2000
#21,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Viana
An Italian surname originating as a topographic name for someone from Viana or a place named with that word.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,413 Americans carry the last name Viana. That puts it at #13,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Viana 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Viana with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,045
Census rank
#13,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,104 bearers of the surname Viana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Viana, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viana
Among Census respondents with the surname Viana, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Viana 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 Viana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.0% · 1,072
- Hispanic or Latino38.2% · 804
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 120
- Black or African American3.2% · 67
- Two or more races1.9% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Viana
Viana 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
#17,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,640
+501 bearers (+44.0%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 4,138 places
2020
#13,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,104
+464 bearers (+28.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 3,500 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,406 | 1,139 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,268 | 1,640 | 0.56 | +501 bearers (+44.0%) | Up 4,138 places |
| 2020 | #13,768 | 2,104 | 0.70 | +464 bearers (+28.3%) | Up 3,500 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 Viana 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 | #17,268 | #13,768 | 20.3% |
| Count | 1,640 | 2,104 | 28.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.70 | 25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Viana bearers went from 1,640 to 2,104 (+28.3% change). The surname moved up 3,500 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,268 to #13,768.
FAQ
Viana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Viana?
Name Census estimates that about 2,413 living Americans carry the surname Viana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,045 residents.
How common is Viana?
Viana ranks #13,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,104 people with the surname Viana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Viana.
Has Viana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Viana went from 1,640 recorded bearers to 2,104. That is an increase of 464 (+28.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,268 to #13,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Viana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Viana, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Viana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.0% (1,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Viana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.0%), Hispanic (38.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Viana (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 Viana mean?
An Italian surname originating as a topographic name for someone from Viana or a place named with that word. 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 Viana (0.70 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 Viana?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Viana is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.