2000
#101,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Leyua
A Spanish surname derived from the word "leyenda" meaning legend or story.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Leyua. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leyua 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Leyua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leyua
The surname LEYUA is thought to have originated in the Basque region of Spain, likely during the 16th or 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "leihua," meaning "window," suggesting the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with windows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LEYUA can be found in the archives of the town of Guernica, where a document from 1642 mentions a certain Juan de Leyua. This document suggests the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 18th century, the LEYUA surname appears to have spread beyond the Basque region. Records show a Francisco Leyua, born in 1712, who served as a soldier in the Spanish army during the War of the Quadruple Alliance.
A notable figure with the LEYUA surname was Ignacio Leyua y Erquicia (1758-1832), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French. He was awarded the Cross of San Fernando for his bravery in battle.
Another individual of historical significance was María Leyua (1820-1892), a Basque writer and poet who contributed to the preservation of the Basque language and culture through her works.
In the 19th century, the LEYUA surname also appears in records from the Americas, likely due to Spanish migration. For example, there are records of a Pedro Leyua who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1865.
The name LEYUA has also been found in various place names, such as the village of Leyua-Munain in the Basque Country, which likely derived its name from an early settler with the surname.
While the LEYUA surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history rooted in the Basque region of Spain, with connections to military service, literature, and migration to the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leyua
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Leyua 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 Leyua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 102
- White8.0% · 9
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leyua
Leyua 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
#61,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 328
+164 bearers (+100.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 40,357 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-215 bearers (-65.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 85,924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,654 | 164 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,297 | 328 | 0.11 | +164 bearers (+100.0%) | Up 40,357 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -215 bearers (-65.5%) | Down 85,924 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 Leyua 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 | #61,297 | #147,221 | -140.2% |
| Count | 328 | 113 | -65.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.04 | -65.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leyua bearers went from 328 to 113 (-65.5% change). The surname moved down 85,924 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,297 to #147,221.
FAQ
Leyua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leyua?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Leyua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Leyua?
Leyua ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Leyua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Leyua.
Has Leyua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leyua went from 328 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 215 (-65.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #61,297 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Leyua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leyua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Leyua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leyua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (8.0%), Black (1.8%). 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 Leyua (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 Leyua mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "leyenda" meaning legend or story. 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 Leyua (0.04 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 many Americans have the surname Leyua?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.