It is said that "a French vessel passing by the bay in the early 1700s was forced to cut through the waves of drowned mice and so gave the name to the area.

[3] "The term came from the Basque zurikoa (pronounced “surikoa”) meaning “that of the whites.”[3] The -koa ending would be a Basque suffix denoting geographic origin and giving the word the meaning “people from Souris.”[3] The Mi'kmaq (Mi'kmaw, Micmac or L'nu, “the people” in Mi'kmaq) were the first inhabitants in the area and had an encampment at the head of the Souris River.

The Maritime Plain runs around the coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from the south shore of Chaleur Bay and includes Prince Edward Island and Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

The town is home to banks, pharmacies, cafés, restaurants, gas stations, a grocery store, and other independent businesses.

[5] The ethnic origins from most to least listed are: Canadian, Scottish, Irish, English, French, German, North European, Indigenous, Guatemalan, Mexican, and Czech.

[5] Roughly 30-34% of the population has a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree, and roughly 34% of the total labour force population aged 15 years and over was reported to work in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations, more specifically in the industry categories of agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.

Souris has venues for soccer, baseball, basketball, rugby, hockey, football, ringette and other similar sports.

Little Harbour, Basin Head, and other nearby beaches generally have good conditions in southwest and southeast winds.