2000
#9,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Paiva
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a causeway, ford, or place to cross a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,971 Americans carry the last name Paiva. That puts it at #9,058 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,314 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paiva 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Paiva with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,314
Census rank
#9,058
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,463 bearers of the surname Paiva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9058th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paiva, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paiva
The surname Paiva is of Portuguese origin, originating from the region of Alentejo in southern Portugal. It is believed to have derived from the word "paiva," which means "marshy area" or "reed bed" in Portuguese, suggesting that the surname may have been initially adopted by those who lived near marshlands or areas with abundant reeds.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Paiva can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical documents from Portugal. One notable reference is found in the "Livro Velho," an ancient Portuguese manuscript dating back to the 14th century, which mentions individuals bearing the surname Paiva.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, several individuals with the surname Paiva were recorded as participating in the Portuguese maritime expeditions and explorations. One such individual was João Paiva, a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
The surname Paiva is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Pedro Paiva, a Portuguese jurist and professor who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1581). Another prominent individual was Sebastião Paiva, a 17th-century Portuguese composer and organist (c. 1615-1667).
In the 18th century, José Paiva de Andrade (1725-1800) was a Portuguese politician and diplomat who served as the ambassador of Portugal to the court of Louis XVI in France. António Paiva e Pona (1729-1803) was a notable Portuguese historian and author during the same period.
Moving into the 19th century, Manuel Paiva de Andrada (1818-1877) was a Brazilian poet and playwright who contributed significantly to the development of Brazilian literature. Another notable figure was Joaquim Paiva de Andrade (1843-1920), a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the governor of the state of Minas Gerais.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the surname Paiva throughout history, showcasing its long-standing presence and significance in various regions and contexts, particularly within the Portuguese-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paiva
Among Census respondents with the surname Paiva, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Paiva 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 Paiva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 2,554
- Hispanic or Latino13.9% · 480
- Two or more races5.3% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 127
- Black or African American2.8% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paiva
Paiva 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
#9,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,365
+349 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 231 places
2020
#9,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,463
+98 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,874 | 3,016 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,643 | 3,365 | 1.14 | +349 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 231 places |
| 2020 | #9,058 | 3,463 | 1.16 | +98 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 585 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 Paiva 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 | #9,643 | #9,058 | 6.1% |
| Count | 3,365 | 3,463 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.16 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paiva bearers went from 3,365 to 3,463 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 585 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,643 to #9,058.
FAQ
Paiva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paiva?
Name Census estimates that about 3,971 living Americans carry the surname Paiva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,314 residents.
How common is Paiva?
Paiva ranks #9,058 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,463 people with the surname Paiva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,971), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Paiva.
Has Paiva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paiva went from 3,365 recorded bearers to 3,463. That is an increase of 98 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,643 to #9,058.
What does the Census say about the background of Paiva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paiva, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Paiva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (2,554 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paiva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Hispanic (13.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Paiva (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 Paiva mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a causeway, ford, or place to cross a river. 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 Paiva (1.16 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 people have the last name Paiva?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Paiva at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.