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

Leyva, 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 Leyva surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leyva in America

Leyva is the 1351st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leyva surname appeared 26,153 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Leyva.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leyva 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 Leyva

The surname Leyva is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Spanish word "leiva," which means "boundary" or "limit," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone living near a border or boundary line.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leyva can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval document from the 14th century that recorded land ownership in Castile. This document mentions individuals bearing the name Leyva, indicating that the surname was well-established in Spain by that time.

The name Leyva is also linked to various places in Spain, such as the town of Leyva in the province of Soria, Castile and León. This town's name is likely related to the surname's origin, further reinforcing its connection to the concept of boundaries or limits.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Leyva. One of the most prominent was Antonio de Leyva (1480-1536), a Spanish military commander who served under Emperor Charles V. He played a significant role in the Italian Wars and was renowned for his defense of Pavia against the French in 1524.

Another noteworthy figure was Juan de Leyva (1508-1583), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of the Duchy of Milan from 1555 to 1556. He was also a member of the Council of State under King Philip II of Spain.

In the realm of literature, Ramón de Leyva (1912-1980) was a Spanish poet and writer known for his works exploring existential themes and the human condition. He was a member of the Generation of '36 literary movement and received several awards for his poetry.

Juan de Leyva y de la Cerda (1644-1706) was a Spanish nobleman and military officer who served as the Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1699 to 1701. He is remembered for his efforts to improve the administration and infrastructure of the colony.

Lastly, Gustavo Leyva (1936-2021) was a Mexican actor and director who had a prolific career in Mexican cinema and television. He was known for his versatility and appeared in numerous films, telenovelas, and stage productions over the course of his six-decade career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leyva

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

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

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

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