2010
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Suapaia
A surname derived from the Hawaiian word for swordfish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Suapaia. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suapaia 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Suapaia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suapaia, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.3%) and Hispanic (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suapaia
The surname SUAPAIA is believed to have originated in the Pacific region, possibly from one of the Polynesian islands. The name itself may derive from the words "sua" meaning "sacred" and "paia" meaning "flower" or "blossom." However, the exact origin and meaning of the name are uncertain, as historical records from that area are limited.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SUAPAIA can be found in a collection of oral histories from the island of Samoa, which mention a family with that name living in a village called Falefa in the late 18th century. It is possible that the name was initially associated with this particular location or region.
In the 19th century, there are records of a SUAPAIA family living in the Hawaiian Islands. A notable member of this family was Keahi SUAPAIA, born in 1835, who was a respected navigator and sailor in the Hawaiian kingdom during the reign of King Kamehameha V.
Another individual with the surname SUAPAIA was Kailua SUAPAIA, born in 1872 on the island of Molokai. He was a skilled woodcarver and is renowned for his intricate sculptures and carvings depicting traditional Hawaiian themes and motifs.
Moving into the 20th century, there is a mention of a writer and poet named Maile SUAPAIA, born in 1905 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her works often explored themes of Pacific Island culture and mythology, and she was instrumental in preserving traditional oral stories and legends.
In the late 20th century, a notable figure with the surname SUAPAIA was Iakopo SUAPAIA, born in 1948 in Apia, Samoa. He was a prominent politician and diplomat, serving as the Prime Minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2008, and played a significant role in promoting regional cooperation and economic development in the Pacific Islands.
While the surname SUAPAIA is relatively uncommon outside of the Pacific region, these examples demonstrate its historical presence and connection to the cultures and traditions of the Pacific Islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suapaia
Among Census respondents with the surname Suapaia, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.3%) and Hispanic (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Suapaia 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 Suapaia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander57.4% · 66
- Two or more races24.3% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 12
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- White3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suapaia
Suapaia appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-10 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 11,045 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 Suapaia 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 | #134,712 | #145,757 | -8.2% |
| Count | 125 | 115 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suapaia bearers went from 125 to 115 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 11,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Suapaia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suapaia?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Suapaia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Suapaia?
Suapaia ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Suapaia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Suapaia.
Has Suapaia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suapaia went from 125 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Suapaia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suapaia, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.3%) and Hispanic (10.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Suapaia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (66 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suapaia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (57.4%), Two or More Races (24.3%), Hispanic (10.4%). 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 Suapaia (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 Suapaia mean?
A surname derived from the Hawaiian word for swordfish. 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 Suapaia (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 Suapaia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.