2000
#22,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,090
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Lacava
An Italian topographic surname indicating someone from the region of La Cava.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,280 Americans carry the last name Lacava. That puts it at #23,473 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 267,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacava 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
1.3K
1 in 267,777
Census rank
#23,473
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,116 bearers of the surname Lacava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23473rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacava, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacava
The surname LACAVA originates from Italy, specifically the regions of Campania and Puglia, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "cava," meaning "quarry" or "cave," suggesting that the name was likely associated with people who lived near or worked in quarries or caves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LACAVA can be found in a document from the town of Grottaminarda in the province of Avellino, Campania, dated 1234. This document mentions a landowner named Guglielmo LACAVA.
The name LACAVA is also linked to various place names in Italy, such as La Cava de' Tirreni, a town in the province of Salerno, Campania. This town was formerly known as La Cava and is believed to have influenced the surname's formation.
In the 14th century, the LACAVA name appeared in historical records from the city of Naples, where a family of that name held influential positions. One notable member was Filippo LACAVA, a renowned lawyer and judge who served in the royal court of King Robert of Naples (1309-1343).
During the Renaissance period, the LACAVA family gained prominence in the arts. Giovanni Battista LACAVA (1512-1592), a renowned painter and architect from Naples, was commissioned to design several churches and palaces in the city.
Another noteworthy figure was Antonio LACAVA (1713-1784), a Neapolitan philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on moral and ethical issues. His works were widely read and discussed in academic circles of the time.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe LACAVA (1834-1901) was a prominent Italian politician and journalist from Puglia. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the unification of Italy.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname LACAVA is the Italian film director and screenwriter Mario LACAVA (1888-1965). He is best known for his work in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s, directing classic films such as "Stage Door" (1937) and "Lady in the Dark" (1944).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacava
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacava, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacava 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 Lacava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 1,011
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 66
- Two or more races2.6% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacava
Lacava 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
#22,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,161
+71 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#23,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,116
-45 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 1,257 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,132 | 1,090 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,216 | 1,161 | 0.39 | +71 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #23,473 | 1,116 | 0.37 | -45 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,257 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 Lacava 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 | #22,216 | #23,473 | -5.7% |
| Count | 1,161 | 1,116 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.37 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacava bearers went from 1,161 to 1,116 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 1,257 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,216 to #23,473.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lacava
FAQ
Lacava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacava?
Name Census estimates that about 1,280 living Americans carry the surname Lacava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 267,777 residents.
How common is Lacava?
Lacava ranks #23,473 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,116 people with the surname Lacava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lacava.
Has Lacava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacava went from 1,161 recorded bearers to 1,116. That is a decrease of 45 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,216 to #23,473.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacava, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Lacava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (1,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Lacava (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 Lacava mean?
An Italian topographic surname indicating someone from the region of La Cava. 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 Lacava (0.37 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 Lacava?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.