2010
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Caneva
An Italian surname derived from geographic locations or towns named Caneva.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Caneva. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caneva 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Caneva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caneva, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caneva
The surname Caneva originated in Italy, specifically in the Veneto region. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "canova," which means a cellar or a wine cellar. This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with occupations related to wine-making or storage.
The earliest recorded instances of the Caneva surname can be traced back to the 14th century. In 1348, a document from the city of Treviso mentions a family with the name "de Caneva," indicating their connection to a particular locality.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Caneva surname was Giovanni Caneva, a merchant from Venice who lived in the late 15th century. His name appears in several trade records from that time period.
In the 16th century, the Caneva family was prominent in the town of Bassano del Grappa, located in the province of Vicenza. A notable figure from this branch was Giacomo Caneva (1515-1592), a renowned architect who designed several churches and buildings in the Veneto region.
Another significant figure with the Caneva surname was Girolamo Caneva (1673-1748), an Italian painter and engraver from Venice. He was known for his religious and mythological works, and his paintings can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
During the 18th century, the Caneva family expanded beyond the Veneto region. One notable member was Antonio Caneva (1734-1822), a sculptor from the city of Possagno in the province of Treviso. He was renowned for his neoclassical works and collaborated with the famous architect Andrea Palladio.
In the 19th century, the Caneva surname gained recognition in the field of literature. Marco Caneva (1822-1891) was an Italian poet and writer from the city of Verona. He published several collections of poetry and was celebrated for his lyrical works.
Throughout its history, the Caneva surname has been associated with various place names within the Veneto region, such as Caneva di Sacile, a comune in the province of Pordenone, and Canova Montesordo, a locality in the province of Treviso.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caneva
Among Census respondents with the surname Caneva, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Caneva 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 Caneva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino23.1% · 27
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caneva
Caneva appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-18 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 17,505 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 Caneva 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 | #126,765 | #144,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 135 | 117 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caneva bearers went from 135 to 117 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 17,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #144,270.
FAQ
Caneva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caneva?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Caneva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Caneva?
Caneva ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Caneva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Caneva.
Has Caneva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caneva went from 135 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Caneva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caneva, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Caneva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caneva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Hispanic (23.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Caneva (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 Caneva mean?
An Italian surname derived from geographic locations or towns named Caneva. 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 Caneva (0.04 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 Caneva?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.