2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mavilia
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "maviglia" meaning a maker of spades or shovels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mavilia. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mavilia 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mavilia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mavilia, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mavilia
The surname Mavilia is believed to have originated in the southern Italian region of Calabria during the Middle Ages. It is thought to derive from the Latin word "mavilia," which means "desire" or "longing." This could suggest that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who was particularly ambitious or driven.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 13th-century document from the town of Reggio Calabria, where a man named Giacomo Mavilia is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the area by that time.
During the 14th century, the Mavilia family seems to have spread to other parts of southern Italy, including the regions of Campania and Basilicata. In a 1387 census record from the city of Naples, several Mavilia households are listed, indicating that the name had become more widespread.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Girolamo Mavilia, a scholar and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the Kingdom of Naples. He was born in Cosenza, Calabria, in 1425 and died in 1497.
Another prominent figure with the surname was Francesco Mavilia, a 16th-century Italian architect who worked on various projects in Naples and its surrounding areas. He was born in 1520 and died in 1585.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Mavilia family appears to have established itself in Sicily. Records from the town of Messina mention a Giovanni Mavilia, a merchant who lived from 1622 to 1698.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Antonio Mavilia, a lawyer and judge who served in the court system of the Kingdom of Naples. He was born in 1725 in the town of Salerno and died in 1802.
Finally, in the 19th century, there was Giuseppe Mavilia, an Italian painter and sculptor who was born in Reggio Calabria in 1815 and died in 1885. He is known for his works depicting scenes from Italian folklore and daily life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mavilia
Among Census respondents with the surname Mavilia, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mavilia 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 Mavilia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mavilia
Mavilia 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,591 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 18,591 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 9,117 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 Mavilia 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 | #152,628 | #143,511 | 6.0% |
| Count | 107 | 118 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mavilia bearers went from 107 to 118 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 9,117 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mavilia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mavilia?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mavilia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mavilia?
Mavilia ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Mavilia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Mavilia.
Has Mavilia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mavilia went from 107 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 11 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mavilia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mavilia, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Mavilia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mavilia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Black (1.7%). 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 Mavilia (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 Mavilia mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "maviglia" meaning a maker of spades or shovels. 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 Mavilia (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 common is the surname Mavilia?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mavilia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.