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

Villa, 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 Villa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villa in America

Villa is the 644th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villa surname appeared 52,817 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Villa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villa 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 Villa

The surname Villa originated in Spain and Italy, deriving from the Latin word 'villa', meaning a country house or farm estate. It arose as a locational surname, given to those residing near or employed at a villa or country estate.

In Spain, the name Villa likely emerged during the Middle Ages, as surnames became hereditary. Many Spaniards adopted toponymic surnames, referring to places of residence or origins. The Villa surname may have indicated a family living on or working at a villa estate.

In Italy, the name Villa also has medieval origins, tracing back to the 11th or 12th centuries. It was particularly common in northern regions like Lombardy and Veneto, where large agricultural estates and rural villas were prevalent. Archival records from the 13th century mention individuals with the surname Villa residing in cities like Milan and Venice.

One of the earliest known references to the Villa surname is found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry records a landowner named Radulfus de Villa, indicating the use of the surname in Norman-controlled areas of England at the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Villa include:

Pedro de la Villa (c. 1385-1438), a Spanish poet and courtier during the reign of King John II of Castile. Antonio Villa (1456-1529), an Italian humanist scholar and professor of rhetoric at the University of Bologna. Claudio Villa (1629-1687), an Italian painter of the Baroque period, known for his religious works in churches throughout Rome. Francisco Villa (1878-1923), a renowned Mexican revolutionary leader during the Mexican Revolution, also known as Pancho Villa. Margherita Villa (1914-2016), an Italian centenarian who briefly held the record for the oldest living person in the world in 2016.

The surname Villa has a rich history, spanning centuries and encompassing various regions of Europe and the Americas. Its origins as a locational name reflect the agricultural and rural roots of many families who bore this surname throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villa

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

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

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

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