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

Aya, 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 Aya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aya in America

Aya is the 85659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aya surname appeared 218 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 Aya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aya to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Aya

The surname Aya originates from Spain and has its roots in the Basque language. The name is believed to have derived from the Basque word "aia," which means "grandfather" or "ancestor." It is a patronymic name, meaning it was initially used to identify someone as the child or descendant of a person named Aia.

The earliest recorded instances of the Aya surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the Basque regions of northern Spain and southwestern France. During this period, the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread among the nobility and eventually spread to other social classes.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Aya surname was Sancho Aya, a nobleman from the Kingdom of Navarre in the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Sancho VI and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region.

The Aya name also appears in several historical documents and records from the medieval period. For instance, the Becerro Antiguo de Vizcaya, a 14th-century manuscript that contains a census of the noble families in the Lordship of Biscay, mentions several individuals with the Aya surname.

In the 15th century, the Aya family established roots in the town of Ayamonte, located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia. The town's name is believed to be derived from the surname, suggesting the Aya family had a significant presence in the area during that time.

Notable individuals with the Aya surname throughout history include:

1. Juan de Aya (c. 1480-1557), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro.
2. Martín de Aya y Rada (1565-1638), a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.
3. Ignacio Aya y Zumelzu (1744-1806), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who served as the director of the Spanish Naval Academy.
4. Francisco Aya (1806-1878), a Spanish painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and portraits.
5. María Aya Zumelzu (1832-1912), a Spanish writer and poet who contributed to the literary movement known as the Basque Renaissance.

While the Aya surname has its roots in the Basque region, it has since spread to other parts of Spain and beyond, carried by migration and the Spanish colonial expansion. The name continues to be prevalent in Spanish-speaking countries, serving as a testament to its rich historical and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aya

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

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 Aya 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Aya has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aya, please contact us.

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