Find out how popular the last name Aja is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Aja.

Aja, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Aja surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aja in America

Aja is the 44109th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aja surname appeared 488 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Aja.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aja to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Aja

The surname Aja is of Spanish origin, derived from the Arabic word "al-aja," which means "the valley" or "the riverbed." This name can be traced back to the 8th century AD when the Moors conquered parts of the Iberian Peninsula, including present-day Spain and Portugal.

The earliest known record of the surname Aja appears in the Cartulario de San Vicente de Oviedo, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Gonzalo Aja who owned lands in the region of Asturias, in northern Spain.

During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms gradually regained control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, the surname Aja spread to other parts of Spain. In the 12th century, there are records of a knight named Rodrigo Aja who fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.

In the 16th century, the surname Aja was also found in the Americas, as Spanish conquistadors and settlers brought their names to the New World. One of the earliest recorded examples is Juan de Aja, a soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the 1520s.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Aja. One of the most famous was Pedro Aja y Riquer, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century (1676-1738). He is known for his works depicting religious and historical scenes.

Another prominent figure was José Aja Ésquivel, a Mexican writer and journalist from the 19th century (1834-1886). He was a staunch defender of liberal and republican ideals and played an important role in the Reform War in Mexico.

In the 20th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Aja was the American musician and composer Steely Dan, whose real name was Walter Aja (1949-2020). He was renowned for his distinctive jazz-rock style and was a key member of the renowned band.

Other notable individuals with the surname Aja include Fernando Aja Díaz, a Spanish politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food from 2004 to 2008, and Lidia Aja, a Cuban-American artist known for her abstract expressionist paintings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aja

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Aja.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Aja was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Aja has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Aja was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aja, please contact us.

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