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

Latvala, 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 Latvala surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Latvala in America

Latvala is the 62531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Latvala surname appeared 320 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Latvala.

We can also compare 2010 data for Latvala 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 Latvala

The surname Latvala originates from Finland, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish words "latva" meaning "crown" or "top of a tree" and "la" denoting a location, suggesting the name may have referred to someone who lived near the top of a hill or mountain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Loppi, a municipality in Southern Finland, from the year 1568. The name was initially spelled "Lattwala" or "Lattwalan", reflecting the regional dialect and pronunciation of the time.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Latvala name spread across various parts of Finland, particularly in the regions of Häme, Pirkanmaa, and Ostrobothnia. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Eero Latvala, a Finnish rally driver born in 1985, who has won multiple World Rally Championship events.

In the 19th century, the Latvala name appeared in historical records from the town of Ylihärmä in Western Finland. One notable figure was Jaakko Latvala, a farmer and landowner born in 1832, who was known for his contributions to the local community.

Another prominent individual was Wilhelmiina Latvala (1886-1963), a Finnish journalist and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in Finland. She was among the first female members of the Finnish Parliament after women gained the right to vote in 1906.

In the early 20th century, the Latvala surname gained recognition through Armas Latvala (1897-1977), a Finnish architect who designed several notable buildings in Helsinki, including the Kallio Church and the Töölö Sports Hall.

While the Latvala name has its roots in Finland, it has also been found in other parts of the world due to Finnish emigration. One such example is Jari Latvala, a Finnish-American businessman born in 1962, who co-founded the software company Bitdefender in Romania.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Latvala

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

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

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

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