2000
#11,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Gouveia
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating a person from any of various places named Gouveia, derived from the word "gove" meaning "blackbird".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,277 Americans carry the last name Gouveia. That puts it at #10,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gouveia 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 Gouveia with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,594
Census rank
#10,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,858 bearers of the surname Gouveia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouveia, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gouveia
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouveia, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gouveia 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 Gouveia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 1,963
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 319
- Two or more races10.1% · 289
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.9% · 168
- Black or African American4.0% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gouveia
Gouveia 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
#11,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,878
+276 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 132 places
2020
#10,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,858
-20 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,179 | 2,602 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,047 | 2,878 | 0.98 | +276 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 132 places |
| 2020 | #10,679 | 2,858 | 0.96 | -20 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 368 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 Gouveia 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 | #11,047 | #10,679 | 3.3% |
| Count | 2,878 | 2,858 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.96 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gouveia bearers went from 2,878 to 2,858 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 368 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,047 to #10,679.
FAQ
Gouveia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gouveia?
Name Census estimates that about 3,277 living Americans carry the surname Gouveia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,594 residents.
How common is Gouveia?
Gouveia ranks #10,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,858 people with the surname Gouveia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,277), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gouveia.
Has Gouveia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gouveia went from 2,878 recorded bearers to 2,858. That is a decrease of 20 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,047 to #10,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Gouveia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouveia, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (10.1%). 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 Gouveia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (1,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gouveia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Hispanic (11.2%), Two or More Races (10.1%). 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 Gouveia (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 Gouveia mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating a person from any of various places named Gouveia, derived from the word "gove" meaning "blackbird". 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 Gouveia (0.96 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 Gouveia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.