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

Gouveia, 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 Gouveia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gouveia in America

Gouveia is the 11047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gouveia surname appeared 2,878 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gouveia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gouveia 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 Gouveia

The surname Gouveia is of Portuguese origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese toponym "Gouveia," which refers to a municipality and town in the Guarda District of northern Portugal. The name is believed to have originated from the Latin word "cova," meaning a hollow or depression, referring to the geographical features of the area.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Gouveia appears in the Inquirições de D. Afonso III, a medieval Portuguese document dating back to 1258. This document mentions individuals bearing the surname in connection with the town of Gouveia, suggesting that the name was already established by that time.

Historical records show that the Gouveia family played a significant role in the Portuguese nobility. One notable member was Pedro de Gouveia (1495-1566), a prominent Renaissance humanist, philosopher, and theologian who taught at the University of Paris and was a defender of the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation.

Another notable figure was Antão de Gouveia (1497-1548), a Portuguese priest and pedagogue who served as the principal of the College of Guyenne in Bordeaux, France, and was a pioneer in implementing educational reforms.

In the 16th century, the surname Gouveia appeared in the Iberian Peninsula, with records indicating individuals bearing the name in areas such as Seville and Granada in Spain, likely due to the migration of Portuguese families during that period.

The Gouveia surname can also be found in Brazil, where it was likely introduced by Portuguese settlers during the colonial era. One notable Brazilian with this surname was Marquês de Gouveia (1805-1858), a politician and military officer who served as the President of the Province of Pará.

Another individual of note was Manuel de Gouveia (1592-1628), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who traveled to China and became proficient in the Chinese language, contributing to the early cultural exchange between Portugal and China.

Throughout history, the surname Gouveia has been associated with various spellings and variations, such as Gouvea, Goveia, and Goveya, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences in its use and transcription.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gouveia

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

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

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

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