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

Vierra, 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 Vierra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vierra in America

Vierra is the 8383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vierra surname appeared 3,949 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 Vierra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vierra 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 Vierra

The surname Vierra has its origins in Portugal, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese word "vieira," which means "scallop shell" or "fan mussel." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a place where scallops were harvested or sold.

The earliest known record of the Vierra surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Minho, in northern Portugal. Historical documents from this period mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Vieyra and Vieyre.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in records from the Azores Islands, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. This suggests that some members of the Vierra family may have been among the early settlers of the Azores, which were colonized by the Portuguese in the late 15th century.

Notable individuals with the Vierra surname include Francisco Vieira de Matos (1612-1696), a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Portuguese India. António Vieira (1608-1697), a Jesuit priest and renowned orator, was one of the most influential figures in the Portuguese language during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Vierra surname appeared in records from the Portuguese colony of Brazil. José Vieira Couto (1743-1805) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed revolutionary movement against Portuguese rule.

During the 19th century, the Vierra name gained prominence in the United States, particularly in areas with large Portuguese immigrant communities, such as New England and California. Manuel Vierra (1838-1915) was a prominent Portuguese-American businessman and landowner in California.

Another notable figure was António Vierra (1905-1985), a Portuguese-American artist and sculptor known for his religious works and public monuments, including the statue of Father Serra in Sacramento, California.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vierra

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

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

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

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