2000
#2,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.20
Uncommon Last name
Alves
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the personal name "Álvaro," likely meaning "guardian" or "defender."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,168 Americans carry the last name Alves. That puts it at #2,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alves 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alves with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,965
Census rank
#2,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,971 bearers of the surname Alves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alves, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alves
The surname Alves is of Portuguese origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the ancient given name "Alvo," which means "white" or "fair" in Portuguese. The name was likely used as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with light-colored hair or a fair complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alves can be found in the "Inquirições de D. Afonso III" (Inquiries of King Afonso III), a medieval document from the 13th century that compiled information about land ownership and populations in various regions of Portugal. In this document, the name appears as "Alvus" and "Alviz," which were early variations of the modern spelling.
The Alves surname is particularly prominent in the regions of Minho and Trás-os-Montes in northern Portugal, where it is believed to have originated. It is also found in other areas of Portugal, as well as in former Portuguese colonies such as Brazil and Angola.
One notable historical figure with the surname Alves was Gonçalo Alves, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1498. Another prominent individual was Tomé Alves, a 16th-century Portuguese merchant and writer who authored one of the earliest accounts of life in Brazil.
In the 17th century, the name Alves appeared in various manuscripts and records, including the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a compilation of Portuguese noble families. One such individual mentioned is João Alves, a nobleman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
In the 18th century, José Alves Macamboa was a notable figure from Angola who played a significant role in the resistance against Portuguese colonialism. Another prominent individual was Manuel Alves Vilhegas, a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served in Brazil and Angola in the late 18th century.
Moving into the 19th century, Joaquim Alves de Sousa was a Brazilian writer and journalist who contributed to the country's literary and cultural development. Additionally, José Alves Correia da Silva was a Portuguese politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alves
Among Census respondents with the surname Alves, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alves 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 Alves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 10,746
- Black or African American13.5% · 2,017
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 1,322
- Two or more races3.4% · 515
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 309
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alves
Alves 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
#2,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,882
+2,556 bearers (+22.6%)
Per 100,000 4.71
Rank movement Up 324 places
2020
#2,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,971
+1,089 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 5.01
Rank movement Up 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,919 | 11,326 | 4.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,595 | 13,882 | 4.71 | +2,556 bearers (+22.6%) | Up 324 places |
| 2020 | #2,380 | 14,971 | 5.01 | +1,089 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 215 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 Alves 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 | #2,595 | #2,380 | 8.3% |
| Count | 13,882 | 14,971 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.71 | 5.01 | 6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alves bearers went from 13,882 to 14,971 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,595 to #2,380.
FAQ
Alves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alves?
Name Census estimates that about 17,168 living Americans carry the surname Alves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,965 residents.
How common is Alves?
Alves ranks #2,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,971 people with the surname Alves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Alves.
Has Alves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alves went from 13,882 recorded bearers to 14,971. That is an increase of 1,089 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,595 to #2,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Alves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alves, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (8.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (10,746 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (13.5%), Hispanic (8.8%). 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 Alves (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 Alves mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the personal name "Álvaro," likely meaning "guardian" or "defender." 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 Alves (5.01 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 Alves?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Alves is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.