Costa (surname)

Costa, sometimes 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.

In 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.



Geographical distribution
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:
 * 1) Maranhão (1:46)
 * 2) Amapá (1:60)
 * 3) Pará (1:74)
 * 4) Roraima (1:77)
 * 5) Acre (1:93)
 * 6) Rio Grande do Norte (1:97)
 * 7) Amazonas (1:98)
 * 8) Ceará (1:112)
 * 9) Bahia (1:112)
 * 10) Tocantins (1:113)
 * 11) Sergipe (1:117)
 * 12) Piauí (1:119)
 * 13) Paraíba (1:120)
 * 14) Alagoas (1:131)
 * 15) Federal District (1:131)
 * 16) Minas Gerais (1:140)

In Italy, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:801) in the following regions:
 * 1) Liguria (1:214)
 * 2) Sicily (1:374)
 * 3) Piedmont (1:458)
 * 4) Veneto (1:489)
 * 5) Emilia-Romagna (1:676)
 * 6) Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (1:763)
 * 7) Lombardy (1:784)

In Spain, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:1,531) in the following autonomous communities:
 * 1) Balearic Islands (1:399)
 * 2) Catalonia (1:667)
 * 3) Galicia (1:672)
 * 4) Region of Murcia (1:845)
 * 5) Valencian Community (1:1,001)

