2000
#6,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,573
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Alva
A topographic surname derived from the Old Norse "alfr," meaning "elf," referring to someone who lived near a supernatural place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,677 Americans carry the last name Alva. That puts it at #5,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,334 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alva surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,334
Census rank
#5,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,823 bearers of the surname Alva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alva
Among Census respondents with the surname Alva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alva bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.4% · 5,030
- White8.7% · 504
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 170
- Two or more races0.8% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 39
- Black or African American0.6% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alva
Alva appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,026
+1,453 bearers (+31.8%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 1,046 places
2020
#5,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,823
-203 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,796 | 4,573 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,750 | 6,026 | 2.04 | +1,453 bearers (+31.8%) | Up 1,046 places |
| 2020 | #5,730 | 5,823 | 1.95 | -203 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 20 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alva surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,750 | #5,730 | 0.3% |
| Count | 6,026 | 5,823 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.95 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alva bearers went from 6,026 to 5,823 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,750 to #5,730.
FAQ
Alva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alva?
Name Census estimates that about 6,677 living Americans carry the surname Alva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,334 residents.
How common is Alva?
Alva ranks #5,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,823 people with the surname Alva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,677), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Alva.
Has Alva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alva went from 6,026 recorded bearers to 5,823. That is a decrease of 203 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,750 to #5,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Alva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (5,030 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.4%), White (8.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alva (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alva mean?
A topographic surname derived from the Old Norse "alfr," meaning "elf," referring to someone who lived near a supernatural place. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alva (1.95 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Alva?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.