2000
#4,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Avina
A Spanish surname derived from the Galician word for hazelnut, likely referring to someone who lived near hazel trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,514 Americans carry the last name Avina. That puts it at #4,145 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,026 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Avina 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
9.5K
1 in 36,026
Census rank
#4,145
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,297 bearers of the surname Avina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4145th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Avina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Avina
The surname AVINA is believed to have originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "avena," which means "oat." The name likely referred to someone who cultivated or traded in oats or lived in an area known for its oat production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the AVINA surname can be found in the Cartulario de la Catedral de Oviedo, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions an individual named Pedro Avina, who was a landowner in the region of Asturias.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in several records from the Kingdom of Aragon, suggesting that it had spread to other parts of Spain. One notable example is Sancho Avina, a nobleman and military commander who served under King Jaime I of Aragon during the conquest of Valencia in the early 1200s.
As the AVINA surname gained prominence, it also gave rise to various place names across Spain. One such location was the town of Avina, located in the province of Burgos. This settlement likely took its name from an early resident with the AVINA surname.
During the 16th century, the AVINA name appeared in several literary works, including the writings of the Spanish mystic and poet, San Juan de la Cruz. In his work "Cántico Espiritual," he mentions a character named Avina, though it is unclear whether this was a reference to an actual person or a symbolic representation.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the AVINA surname. One of the earliest was Gonzalo Avina, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Another was Juan Avina, a 17th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraiture.
In the 19th century, José Avina y Puente was a prominent Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Benito Juárez. Additionally, Antonio Avina was a renowned Mexican artist and muralist whose works can be found in various public buildings and churches throughout Mexico.
More recently, in the 20th century, Esteban Avina was a Chilean writer and poet known for his contributions to the literary movement of "criollismo," which celebrated the cultural heritage and traditions of rural Chile.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Avina
Among Census respondents with the surname Avina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Avina 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 Avina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 7,742
- White5.2% · 429
- Two or more races0.5% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
- Black or African American0.3% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Avina
Avina 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
#3,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,122
+2,491 bearers (+37.6%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Up 967 places
2020
#4,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,297
-825 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 2.78
Rank movement Down 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,858 | 6,631 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,891 | 9,122 | 3.09 | +2,491 bearers (+37.6%) | Up 967 places |
| 2020 | #4,145 | 8,297 | 2.78 | -825 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 254 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 Avina 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 | #3,891 | #4,145 | -6.5% |
| Count | 9,122 | 8,297 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.09 | 2.78 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Avina bearers went from 9,122 to 8,297 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,891 to #4,145.
FAQ
Avina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Avina?
Name Census estimates that about 9,514 living Americans carry the surname Avina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,026 residents.
How common is Avina?
Avina ranks #4,145 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.78 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 8,297 people with the surname Avina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,514), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.78 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 Avina.
Has Avina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Avina went from 9,122 recorded bearers to 8,297. That is a decrease of 825 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,891 to #4,145.
What does the Census say about the background of Avina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Avina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Avina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (7,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Avina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (5.2%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Avina (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 Avina mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Galician word for hazelnut, likely referring to someone who lived near hazel trees. 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 Avina (2.78 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 Avina?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Avina at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.