2000
#12,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Vieyra
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person from the town of Vieira in Galicia or a variant of Vieira, meaning "scallop shell."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,056 Americans carry the last name Vieyra. That puts it at #8,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,506 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vieyra 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
4.1K
1 in 84,506
Census rank
#8,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,537 bearers of the surname Vieyra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieyra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vieyra
The surname VIEYRA originated in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "videre," meaning "to see" or "to look." The name likely referred to someone who had exceptional eyesight or worked as a watchman or lookout.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VIEYRA surname dates back to the 13th century in a Portuguese census record. The name was initially spelled "Vieira," which was a common variation during that time period. It's also possible that the name is related to the Portuguese word "vieira," meaning a type of scallop shell.
In the 14th century, the name VIEYRA appeared in several historical documents, including land records and legal proceedings in the region of Alentejo, Portugal. There were also references to a nobleman named Afonso Vieyra, who lived in the late 1300s and was known for his military service.
During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, several individuals with the VIEYRA surname played significant roles in Portugal's maritime endeavors. One notable figure was Fernão Vieyra, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his pioneering voyage to India in 1498.
In the 17th century, the VIEYRA surname gained prominence through the influential Jesuit priest and writer, António Vieyra (1608-1697). He was a renowned orator and author, known for his sermons and literary works that addressed social and political issues of his time. António Vieyra's writings had a lasting impact on Portuguese literature and culture.
Another notable individual with the VIEYRA surname was Tomás António Vieyra (1744-1799), a Portuguese architect and engineer who designed several iconic buildings in Lisbon, including the Church of Memória and the Basilica of Estrela.
As the Portuguese empire expanded across the globe, the VIEYRA surname spread to various colonies and settlements, including Brazil, Africa, and parts of Asia. Individuals with this surname contributed to various fields, such as literature, art, and politics, in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vieyra
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieyra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vieyra 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 Vieyra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.4% · 3,232
- White7.1% · 250
- Black or African American0.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- Two or more races0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vieyra
Vieyra 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
#10,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,180
+923 bearers (+40.9%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 2,450 places
2020
#8,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
+357 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 1,252 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,590 | 2,257 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,140 | 3,180 | 1.08 | +923 bearers (+40.9%) | Up 2,450 places |
| 2020 | #8,888 | 3,537 | 1.18 | +357 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 1,252 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 Vieyra 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 | #10,140 | #8,888 | 12.3% |
| Count | 3,180 | 3,537 | 11.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.18 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vieyra bearers went from 3,180 to 3,537 (+11.2% change). The surname moved up 1,252 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,140 to #8,888.
FAQ
Vieyra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vieyra?
Name Census estimates that about 4,056 living Americans carry the surname Vieyra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,506 residents.
How common is Vieyra?
Vieyra ranks #8,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,537 people with the surname Vieyra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Vieyra.
Has Vieyra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vieyra went from 3,180 recorded bearers to 3,537. That is an increase of 357 (+11.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,140 to #8,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Vieyra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieyra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Black (0.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vieyra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vieyra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.4%), White (7.1%), Black (0.8%). 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 Vieyra (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 Vieyra mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person from the town of Vieira in Galicia or a variant of Vieira, meaning "scallop shell." 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 Vieyra (1.18 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 Americans have the surname Vieyra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.