The Alva surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,026 people carried this name — #5,750 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 49,000 people counted. That is up 32% from 4,573 in 2000.

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 1,712 people named Alva live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 581
Entre Ríos 379
City of Buenos Aires 306
Córdoba 102
Salta 75
Santa Fe 74
San Luis 68
Tucumán 30

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Alva is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 26

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Alva in American newspapers,
1872–1921.

Newspaper page from Daily Inter Mountain carrying the name Alva
Daily Inter Mountain 1900-02-23
Newspaper page from East Mississippi Times carrying the name Alva
East Mississippi Times 1921-07-22
Newspaper page from New Orleans Republican carrying the name Alva
New Orleans Republican 1872-06-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 188,896 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Alva in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

4,801 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Alva. The most, 1,122, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,197
Victoria 1,185
South Australia 1,069
Western Australia 574
Queensland 481
Tasmania 170
ACT (Canberra) 41

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Alva.

Who carried it

People named Alva,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joachim Alva
    Joachim Alva 1907–1979 · politician
  • Joachim Alva
    Joachim Alva 1907–1979 · politician
  • Javier Alva Orlandini
    Javier Alva Orlandini 1927–2020 · lawyer
  • Luigi Alva
    Luigi Alva 1927–2025 · singer
  • Felipe Alva Alva 1888–1975 · judge
  • Violet Alva 1908–1969 · lawyer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Alva,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States415 records

415 records of the Alva name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 313
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 46
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 36
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 11
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Adolfo J. Alva

    Born 1917 in California. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Bliss El Paso, Texas; auto plant worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Michele Alva

    Arrived at New York in 1912 aboard the Ancona from Genoa, aged 25; farm laborer. From Bovalino, Reggio Di Calabria, Italy; bound for Brooklyn.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Macaril Q. Alva

    Born 1930; from San Bernardino County, California. U.S. Army, medical aidman; died of wounds 1951 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 415 records for Alva in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

France5 records

5 records of the Alva name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Andre Alain Alva

    Born 1947 in Givors; died 1986 in Lyon (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Toussaint Martial Alva

    Born 1924 in Bordeaux; died 1993 in Bordeaux (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Alva

    Born 1920 in Givors; died 1997 in Givors (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Alva in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the Alva name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record The Duke Of Alva

    Arrived in Victoria in 1899 aboard the Himalaya, aged 54.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Alva in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Alva name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Inneken Alva

    Married in 1680 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Alva.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Alva is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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