The Leiva surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,193 people carried this name — #4,335 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,000 people counted. That is up 49% from 5,505 in 2000.

See Leiva on the map Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the Leiva surname

From Spanish Leiva; this surname is predominantly found in Argentina.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Leiva» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 77,501 people named Leiva 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 28,775
Santa Fe 6,769
Entre Ríos 3,859
Chaco 3,642
Corrientes 3,521
Córdoba 3,475
Santiago del Estero 3,361
Tucumán 3,302

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

In Switzerland’s population statistics

44 people named Leiva live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 20
Geneva 13
Vaud 7
Bern 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 24 people named Leiva.

Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 16
Bouches-du-Rhône 5
Haute-Garonne 1
Hérault 1
Tarn-et-Garonne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

54 people named Leiva is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 54

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

Leiva in American newspapers,
1910–1913.

Newspaper page from The Lancaster Gazette carrying the name Leiva
The Lancaster Gazette 1910-10-05
Newspaper page from The Lancaster Gazette carrying the name Leiva
The Lancaster Gazette 1913-09-24
Newspaper page from The Lancaster Gazette carrying the name Leiva
The Lancaster Gazette 1911-09-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,578 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Leiva,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ramon Nonato Leiva Narvaez d. 1973 · teacher
  • Manuel Antonio Leiva Muñoz d. 1973 · laborer
  • Oscar Armando Leiva Jimenez d. 1975 · professional photographer
  • Eduardo Leiva Adasme d. 1973
  • Daniel Alberto Leiva Gonzalez d. 1980
  • Sergio Gustavo Leiva Molina d. 1974

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Leiva,
in the records of 3 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 States142 records

142 records of the Leiva name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 103
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 18
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 8
  • Sacramento County historic burials 7
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 5
  • 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 Antonio M. Leiva

    Born 1917 in Mexico. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; hotel clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War; died 1999, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Isaac Leiva

    U.S. Navy veteran of World War I. Born 1899, died 1960; buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. The receipt card sent under the U.S. Alien Registration Act of 1940
    Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s
    Alien registration Eugenia V. Leiva

    Born 1862 in Mexico. Registered as a foreign national in Laredo, Texas, under the Alien Registration Act of 1940.

    U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain)

Showing 3 of 142 records for Leiva 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · 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); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain); Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form AR-3, photo by Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

France11 records

11 records of the Leiva 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 Josefa Leiva

    Born 1917 in Spain; died 1996 in Béziers (Hérault).

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

    Born 1922 in Spain; died 1991 in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales).

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

    Born 1960 in Marseille; died 2000 in Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Leiva 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Leiva name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Wilhelm Frank Xaverius Leiva

    Married in 1902 in Hengelo.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Hengelo (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 Leiva.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leiva 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.

See the Leiva volume
Scroll to Top