People

 * Afonso Costa, (1871–1937), Portuguese Prime Minister 1913-17
 * Albert Costa, Catalan tennis player
 * Alberto Costa, multiple people
 * Aldo Costa, Italian Engineering Director of the Mercedes Formula One team
 * Alfredo Costa, (1874–1913), Italian operatic baritone
 * Alfredo Bruto da Costa, (1938–2016), Portuguese politician of Goan descent
 * Alfredo Luís da Costa (1883–1908), Portuguese publicist, editor, journalist and assassin
 * Alfredo 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 1978
 * Andrea Costa, Italian socialist activist
 * António Costa, current Portuguese prime-minister
 * António Félix da Costa, Portuguese racing driver
 * Antonio da Costa Santos, Brazilian architect and politician
 * Antony Costa, British singer
 * Asitha Costa, Sri Lankan cricketer
 * Beatriz da Costa, interdisciplinary artist
 * Benjamin Mendes da Costa (1803–68), English-Australian philanthropist
 * Bob Costas, American sports journalist
 * Carles Costa, Catalan tennis player
 * Carlos Duarte Costa, Brazilian religious figure
 * Catherine da Costa (1679–1756), Anglo-Jewish miniaturist
 * Celso Costa, Brazilian mathematician, discovered Costa's minimal surface, an embedded minimal surface in 1982
 * Costa (footballer) (born 1973), Portuguese footballer, full name João Carlos Rodrigues da Costa
 * Dave Costa (1941–2013), American football player
 * Dave Costa (offensive lineman) (born 1978), American football player
 * Delfim Moreira da Costa Ribeiro, Brazilian politician
 * Desiderio Costa, Angolan politician
 * Diego Costa, Spanish-Brazilian footballer
 * Dino Costa, American radio personality
 * Don Costa, American pop music arranger and record producer
 * Douglas Costa, Brazilian footballer playing for Juventus, winger
 * Emanuel Mendes da Costa, English botanist, naturalist, philosopher, and collector
 * Erminio Costa, Italian-born neuroscientist
 * Fabio Costa, Brazilian goalkeeper
 * Fortunatus Victor Costa (18th/19th centuries), minor Maltese philosopher
 * Francesco Costa, Italian painter
 * Frank Costa, Australian businessman and Geelong Football Club President
 * Gal Costa, Brazilian singer
 * George Da Costa (1853–1929), a Nigerian photographer
 * Giacamo Costa (1919–2000), Italian-born Australian professional wrestler better known as Al Costello
 * Giovanni Costa, Italian painter
 * Hélder Costa, Portuguese winger for Leeds United
 * Isaac da Costa, Dutch Jewish writer
 * Jason Costa, mixed martial artist from mississauga Ontario
 * Jaume Costa, Valencian footballer
 * Jay Costa, American politician
 * Jean-Luc Costa, Swiss chess master
 * Jean-Paul Costa, French judge
 * Jim Costa, Portuguese-American politician
 * Joan Costa-i-Font, Catalan economist
 * Joan da Costa, court jester
 * Joaquim Costa Puig, Catalan basketball player
 * Joe Costa, Australian footballer
 * Johnny Costa, American jazz pianist
 * John P. Costas, American Engineer
 * John P. Costas, American Businessman
 * Jon Costas, American Politician
 * Jorge Costa, Portuguese football player
 * Joseph Costa, Luso-American aviation pioneer
 * Kitty da Costa, (1710–1747)
 * Larissa Costa, Brazilian model
 * Leonardo Costa (born 2008), German chess master
 * Ligia Maura Costa, Brazilian professor
 * Lorenzo Costa, Italian painter
 * Lúcio Costa, Brazilian architect and urban planner
 * Luís Antônio Corréa da Costa (born 1966), Brazilian footballer better known as Müller
 * Manuel da Costa, Portuguese footballer
 * Manuel da Costa, Portuguese jesuit missionary
 * Manuel Pinto da Costa, former president of São Tomé and Príncipe
 * Marcello Costa (1940–2024), Italian-born Australian medical doctor, researcher and public health advocate
 * Marcos Costa, Brazilian boxer
 * Margaret Costa, British food writer
 * Maria do Céu Sarmento Pina da Costa, East Timorese politician
 * Mariana Bridi da Costa, known as "Mari", Brazilian model
 * Mario Costa (diplomat), a Maltese diplomat and ambassador to Russia
 * Martinho da Costa Lopes, East Timorese religious and political leader
 * Mathieu de Costa, first recorded black person in Canada
 * Mary Costa, American singer and actress
 * Matt Costa, American folk singer and songwriter
 * Sir Michael Costa, English composer and conductor
 * Michael Costa, Australian politician
 * Moses Costa (1950–2020), Bangladeshi Roman Catholic prelate
 * Moses da Costa, also called "Anthony da Costa", English banker
 * Newton da Costa, Brazilian mathematician
 * Nikka Costa, American singer
 * Nuccio Costa, Italian television presenter
 * Orazio Costa, Italian theatre pedagogist and director
 * Oronzio Gabriele Costa, Italian zoologist
 * Paolo Costa, Italian Member of the European Parliament
 * Paulo Henrique Costa, UFC Fighter
 * Phil Costa, Australian politician
 * Philippe Da Costa
 * Rebecca Da Costa, model, actress
 * Renata Aparecida da Costa, aka Renata Costa, Brazilian footballer
 * Rex De Costa, Sri Lankan doctor and soldier
 * Robert Costa (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ronaldo da Costa, Brazilian long-distance runner
 * Rui Costa, Portuguese football player
 * Sagarika Da Costa, Indian-Italian singer and actress.
 * Sam Costa, British popular singer
 * Stéphane Da Costa, French-Polish professional ice hockey player
 * Tony Costa (1944-1974), American serial killer
 * Troy Costa, Indian fashion designer.
 * Uriel da Costa, Portuguese Jewish writer
 * Viviane Costa, Brazilian water polo player
 * Wimal Kumara de Costa, Sri Lankan actor
 * William P. Costas, an American businessman and politician.
 * Yamandu Costa, Brazilian guitarist and composer

Fictional characters

 * Manassseh da Costa, The King of Schnorrers

Dalla Costa

 * Marco Dalla Costa (born 1988), an Italian footballer
 * Elia Dalla Costa (1872-1961), an Italian cardinal
 * Lamberto Dalla Costa (1920-1982), an Italian bobsledder
 * Mariarosa Dalla Costa (born 1943), an Italian writer
 * Andrea Dalla Costa (born 1974), an Italian visual artist and film maker