Costa (surname)

Costa (, ,, sometimes Costas, da Costa, Da Costa, or Dalla Costa, is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, 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''.

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