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

Layva, 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 Layva surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Layva in America

Layva is the 122314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Layva surname appeared 141 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 Layva.

The history of the last name Layva

The surname LAYVA is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It likely derives from the Basque word "laia" meaning "mountain pass" or "path through the hills", suggesting the name may have referred to people who lived in or near mountainous areas.

Some of the earliest known recorded instances of the LAYVA surname can be found in historical documents from the Kingdom of Navarre, a territory that encompassed parts of both modern-day Spain and France. In the 1350s, a nobleman named Juan de Layva is mentioned in records pertaining to land disputes in the Pyrenees mountain villages near the border region.

By the 15th century, variations of the spelling such as Laiva, Leyva, and Layba began appearing in tax rolls and census records across Navarre and neighboring regions like Aragon and Castile. A notable bearer was Pedro de Layva, a military commander who fought alongside King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the Spanish Reconquista against the Moors in the late 1400s.

The LAYVA name later spread further afield as members of the family migrated or were driven from their ancestral homeland during periods of unrest and conflict. In the 1600s, Diego de Layva fought as a soldier in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule in the Low Countries. Around the same time, records show a Luisa Layva living in Peru, possibly one of the earliest bearers in the Americas.

Other prominent individuals with this surname over the centuries include the 18th century Spanish dramatist Juan de Layva y Ramirez, the 19th century Cuban poet and revolutionary José Martí Layva, and the early 20th century Peruvian politician and diplomat Pedro Layva Lissón (1875-1960). Despite its Basque origins, the LAYVA name has clearly been dispersed across the Spanish-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Layva

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

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 Layva 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.

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

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

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