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

Govea, 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 Govea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Govea in America

Govea is the 6389th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Govea surname appeared 5,327 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Govea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Govea 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 Govea

The surname Govea is of Spanish origin, originating from the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "cueva," meaning "cave" or "cavern," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or in a cave.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Govea can be traced back to the 15th century, when it appeared in historical documents from the region of Cantabria in northern Spain. The name was also found in records from the neighboring regions of Asturias and Galicia during this time.

In the 16th century, the name Govea gained prominence with the birth of Antonio de Govea (1505-1565), a renowned Portuguese humanist, philosopher, and theologian. He was a professor at the University of Coimbra and later became a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

Another notable figure with the surname Govea was Juan de Govea (1530-1595), a Spanish Catholic priest and writer. He served as a member of the Council of Trent and authored several works on theological subjects.

In the 17th century, the name Govea appeared in records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. One notable individual from this period was Juan de Govea y Escalante (1610-1682), a Spanish-born Jesuit missionary who worked extensively in New Spain (present-day Mexico).

During the 18th century, the Govea surname was also found in parts of what is now Colombia and Venezuela, likely due to the migration of Spanish settlers to these regions.

In the 19th century, the name Govea was associated with several notable figures in Latin American history. One example is Mariano Govea (1810-1870), a Mexican politician and military leader who played a role in the Reform War (1858-1861) and the French Intervention in Mexico (1861-1867).

Throughout its history, the surname Govea has been spelled in various ways, including Goveia, Cuevas, and Cueva, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and linguistic variations within the Spanish language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Govea

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

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

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

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