2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tava
A locational surname derived from a place name in India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Tava. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tava 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Tava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tava, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tava
The surname Tava has its origins in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, sometime between the 13th and 15th centuries. The name is thought to derive from an old Italian word "tava," which referred to a flat stone or a slab used for various purposes, such as paving or construction.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tava appears in a collection of legal documents from the city of Brescia, dated to the mid-14th century. These records mention a certain Giovanni Tava, a stonemason who was involved in the construction of several buildings in the area. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked with stone or were involved in related trades.
In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Tava residing in the town of Cividate Camuno, located in the Val Camonica region of Brescia. This family is mentioned in connection with land ownership and agricultural activities, indicating that the name had spread beyond its initial occupational ties.
Throughout the subsequent centuries, the Tava surname can be found scattered across various parts of northern Italy, with notable individuals bearing this name. One such figure was Giovanni Battista Tava (1585-1648), a renowned artist and painter from the town of Bergamo. His works can be found in several churches and galleries throughout the region.
Another notable person with the surname Tava was Antonio Tava (1670-1738), a Jesuit priest and scholar from the city of Brescia. He was known for his contributions to the fields of philosophy and theology, and his writings were widely circulated during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Tava family name gained further recognition with the birth of Carlo Tava (1821-1892), a prominent lawyer and politician from the town of Salò, near Lake Garda. He served as a member of the Italian parliament and was actively involved in the unification movement of Italy.
Other individuals who carried the Tava surname include Girolamo Tava (1745-1810), a respected architect from Bergamo who designed several notable buildings in the area, and Francesca Tava (1892-1976), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist from the city of Brescia.
While the origins of the Tava surname can be traced back to the northern regions of Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the country and even to other countries through migration and intermarriage. However, its roots remain firmly embedded in the historical and cultural heritage of the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo, where it first emerged as a surname centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tava
Among Census respondents with the surname Tava, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tava 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 Tava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.0% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tava
Tava 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-11 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 9,840 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 Tava 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 | #143,149 | #152,989 | -6.9% |
| Count | 116 | 105 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tava bearers went from 116 to 105 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 9,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #152,989.
FAQ
Tava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tava?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Tava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Tava?
Tava ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Tava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Tava.
Has Tava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tava went from 116 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Tava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tava, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Tava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.0%), Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Tava (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 Tava mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in India. 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 Tava (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 people have the surname Tava?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.