2000
#6,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Uncommon Last name
Alvarenga
Derived from a place name in Spain, likely referring to a person from the town of Alvarenga.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,409 Americans carry the last name Alvarenga. That puts it at #3,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alvarenga 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
10K
1 in 32,929
Census rank
#3,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,077 bearers of the surname Alvarenga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvarenga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alvarenga
The surname Alvarenga is of Portuguese origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the given name Álvaro, a name of Germanic roots meaning "elf warrior" or "protector of the elves." The suffix "-enga" denotes a place of origin or residence.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Alvarenga appear in historical documents from the region of Beira, Portugal. It is believed that the name may have originated from a small village or hamlet named Alvarenga, although the exact location is uncertain due to the passage of time and changes in place names.
During the Age of Discovery, many Portuguese explorers and settlers carried the name Alvarenga to various parts of the world, including Brazil and other Portuguese colonies. One notable example is João Álvares Fagundes, a Portuguese explorer born in the late 15th century, who is credited with being the first European to set foot in present-day Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In the 16th century, the name Alvarenga can be found in records from the Portuguese Inquisition, suggesting that some individuals bearing this surname were persecuted for their religious beliefs or practices during this turbulent period in history.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Alvarenga have achieved notable accomplishments or gained prominence in various fields:
1. Manuel Alvarenga (1719-1797), a Portuguese botanist and naturalist who contributed to the study of the flora of Brazil.
2. Pedro de Alvarenga (1590-1654), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who worked in Brazil and is recognized for his efforts in converting indigenous peoples to Christianity.
3. Inácio José de Alvarenga Peixoto (1742-1793), a Brazilian poet and satirist known for his critical works that challenged the colonial establishment.
4. Lázaro Álvares Pereira (1417-1480), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415.
5. Fernão Álvares do Oriente (1435-1500), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who was instrumental in establishing Portuguese trade routes to the East Indies.
While the surname Alvarenga is most commonly associated with Portugal and Brazil, it can also be found in other parts of the world where Portuguese emigrants settled, such as the United States, Canada, and various African and Asian countries with historical Portuguese ties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alvarenga
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvarenga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alvarenga 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 Alvarenga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 8,465
- White5.0% · 457
- Black or African American0.9% · 80
- Two or more races0.3% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alvarenga
Alvarenga 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
#4,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,973
+3,497 bearers (+78.1%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Up 2,466 places
2020
#3,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,077
+1,104 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Up 636 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,915 | 4,476 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,449 | 7,973 | 2.70 | +3,497 bearers (+78.1%) | Up 2,466 places |
| 2020 | #3,813 | 9,077 | 3.04 | +1,104 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 636 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 Alvarenga 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 | #4,449 | #3,813 | 14.3% |
| Count | 7,973 | 9,077 | 13.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 3.04 | 12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alvarenga bearers went from 7,973 to 9,077 (+13.8% change). The surname moved up 636 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,449 to #3,813.
FAQ
Alvarenga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alvarenga?
Name Census estimates that about 10,409 living Americans carry the surname Alvarenga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,929 residents.
How common is Alvarenga?
Alvarenga ranks #3,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,077 people with the surname Alvarenga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Alvarenga.
Has Alvarenga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alvarenga went from 7,973 recorded bearers to 9,077. That is an increase of 1,104 (+13.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,449 to #3,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Alvarenga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvarenga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Alvarenga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (8,465 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alvarenga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (5.0%), Black (0.9%). 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 Alvarenga (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 Alvarenga mean?
Derived from a place name in Spain, likely referring to a person from the town of Alvarenga. 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 Alvarenga (3.04 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 last name Alvarenga?
Find out how many people have the surname Alvarenga on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.