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

Alzaga, 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 Alzaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alzaga in America

Alzaga is the 72105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alzaga surname appeared 270 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 Alzaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alzaga 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 Alzaga

The surname Alzaga has its origins in the Basque region of Spain. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, potentially as early as the 10th or 11th century. It is likely derived from the Basque words "alza," meaning "hill" or "slope," and "ga," a location suffix. This suggests the name originally referred to individuals residing near or on a specific hill or elevated area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Alzaga surname can be found in the "Becerro Galicano de las Behetrias de Castilla" (Book of Galician Behetrias of Castile), a 14th-century manuscript that documented various towns and landowners in the region. This document mentions an individual named Lope Iñiguez de Alzaga, who held property in the town of Orduña, located in the Basque Country.

In the 15th century, historical records show a prominent Basque family named Alzaga residing in the town of Bilbao. One notable member was Juan de Alzaga, who served as a magistrate and held influential positions within the local government during the late 1400s. His son, Pedro de Alzaga, was a respected merchant and trader who established trade connections with other European cities in the early 1500s.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, several individuals bearing the Alzaga surname made their way to the New World. One such figure was Martín de Alzaga, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century. Another notable individual was Juan de Alzaga, a Basque explorer and navigator who accompanied several expeditions to the Americas in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

In the 18th century, a prominent military figure named José de Alzaga y Urdaniz served as a general in the Spanish army. He played a crucial role in the defense of Buenos Aires during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata region between 1806 and 1807. His actions earned him recognition and the title of "Defender of Buenos Aires."

Throughout history, there have been numerous other individuals with the Alzaga surname who have made significant contributions in various fields. For example, Ignacio de Alzaga was a renowned architect in the late 18th century, responsible for designing several notable buildings in Madrid. In the 20th century, Jesús Alzaga was a respected philosopher and educator who taught at several universities in Spain and authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alzaga

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

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 Alzaga 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 Alzaga 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 Alzaga was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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