2000
#1,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,463
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.81
Uncommon Last name
Nava
A Spanish and Italian surname referring to a flat or level plain, derived from the Latin word "nava."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,730 Americans carry the last name Nava. That puts it at #901 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,838 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nava 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
44K
1 in 7,838
Census rank
#901
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,135 bearers of the surname Nava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 901st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nava, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nava
The surname Nava originated in Spain, with its roots traced back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from the Basque word "naba," which means "flat" or "valley," suggesting that the name was originally a topographic designation for someone residing in a flat area or valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nava surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document mentions individuals with the surname Nava residing in various regions of Castile, indicating that the name had already spread across parts of northern Spain by that time.
The Nava surname is also mentioned in several medieval Spanish manuscripts and records, such as the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise that lists various place names, including Nava de la Asunción and Nava del Rey.
One notable early bearer of the Nava surname was Pedro Fernández de Nava, a 14th-century Spanish nobleman and military leader who fought alongside King Alfonso XI of Castile in the Battle of Rio Salado against the Moorish forces in 1340.
In the 16th century, the Nava family gained prominence in Mexico, with Juan de Nava, a Spanish conquistador, establishing one of the earliest settlements in the region of Nuevo León. Juan de Nava's descendants went on to become influential landowners and politicians in the area.
Another prominent figure with the Nava surname was Pedro Nava, a 17th-century Spanish painter and engraver who was active in Madrid during the Golden Age of Spanish art. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Spain.
During the 18th century, José María Nava y Grimón (1732-1805) was a notable Spanish jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Justice under King Charles IV of Spain.
In the 19th century, Pedro Nava Campos (1805-1873) was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Reform War and the French Intervention in Mexico.
The Nava surname has also been associated with several notable writers and intellectuals, such as Gregorio Nava (1897-1976), a Mexican journalist and poet, and Evelio Nava (1922-2012), a renowned Colombian writer and literary critic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nava
Among Census respondents with the surname Nava, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nava 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 Nava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.2% · 35,552
- White4.8% · 1,831
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 432
- Two or more races0.4% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 90
- Black or African American0.2% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nava
Nava 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
#874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,670
+13,207 bearers (+49.9%)
Per 100,000 13.45
Rank movement Up 338 places
2020
#901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,135
-1,535 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 12.76
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,212 | 26,463 | 9.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #874 | 39,670 | 13.45 | +13,207 bearers (+49.9%) | Up 338 places |
| 2020 | #901 | 38,135 | 12.76 | -1,535 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 27 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 Nava 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 | #874 | #901 | -3.1% |
| Count | 39,670 | 38,135 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 13.45 | 12.76 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nava bearers went from 39,670 to 38,135 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #874 to #901.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nava
FAQ
Nava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nava?
Name Census estimates that about 43,730 living Americans carry the surname Nava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,838 residents.
How common is Nava?
Nava ranks #901 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,135 people with the surname Nava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,730), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Nava.
Has Nava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nava went from 39,670 recorded bearers to 38,135. That is a decrease of 1,535 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #874 to #901.
What does the Census say about the background of Nava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nava, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Nava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (35,552 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.2%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Nava (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 Nava mean?
A Spanish and Italian surname referring to a flat or level plain, derived from the Latin word "nava." 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 Nava (12.76 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 surname Nava?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.