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

Vieira, 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 Vieira surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vieira in America

Vieira is the 3425th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vieira surname appeared 10,420 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Vieira.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vieira 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 Vieira

The surname VIEIRA is of Portuguese origin, and its earliest known usage dates back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "vieira," which means scallop shell or pilgrim's badge. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who made or sold scallop shells, which were commonly worn by pilgrims traveling to the shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

The VIEIRA surname is most commonly found in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral. In the 15th century, the name was recorded in various historical documents, such as the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), which chronicles the genealogies of Portuguese noble families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the VIEIRA surname can be traced back to Afonso Vieira, a Portuguese nobleman who lived during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Gonçalo Vieira, a 15th-century navigator and explorer who participated in the Portuguese discoveries along the West African coast.

In the 16th century, the VIEIRA surname gained further prominence with the birth of António Vieira (1608-1697), a renowned Jesuit priest, diplomat, and writer. He is considered one of the greatest Portuguese writers and orators of the Baroque period and played a significant role in the development of the Portuguese language.

During the 17th century, the VIEIRA surname was associated with several notable individuals, including Manuel Vieira (1640-1696), a Portuguese painter and engraver known for his religious works, and Tomás Vieira (1670-1738), a Brazilian architect and sculptor who contributed to the development of the Baroque style in colonial Brazil.

In the 19th century, the VIEIRA surname gained further recognition with the birth of Wenceslau de Sousa Pereira Vieira (1853-1923), a Portuguese politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1911 to 1912.

Throughout history, the VIEIRA surname has been associated with various professions, including artists, writers, politicians, and religious figures. While the name has undergone minor spelling variations, such as Viera or Vieyra, its essence and connection to the scallop shell symbolism have remained intact.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vieira

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

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

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

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