish miniaturistCelso Costa , Brazilian mathematician, discovered Costa's minimal surface , an embedded minimal surface in 1982Costa (footballer) (born 1973), Portuguese footballer, full name João Carlos Rodrigues da CostaDave Costa (1941–2013), American football playerDave Costa (offensive lineman) (born 1978), American football playerDelfim Moreira da Costa Ribeiro , Brazilian politicianDesiderio Costa , Angolan politicianDiego Costa , Spanish-Brazilian footballerDino Costa , American radio personalityDon Costa , American pop music arranger and record producerDouglas Costa , Brazilian footballer playing for Juventus , wingerEmanuel Mendes da Costa , English botanist, naturalist, philosopher, and collectorErminio Costa , Italian-born neuroscientistFabio Costa , Brazilian goalkeeperFortunatus Victor Costa (18th/19th centuries), minor Maltese philosopherFrancesco Costa , Italian painterFrank Costa , Australian businessman and Geelong Football Club PresidentGal Costa , Brazilian singerGeorge Da Costa (1853–1929), a Nigerian photographerGiacamo Costa (1919–2000), Italian-born Australian professional wrestler better known as Al Costello
Giovanni Costa , Italian painterHélder Costa , Portuguese winger for Leeds United Isaac da Costa , Dutch Jewish writerJason Costa , mixed martial artist from mississauga OntarioJaume Costa , Valencian footballerJay Costa , American politicianJean-Luc Costa , Swiss chess masterJean-Paul Costa , French judgeJim Costa , Portuguese-American politicianJoan Costa-i-Font , Catalan economistJoan da Costa , court jesterJoaquim Costa Puig , Catalan basketball playerJoe Costa , Australian footballerJohnny Costa , American jazz pianistJohn P. Costas , American EngineerJohn P. Costas , American BusinessmanJon Costas , American PoliticianJorge Costa , Portuguese football playerJoseph Costa , Luso-American aviation pioneerKitty da Costa , (1710–1747)Larissa Costa , Brazilian modelLeonardo Costa (born 2008), German chess masterLigia Maura Costa , Brazilian professorLorenzo Costa , Italian painterLúcio Costa , Brazilian architect and urban planner Luís Antônio Corréa da Costa (born 1966), Brazilian footballer better known as Müller
Manuel da Costa , Portuguese footballerManuel da Costa , Portuguese jesuit missionaryManuel Pinto da Costa , former president of São Tomé and Príncipe Marcello Costa (1940–2024), Italian-born Australian medical doctor, researcher and public health advocateMarcos Costa , Brazilian boxerMargaret Costa , British food writerMaria do Céu Sarmento Pina da Costa , East Timorese politicianMariana Bridi da Costa , known as "Mari", Brazilian modelMario Costa (diplomat), a Maltese diplomat and ambassador to Russia
Martinho da Costa Lopes , East Timorese religious and political leaderMathieu de Costa , first recorded black person in CanadaMary Costa , American singer and actressMatt Costa , American folk singer and songwriterSir Michael Costa , English composer and conductorMichael Costa , Australian politicianMoses Costa (1950–2020), Bangladeshi Roman Catholic prelateMoses da Costa , also called "Anthony da Costa", English bankerNewton da Costa , Brazilian mathematicianNikka Costa , American singerNuccio Costa , Italian television presenterOrazio Costa , Italian theatre pedagogist and directorOronzio Gabriele Costa , Italian zoologistPaolo Costa , Italian Member of the European ParliamentPaulo Henrique Costa , UFC FighterPetra Costa , Brazilian actress and filmmakerPhil Costa , Australian politicianPhilippe Da Costa Rebecca Da Costa , model, actressRenata Aparecida da Costa , aka Renata Costa, Brazilian footballerRex De Costa , Sri Lankan doctor and soldierRobert Costa (disambiguation) , multiple peopleRonaldo da Costa , Brazilian long-distance runnerRui Costa , Portuguese football playerSagarika Da Costa , Indian-Italian singer and actress.Sam Costa , British popular singerStéphane Da Costa , French-Polish professional ice hockey playerTony Costa (1944-1974), American serial killerTroy Costa , Indian fashion designer.Uriel da Costa , Portuguese Jewish writerViviane Costa , Brazilian water polo playerWimal Kumara de Costa , Sri Lankan actorWilliam P. Costas , an American businessman and politician.Yamandu Costa , Brazilian guitarist and composer
Coromines, Joan (2008). Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana (1a. ed. en esta colección. ed.). Madrid: Gredos. p. 154. ISBN 978-84-473-5862-5 
