2000
#54,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Bava
An Italian surname derived from the word "bava" meaning "drool" or "slobber."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 456 Americans carry the last name Bava. That puts it at #55,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 751,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bava 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 Bava with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
456
1 in 751,654
Census rank
#55,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
398
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 398 bearers of the surname Bava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bava, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.3%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bava
The surname BAVA has its origins in Italy, where it first appeared as early as the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "bava," which means "drool" or "saliva," suggesting that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who drooled excessively.
BAVA is thought to have originated in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Milan and Pavia. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval documents and records from these regions.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname BAVA was Pietro Bava, a nobleman who lived in Pavia in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he held significant land holdings and played a prominent role in local politics.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Bava, a Renaissance painter and architect who was born in Milan in 1495 and died in 1576. He was renowned for his frescoes and architectural designs, many of which can still be seen in churches and buildings throughout northern Italy.
In the 17th century, the name BAVA gained prominence with the rise of the Bava family, a noble and influential lineage based in Genoa. Francesco Maria Bava (1618-1689) was a prominent military leader and served as the Governor of Savona, while his son, Giovanni Battista Bava (1650-1723), was a respected diplomat and statesman.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the surname BAVA made significant contributions to the arts and sciences. Bartolomeo Bava (1772-1844) was a renowned painter and sculptor from Genoa, while Camillo Bava (1810-1885) was a pioneering geologist and paleontologist who made important discoveries in the field of fossil research.
The name BAVA has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as Bava di Gavi, a village in the province of Alessandria, and Bava Grillini, a locality in the province of Piacenza. These place names may have influenced the spread and variations of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bava
Among Census respondents with the surname Bava, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.3%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bava 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 Bava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 287
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.3% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 29
- Two or more races2.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bava
Bava 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
#59,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 338
-15 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 5,099 places
2020
#55,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
+60 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 4,110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,643 | 353 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,742 | 338 | 0.11 | -15 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 5,099 places |
| 2020 | #55,632 | 398 | 0.13 | +60 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 4,110 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 Bava 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 | #59,742 | #55,632 | 6.9% |
| Count | 338 | 398 | 17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.13 | 21.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bava bearers went from 338 to 398 (+17.8% change). The surname moved up 4,110 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,742 to #55,632.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bava
FAQ
Bava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bava?
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the surname Bava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 751,654 residents.
How common is Bava?
Bava ranks #55,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 398 people with the surname Bava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bava.
Has Bava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bava went from 338 recorded bearers to 398. That is an increase of 60 (+17.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #59,742 to #55,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Bava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bava, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.3%) and Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Bava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.3%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Bava (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 Bava mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "bava" meaning "drool" or "slobber." 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 Bava (0.13 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 surname Bava?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.