2000
#10,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Valera
Derived from the Spanish word "valer," meaning "to be worth," indicating a person of value or worth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,805 Americans carry the last name Valera. That puts it at #7,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valera 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
4.8K
1 in 71,333
Census rank
#7,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,190 bearers of the surname Valera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.7%) and White (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valera
The surname Valera has its origins in Spain, and it is believed to have emerged sometime during the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "valera," which means "a small valley" or "a shallow ravine." This suggests that the name likely originated as a toponymic surname, referring to a person who lived near or came from a small valley or ravine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Valera can be found in the archives of the medieval Kingdom of Castile, where a certain Diego de Valera is mentioned as a prominent writer and historian during the reign of King John II in the 15th century. Diego de Valera is known for his works such as "Memorial de diversas hazañas" (Memorial of Various Deeds) and "Crónica de los Reyes Católicos" (Chronicle of the Catholic Monarchs).
Another notable bearer of the surname Valera was Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, a Spanish Enlightenment writer, philosopher, and statesman who lived from 1744 to 1811. He played a significant role in the cultural and political reforms of his time and is considered one of the most influential figures of the Spanish Enlightenment.
In the world of literature, Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano (1824-1905) was a prominent Spanish novelist, poet, and diplomat. He is best known for his novel "Pepita Jiménez," which is considered one of the masterpieces of 19th-century Spanish literature.
The surname Valera also has a strong presence in the field of sports. One example is José Valera, a Spanish professional tennis player who was born in 1971. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 23 in the world and won several ATP Tour titles.
Another notable figure with the surname Valera is María Valera, a Spanish actress born in 1964. She has appeared in numerous television series and films throughout her career and has received several awards and nominations for her performances.
While the surname Valera has its roots in Spain, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. However, the earliest recorded instances of the name and its historical significance can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valera
Among Census respondents with the surname Valera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.7%) and White (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Valera 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 Valera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.3% · 3,030
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.7% · 783
- White6.5% · 273
- Two or more races1.5% · 62
- Black or African American0.7% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valera
Valera 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
#8,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,944
+1,051 bearers (+36.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 1,834 places
2020
#7,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,190
+246 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 776 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,226 | 2,893 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,392 | 3,944 | 1.34 | +1,051 bearers (+36.3%) | Up 1,834 places |
| 2020 | #7,616 | 4,190 | 1.40 | +246 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 776 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 Valera 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 | #8,392 | #7,616 | 9.2% |
| Count | 3,944 | 4,190 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.40 | 4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valera bearers went from 3,944 to 4,190 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 776 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,392 to #7,616.
FAQ
Valera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valera?
Name Census estimates that about 4,805 living Americans carry the surname Valera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,333 residents.
How common is Valera?
Valera ranks #7,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 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 4,190 people with the surname Valera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 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 Valera.
Has Valera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valera went from 3,944 recorded bearers to 4,190. That is an increase of 246 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,392 to #7,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Valera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.7%) and White (6.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Valera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (3,030 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (72.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.7%), White (6.5%). 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 Valera (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 Valera mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "valer," meaning "to be worth," indicating a person of value or worth. 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 Valera (1.40 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 Valera?
See how many Americans have the surname Valera on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.