2000
#8,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,572
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Vierra
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the place name Vieira, meaning "scallop shell" or "pilgrim's badge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,000 Americans carry the last name Vierra. That puts it at #8,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,689 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vierra 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
4.0K
1 in 85,689
Census rank
#8,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,488 bearers of the surname Vierra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vierra, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (11.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 Historical documents from this period mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Vieyra and Vieyre.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vierra
Among Census respondents with the surname Vierra, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (11.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vierra 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 Vierra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.8% · 2,087
- Hispanic or Latino17.3% · 603
- Two or more races11.7% · 409
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.3% · 324
- Black or African American0.9% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vierra
Vierra 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
#8,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,949
+377 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 114 places
2020
#8,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,488
-461 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,497 | 3,572 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,383 | 3,949 | 1.34 | +377 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 114 places |
| 2020 | #8,999 | 3,488 | 1.17 | -461 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 616 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 Vierra 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 | #8,383 | #8,999 | -7.3% |
| Count | 3,949 | 3,488 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.17 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vierra bearers went from 3,949 to 3,488 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 616 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,383 to #8,999.
FAQ
Vierra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vierra?
Name Census estimates that about 4,000 living Americans carry the surname Vierra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,689 residents.
How common is Vierra?
Vierra ranks #8,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,488 people with the surname Vierra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Vierra.
Has Vierra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vierra went from 3,949 recorded bearers to 3,488. That is a decrease of 461 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,383 to #8,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Vierra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vierra, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (11.7%). 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 Vierra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (2,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vierra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.8%), Hispanic (17.3%), Two or More Races (11.7%). 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 Vierra (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 Vierra mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the place name Vieira, meaning "scallop shell" or "pilgrim's badge." 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 Vierra (1.17 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 Vierra?
Want to know how many people are called Vierra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.