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

Villalva, 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 Villalva surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villalva in America

Villalva is the 16049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villalva surname appeared 1,807 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 Villalva.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villalva 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 Villalva

The surname Villalva has its origins in Spain, where it can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from a combination of the Spanish words "villa" meaning "town" and "alva" which translates to "white" or "dawn." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who resided in a town or village known for its bright, white buildings or for being located in a place where the sun's rays were particularly striking.

During the medieval period, the name Villalva appeared in several historical documents and records from various regions of Spain. One notable example is a land grant from 1187, which mentions a nobleman named Rodrigo de Villalva being awarded a parcel of land in the region of Castile. This suggests that the name was already well-established among the Spanish nobility by that time.

As the centuries passed, the Villalva name continued to spread throughout Spain, with different branches of the family settling in various parts of the country. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:

1. Juan de Villalva (1470-1538), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés.
2. Antonio de Villalva (1568-1627), a Spanish playwright and poet who was known for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
3. María de Villalva (1625-1692), a renowned Spanish painter and one of the few female artists of her time to achieve recognition.
4. José Villalva y Córcoles (1738-1809), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1788 to 1792.
5. Enrique Villalva (1890-1965), a Spanish-born Mexican businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Monterrey.

While the Villalva name has its roots in Spain, it has also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Today, it can be found in various Spanish-speaking countries, as well as in areas with significant Hispanic populations, such as parts of the United States and Latin America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villalva

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

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

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

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