2000
#3,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.38
Uncommon Last name
Vieira
A Portuguese and Galician occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold candles or other wax products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,066 Americans carry the last name Vieira. That puts it at #3,076 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,233 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vieira 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vieira with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,233
Census rank
#3,076
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,394 bearers of the surname Vieira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3076th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieira, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vieira
The surname VIEIRA is of Portuguese origin, and its earliest known usage dates back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "vieira," which means scallop shell or pilgrim's badge. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who made or sold scallop shells, which were commonly worn by pilgrims traveling to the shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The VIEIRA surname is most commonly found in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral. In the 15th century, the name was recorded in various historical documents, such as the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), which chronicles the genealogies of Portuguese noble families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VIEIRA surname can be traced back to Afonso Vieira, a Portuguese nobleman who lived during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Gonçalo Vieira, a 15th-century navigator and explorer who participated in the Portuguese discoveries along the West African coast.
In the 16th century, the VIEIRA surname gained further prominence with the birth of António Vieira (1608-1697), a renowned Jesuit priest, diplomat, and writer. He is considered one of the greatest Portuguese writers and orators of the Baroque period and played a significant role in the development of the Portuguese language.
During the 17th century, the VIEIRA surname was associated with several notable individuals, including Manuel Vieira (1640-1696), a Portuguese painter and engraver known for his religious works, and Tomás Vieira (1670-1738), a Brazilian architect and sculptor who contributed to the development of the Baroque style in colonial Brazil.
In the 19th century, the VIEIRA surname gained further recognition with the birth of Wenceslau de Sousa Pereira Vieira (1853-1923), a Portuguese politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1911 to 1912.
Throughout history, the VIEIRA surname has been associated with various professions, including artists, writers, politicians, and religious figures. While the name has undergone minor spelling variations, such as Viera or Vieyra, its essence and connection to the scallop shell symbolism have remained intact.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vieira
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieira, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vieira 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 Vieira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 9,075
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 963
- Black or African American6.6% · 755
- Two or more races3.5% · 402
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 156
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vieira
Vieira 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
#3,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,420
+1,291 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 3.53
Rank movement Up 146 places
2020
#3,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,394
+974 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Up 349 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,571 | 9,129 | 3.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,425 | 10,420 | 3.53 | +1,291 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 146 places |
| 2020 | #3,076 | 11,394 | 3.81 | +974 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 349 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 Vieira 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 | #3,425 | #3,076 | 10.2% |
| Count | 10,420 | 11,394 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.53 | 3.81 | 8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vieira bearers went from 10,420 to 11,394 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 349 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,425 to #3,076.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vieira
FAQ
Vieira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vieira?
Name Census estimates that about 13,066 living Americans carry the surname Vieira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,233 residents.
How common is Vieira?
Vieira ranks #3,076 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,394 people with the surname Vieira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Vieira.
Has Vieira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vieira went from 10,420 recorded bearers to 11,394. That is an increase of 974 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,425 to #3,076.
What does the Census say about the background of Vieira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieira, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (6.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vieira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (9,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vieira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Hispanic (8.5%), Black (6.6%). 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 Vieira (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 Vieira mean?
A Portuguese and Galician occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold candles or other wax products. 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 Vieira (3.81 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 Americans have the surname Vieira?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.