Avina
A rare surname with unclear origin, likely connected to an older personal name or place-name tradition in English records.
The #3,891 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,846 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical sources supplied mention Avina as an older name, but they do not give a firm derivation for the surname itself. Because the evidence is thin and mostly incidental, its exact root remains uncertain. It may reflect a short-lived medieval or early modern personal name, or a surname formed from a now-obscure local name.
History
The name appears in early modern English records, showing that it was in use at least sporadically in England. By the late 19th century, Ferguson described it as obsolete or nearly so, which suggests it was already rare in his day. The modern U.S. surname is likely a later survival or immigrant spelling form rather than a continuous common English surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century name scholar specifically listed Avina among names that had gone out of ordinary use, which is part of why it is so hard to pin down today.
From the historical record
“of a single register ; 1700. Georve Avina and Ann CWiimi ; St. Geo. Han. S9. ii. 85. — Rkhard Oabome and Ann Smith; ibid. p. 161.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances