Tavita last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Tavita

A Spanish surname referring to native inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands.

Tavita, 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 Tavita surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tavita in America

Tavita is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tavita surname appeared 173 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tavita.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tavita 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 103655 140756 -30.36%
Count 173 109 45.39%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.04 40.00%

The history of the last name Tavita

The surname Tavita has its origins in the Mediterranean region, specifically in the Italian peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "taberna," meaning "tavern" or "inn." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who worked in or owned a tavern or inn during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tavita can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This suggests that the name has been in use for over a thousand years, and its roots can be traced back to the era when the Lombards ruled parts of the Italian peninsula.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Tavita was prevalent in various regions of Italy, particularly in the central and southern parts. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries mention several individuals bearing this surname, such as Niccolò Tavita, a merchant from Florence who lived in the late 13th century, and Tommaso Tavita, a notary from the town of Amalfi in the 14th century.

The name Tavita has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One such figure is Girolamo Tavita, a 16th-century Italian painter and architect from Caravaggio, known for his work on the Basilica of San Nicola in Nardo, Apulia. Another individual of note is Giovanni Battista Tavita, a 17th-century composer and organist from Naples, who served as the maestro di cappella at several churches in the city.

In the 19th century, the surname Tavita gained recognition with the birth of Vincenzo Tavita (1827-1888), an Italian painter and sculptor from Bari. His works, primarily focused on religious themes, can be found in various churches and museums across southern Italy.

Additionally, the name Tavita has been associated with several place names in Italy, such as the village of Tavita in the province of Lecce, Apulia, and the Tavita Castle, a medieval fortress located in the town of Muro Leccese, also in Apulia. These place names further reinforce the historical presence and significance of the surname in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tavita

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

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 Tavita was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 77.46% 134
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 16.76% 29
Hispanic Origin 3.47% 6

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 Tavita has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White (S)% (S)% (S)%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 77.46% 95.41% -20.77%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 16.76% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.47% 0.00% 200.00%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tavita last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tavita-surname-popularity/.

"Tavita last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tavita-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Tavita last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tavita-surname-popularity/.

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