Explore the Family Name Vala

The meaning of Vala

1. Portuguese: habitational name from any of the towns in Portugal named Vala (or with Vala). 2. Italian (Abruzzo): unexplained. 3. Indian (Gujarat): name of unexplained etymology. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Ana, Luis, Manuel, Rosario, Silvino, Valerio. Indian Bhupendra, Janardhan, Jyoti.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Vala in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Vala has seen a notable increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Vala was ranked as the 50,055th most popular surname, while in 2010 it moved up to the 46,138th spot, marking an improvement of 7.83%. The count of people carrying the Vala surname also rose from 393 in 2000 to 462 in 2010, signifying a substantial 17.56% growth. Furthermore, the proportion of this surname per 100k residents saw a 6.67% uptick, moving from 0.15 in 2000 to 0.16 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#50,055#46,1387.83%
Count39346217.56%
Proportion per 100k0.150.166.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vala

The ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that there were significant shifts in the ethnic identity among individuals with the surname Vala from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled, showing a 73.39% increase from 13.23% to 22.94%. The proportion identifying as White decreased by 17.01%, dropping from 73.03% to 60.61%. Those identifying as Hispanic increased by 52.57%, rising from 7.38% in 2000 to 11.26% in 2010. However, the proportion of individuals with mixed ethnicity, i.e., those identifying with two or more races, declined by 41.52%, going down from 4.07% to 2.38%. There were no persons identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White73.03%60.61%-17.01%
Asian/Pacific Islander13.23%22.94%73.39%
Hispanic7.38%11.26%52.57%
Two or More Races4.07%2.38%-41.52%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%