Find out how popular the last name Alva is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alva.

Alva, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alva surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alva in America

Alva is the 5750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alva surname appeared 6,026 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Alva.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alva to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alva

The surname Alva originated in Spain and traces its roots back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Spanish word 'alva', meaning 'dawn' or 'daybreak', suggesting a possible connection to an early settler or family who lived in an area known for its beautiful sunrises.

In the 13th century, the name appears in several records from the Kingdom of Navarre, located in the northern region of modern-day Spain. One notable mention is found in the Cartulario de la Catedral de Pamplona, a collection of manuscripts from the Cathedral of Pamplona, where an individual named Pedro de Alva is listed as a landowner.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Alva dates back to 1275, when a certain Diego de Alva was mentioned in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of Castile.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name gained prominence with several notable individuals bearing it. Álvaro de Alva, a Spanish conquistador and explorer, played a significant role in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s. Another figure, Hernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl, was a Mexican historian and nobleman of Spanish and Aztec descent, born in 1568.

In the 17th century, the surname Alva was associated with the Dukes of Alva, a prominent noble family in Spain. Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alva (1507-1582), was a renowned military leader and Spanish general who served under King Philip II and played a crucial role in the Dutch Revolt.

Throughout history, the surname Alva has also been linked to various place names and localities. For instance, the town of Alva in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, is believed to have derived its name from the surname, suggesting the presence of individuals bearing this name in the area during its early settlement.

Other notable individuals with the surname Alva include: Juan de Alva (1480-1540), a Spanish Renaissance painter; Bartolomé de Alva Ixtlilxochitl (1579-1650), a Mexican historian and writer; Pedro de Alva y Astorga (1621-1667), a Spanish composer and organist; and Nuno Álvares Pereira (1360-1431), a Portuguese military leader and national hero known as the "Holy Constable."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alva

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alva.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alva was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alva has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alva was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alva, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!