2000
#19,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Villalva
A Spanish surname derived from a placename referring to a town or villa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,046 Americans carry the last name Villalva. That puts it at #15,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villalva 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
2.0K
1 in 167,524
Census rank
#15,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,784 bearers of the surname Villalva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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During the medieval period, the name Villalva appeared in several historical documents and records from various regions of Spain.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villalva
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Villalva 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 Villalva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 1,639
- White6.3% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Two or more races0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villalva
Villalva 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
#16,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,807
+508 bearers (+39.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 3,253 places
2020
#15,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,784
-23 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,302 | 1,299 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,049 | 1,807 | 0.61 | +508 bearers (+39.1%) | Up 3,253 places |
| 2020 | #15,760 | 1,784 | 0.60 | -23 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 289 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 Villalva 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 | #16,049 | #15,760 | 1.8% |
| Count | 1,807 | 1,784 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.60 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villalva bearers went from 1,807 to 1,784 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,049 to #15,760.
FAQ
Villalva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villalva?
Name Census estimates that about 2,046 living Americans carry the surname Villalva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,524 residents.
How common is Villalva?
Villalva ranks #15,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,784 people with the surname Villalva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Villalva.
Has Villalva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villalva went from 1,807 recorded bearers to 1,784. That is a decrease of 23 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,049 to #15,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Villalva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Villalva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,639 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villalva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Villalva (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 Villalva mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a placename referring to a town or villa. 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 Villalva (0.60 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 Villalva?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Villalva at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.