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

Galva, 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 Galva surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Galva in America

Galva is the 103181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Galva surname appeared 174 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 Galva.

We can also compare 2010 data for Galva 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 Galva

The surname Galva has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Aragon. The earliest recorded instances of this name date back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Aragonese word "galvón," which means "clay soil" or "muddy ground."

According to historical records, one of the earliest known bearers of the Galva surname was Pedro Galva, a landowner from the village of Fuentes de Ebro, near Zaragoza. He is mentioned in a land registry document from the year 1278.

In the 15th century, the Galva name appears in several municipal records from the town of Fraga, located in the province of Huesca. These records include the names of various Galva family members who held positions of authority in the local government.

One notable Galva was Juan Galva, a merchant and textile trader who lived in Zaragoza during the late 16th century. His name is found in several business contracts and trade records from that period.

In the 17th century, the Galva surname spread to other regions of Spain, particularly to the neighboring kingdom of Valencia. A notable figure from this era was Tomás Galva, a military officer who served in the Spanish army during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).

Another prominent individual with the Galva surname was Juana Galva, a renowned poet and writer from Teruel, Aragon, who lived in the late 18th century. Her works, which often explored themes of love and nature, were published in several literary journals of the time.

As the Galva name spread throughout Spain and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Galba, Galbo, and Galvez. Some of these variations may have been influenced by different regional dialects or scribal errors in historical documents.

While the Galva surname has its roots in Spain, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with strong Spanish influences. However, the specific origins and historical details of the name's spread beyond Spain are less well-documented.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Galva

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

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

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