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

Joya, 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 Joya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Joya in America

Joya is the 11204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Joya surname appeared 2,821 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 Joya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Joya 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 Joya

The surname JOYA has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "joya," meaning "jewel" or "gem," which itself comes from the Latin word "jocalia." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with jewelers, gem traders, or perhaps individuals who dealt in precious stones.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and documents from the region of Andalusia, particularly in the cities of Seville and Córdoba. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name were artisans and merchants involved in the thriving trade of that time.

The JOYA surname can be traced back to the 14th century, with references found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon. One notable individual was Pero Joya, a prominent merchant from Valencia who lived from around 1330 to 1395.

As the name spread across Spain, it also took on variations in spelling, such as Joyas, Joia, and Joya. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

During the 15th century, the JOYA name gained prominence in the region of Castile. A notable figure from this period was Diego de Joya, a military commander who served under King Ferdinand II of Aragon and played a role in the conquest of Granada in 1492.

In the 16th century, the JOYA surname crossed the Atlantic with the Spanish conquistadors and settlers who ventured to the Americas. One such individual was Juan de Joya, a soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.

As the centuries passed, the JOYA name continued to be associated with various professions and social classes across Spain and its territories. One notable bearer of the name was José Joya, a renowned painter and engraver from Madrid who lived from 1670 to 1745 and was known for his religious works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Joya

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

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

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