2000
#924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.80
Uncommon Last name
Davila
Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the biblical name David, meaning "beloved."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,431 Americans carry the last name Davila. That puts it at #755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davila 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 Davila with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
51K
1 in 6,664
Census rank
#755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 44,850 bearers of the surname Davila in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davila, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davila
The surname Davila is of Spanish origin, originating from the medieval kingdom of Castile in central Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish place name "Ávila," referring to the city and province of the same name. The name Ávila itself is thought to come from the Latin word "abula," meaning "flat land."
Ávila was an important city during the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories from the Moors. The Davila surname may have originated as a locational name, indicating someone who came from or lived in the city or region of Ávila.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Davila surname can be found in the Cartulario de Arlanza, a medieval cartulary (a collection of charters and deeds) dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Rodrigo Dávila, who held lands in the region of Ávila.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, several members of the Davila family gained prominence in Spain. One notable figure was Pedrarias Dávila (1440-1531), a Spanish conquistador and the first governor of Castilla de Oro (present-day Panama). He played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Another prominent individual was Gil González Dávila (1480-1558), a Spanish historian and author of the "Teatro Eclesiástico de las Iglesias Metropolitanas y Catedrales de los Reynos de las dos Castillas," a chronicle of the churches and cathedrals in Castile.
In the 17th century, Pedro Dávila y Cárdenas (1590-1666) was a Spanish nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor of the Duchy of Milan and the Viceroy of Valencia.
During the Golden Age of Spanish literature, the poet and dramatist Guillén de Castro (1569-1631), whose full name was Guillén de Castro y Bellvis, adopted the literary name "Dávila" in some of his works, though it was not his actual surname.
Over the centuries, the Davila surname has spread beyond Spain and can be found in various regions of Latin America, particularly in countries with significant Spanish colonial influence, such as Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davila
Among Census respondents with the surname Davila, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Davila 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 Davila surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.5% · 41,042
- White6.8% · 3,029
- Black or African American0.8% · 376
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 171
- Two or more races0.3% · 143
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davila
Davila 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
#774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,388
+9,847 bearers (+28.5%)
Per 100,000 15.05
Rank movement Up 150 places
2020
#755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,850
+462 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 15.01
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #924 | 34,541 | 12.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #774 | 44,388 | 15.05 | +9,847 bearers (+28.5%) | Up 150 places |
| 2020 | #755 | 44,850 | 15.01 | +462 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 19 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 Davila 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 | #774 | #755 | 2.5% |
| Count | 44,388 | 44,850 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 15.05 | 15.01 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davila bearers went from 44,388 to 44,850 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #774 to #755.
FAQ
Davila surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davila?
Name Census estimates that about 51,431 living Americans carry the surname Davila. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,664 residents.
How common is Davila?
Davila ranks #755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 44,850 people with the surname Davila. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Davila.
Has Davila become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davila went from 44,388 recorded bearers to 44,850. That is an increase of 462 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #774 to #755.
What does the Census say about the background of Davila?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davila, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Davila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (41,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davila appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.5%), White (6.8%), Black (0.8%). 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 Davila (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 Davila mean?
Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the biblical name David, meaning "beloved." 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 Davila (15.01 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 common is the surname Davila?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Davila at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.