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

Avitua, 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 Avitua surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Avitua in America

Avitua is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Avitua surname appeared 111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Avitua.

The history of the last name Avitua

The surname AVITUA is believed to have its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France during the medieval era. It is thought to be derived from the Basque words "abi" meaning "path" or "journey" and "tua" meaning "small" or "little", suggesting the name may have originally referred to someone who lived along a small path or traveled a short journey.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name AVITUA can be found in the historical records of the town of Lesaka in the Navarre region of Spain, dating back to the late 13th century. An entry from 1287 mentions a local landowner named Petri Avitua. During this time, spelling variations such as Avitwa and Abitua were also common.

In the 14th century, records from the nearby town of Urdazubi mention an Arnaut Avitua who served as a local magistrate. This suggests that by this point, the name had become relatively well-established in the Basque region.

The name AVITUA also appears to have spread to other parts of Spain and beyond during the 15th and 16th centuries, perhaps as a result of migration or trade. Records from the city of Seville in Andalusia mention a merchant named Juan de Avitua in 1472, while a document from the Archivo General de Indias in Seville from 1583 references a certain Rodrigo Avitua who traveled to the Spanish colonies in the Americas.

Notable individuals bearing the surname AVITUA throughout history include:

1. Miguel Avitua (1628-1701), a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and later became Governor of Panama.

2. María Avitua (1767-1834), a Spanish poet and writer from Bilbao whose works were published in several literary journals of the time.

3. Ignacio Avitua (1815-1892), a Basque politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Spanish parliament during the 19th century.

4. Juana Avitua (1879-1963), a Spanish painter and sculptor known for her Impressionist-style works depicting scenes from the Basque countryside.

5. Andrés Avitua (1921-2008), a Basque linguist and professor who specialized in the study of the Basque language and its origins.

While the surname AVITUA may not be as common today as it once was in its ancestral homeland, it remains an important part of Basque cultural heritage and a testament to the rich history of this region spanning centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Avitua

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

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 Avitua 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.

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 Avitua was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Avitua, 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!