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

Tuala, 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 Tuala surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tuala in America

Tuala is the 131379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tuala surname appeared 129 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 Tuala.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tuala 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.

The history of the last name Tuala

The surname TUALA has its origins in the Samoan Islands of the South Pacific. It dates back to the early 19th century and is derived from the Samoan word "tua," which means "back" or "behind." It is believed to have been used as a descriptive name, possibly referring to someone who lived or worked in the back or rear part of a village or settlement.

The earliest known record of the name TUALA appears in a missionary journal from 1832, where a Samoan chief named Tuala is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use among the chiefly families of Samoa in the early 1800s.

In the late 19th century, a prominent Samoan leader named Tuala Tuialemu (c. 1835-1901) played a significant role in the Samoan political landscape during the struggles between various factions and the colonial powers vying for influence in the region.

Another notable figure with the surname TUALA was Tuala Siapunu (1884-1962), a Samoan pastor and educator who worked to preserve traditional Samoan culture and language in the face of increasing Western influence.

In the early 20th century, a Samoan writer and poet named Tuala Lokeni (1901-1978) gained recognition for his works celebrating Samoan traditions and customs.

The name TUALA has also been found in various historical records and documents related to the Samoan Islands, such as land deeds, genealogical records, and census reports from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the surname TUALA is most commonly associated with Samoa, it has also been adopted by individuals of Samoan descent living in other parts of the world, particularly in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, where significant Samoan communities have established themselves over the past century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tuala

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

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 Tuala was:

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

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

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

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