2000
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Joya
A Spanish surname referring to a jewel, gem, or something precious.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,563 Americans carry the last name Joya. That puts it at #9,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,198 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joya 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.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,198
Census rank
#9,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,107 bearers of the surname Joya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and White (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joya
Among Census respondents with the surname Joya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and White (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Joya 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 Joya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 2,749
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.0% · 185
- White3.9% · 121
- Two or more races1.1% · 34
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joya
Joya 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
#11,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,821
+1,012 bearers (+55.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 3,791 places
2020
#9,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,107
+286 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 1,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,995 | 1,809 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,204 | 2,821 | 0.96 | +1,012 bearers (+55.9%) | Up 3,791 places |
| 2020 | #9,921 | 3,107 | 1.04 | +286 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,283 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 Joya 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 | #11,204 | #9,921 | 11.5% |
| Count | 2,821 | 3,107 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 1.04 | 8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joya bearers went from 2,821 to 3,107 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,204 to #9,921.
FAQ
Joya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joya?
Name Census estimates that about 3,563 living Americans carry the surname Joya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,198 residents.
How common is Joya?
Joya ranks #9,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,107 people with the surname Joya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,563), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Joya.
Has Joya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joya went from 2,821 recorded bearers to 3,107. That is an increase of 286 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,204 to #9,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Joya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%) and White (3.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Joya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (2,749 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%), White (3.9%). 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 Joya (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 Joya mean?
A Spanish surname referring to a jewel, gem, or something precious. 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 Joya (1.04 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 common is the surname Joya?
Want to know how many people have the last name Joya? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.