Formosa (surname)
Formosa is a surname that comes from Southern Europe found predominantly in Malta, Spain, Portugal, Spanish colonies and other Mediterranean countries.
The name derives from the Latin name Formosus and the Spanish word fermoso, meaning "beautiful".
Formosa, as the island of Taiwan was formerly known in the West, has the same linguistic origin: from the Portuguese Ilha Formosa, "beautiful island".
Notable people with the surname include:
- Gil Formosa, French cartoonist and illustrator
- Joann Formosa, Australian Para-equestrian
- John Formosa, Maltese theologian, canonist, minor philosopher, and poet
- Luis Manresa Formosa, Guatemalan prelate of Roman Catholic Society of Jesus
- Ric Formosa, Australian composer and musician