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

Vila, 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 Vila surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vila in America

Vila is the 10615th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vila surname appeared 3,016 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 Vila.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vila 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 Vila

The surname Vila is of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the Latin word "villa," meaning a country house or farm. It likely emerged as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived on or near a villa or estate.

In Spain, the name can be traced back to the 9th century, during the Reconquista period when Christian forces were reclaiming territories from the Moors. The Vila surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia, where it was associated with landowners and rural nobility.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vila surname can be found in the 12th-century Catalan manuscript "Llibre dels Fets" (Book of Deeds), which chronicles the life of King Jaume I of Aragon. The manuscript mentions a nobleman named Ramon Vila, who fought alongside the king during the conquest of Valencia in the 13th century.

In Portugal, the Vila surname can be traced back to the 11th century, with references in medieval documents and records. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of the country, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga, where many small villages and estates were established during the Christian Reconquista.

One notable bearer of the Vila surname was Pero Vaz de Vila, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1497-1499. Vaz de Vila played a crucial role in the expedition and later became a prominent figure in the Portuguese colonies in India.

Another famous person with the Vila surname was Gaspar Vila, a 16th-century Spanish composer and musician born in Valencia around 1540. He is known for his contributions to the development of Renaissance music and his works for the vihuela, a plucked string instrument popular in Spain during that time.

In the 18th century, Francisco Vila y Camps (1742-1807) was a Spanish painter and engraver from Valencia, renowned for his religious paintings and portraits of the Spanish nobility. His works can be found in various churches and museums in Spain and abroad.

Moving to the 19th century, José Vila Codina (1813-1857) was a prominent Catalan architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Barcelona, including the Gran Teatre del Liceu, one of the city's most famous opera houses.

Despite its long history and varied origins, the Vila surname has maintained a strong presence in both Spain and Portugal, reflecting the cultural and linguistic ties between the two Iberian nations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vila

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

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

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

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