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

Viana, 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 Viana surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Viana in America

Viana is the 17268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Viana surname appeared 1,640 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Viana.

We can also compare 2010 data for Viana 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 Viana

The surname Viana is of Portuguese origin, originating in the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the toponym Viana, referring to the town of Viana do Castelo in northern Portugal. This town's name is thought to have its roots in the Latin word "viana," meaning "road" or "way," likely referring to its strategic location along important trade routes.

Viana is also a common place name in other Portuguese-speaking regions, such as Brazil and Mozambique. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Viana can be traced back to the 16th century in Portuguese historical records and documents.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pedro Viana, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who lived in the late 15th century. He was part of the expeditions that explored the coasts of West Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.

Another notable figure with the surname Viana was Matias de Viana, a 16th-century Portuguese architect who designed several prominent buildings in Lisbon, including the Church of São Roque.

In the 17th century, Francisco Viana was a prominent Portuguese painter who specialized in religious art and was commissioned by churches and monasteries throughout Portugal.

During the colonial era, the surname Viana also spread to other parts of the Portuguese Empire. One example is José Viana, a Brazilian military officer and governor of the captaincy of Pará in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, Joaquim Viana was a Portuguese writer and journalist who played a significant role in the development of the Portuguese romantic movement.

As the name Viana is quite common in Portugal and its former colonies, it is associated with numerous individuals throughout history, including writers, artists, politicians, and military figures. The surname's origins can be traced back to the toponym Viana, reflecting the town's importance in the region's history and its strategic location along trade routes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Viana

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!