De Soto is a village in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,590 at the 2010 census, down from 1,653 at the 2000 census. It is named for Hernando de Soto, the discoverer of the Mississippi River.

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois with a population of 52,974 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Murphysboro, and its most populous city is Carbondale, home to the main campus of Southern Illinois University. The county was incorporated on January 10, 1816, and named for Andrew Jackson. The community of Brownsville served as the fledgling county's first seat.