Araiza last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Araiza

A Basque surname derived from the word "arai," meaning "plum tree," likely referring to someone who lived near such trees.

Araiza, 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 Araiza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Araiza in America

Araiza is the 4956th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Araiza surname appeared 7,095 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Araiza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Araiza 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4956 6002 -19.09%
Count 7,095 5,284 29.26%
Proportion per 100k 2.41 1.96 20.59%

The history of the last name Araiza

The surname Araiza originates from Spain and is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "araiza," which means "plowman" or "farmer." This name first appeared in the Basque region of northern Spain during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instance of the Araiza surname dates back to the 13th century, when it was mentioned in a medieval census record from the town of Vitoria, located in the present-day Basque Country. The name was likely associated with individuals who worked as farmers or were involved in agricultural activities.

In the 15th century, the Araiza surname was found in various historical documents from the region of Navarre, which borders the Basque Country. These records often referred to individuals with this last name as landowners or tenants of agricultural properties.

One notable historical figure bearing the Araiza surname was Pedro de Araiza, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. He participated in the expeditions of Hernán Cortés and played a role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Another prominent individual with the Araiza surname was Juan de Araiza, a 17th-century Spanish architect who was involved in the construction of several churches and buildings in the city of Seville. His work showcased the intricate Baroque architectural style prevalent during that period.

In the 18th century, the Araiza family had established roots in various parts of Spain, with some members migrating to the Americas, particularly to regions that are now part of Mexico and the southwestern United States. José María Araiza, a Mexican landowner and rancher, was a notable figure during the Mexican-American War in the mid-19th century.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, individuals with the Araiza surname contributed to various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts. One such figure was Ignacio Araiza, a Mexican poet and writer who was part of the literary movement known as the "Ateneo de la Juventud" in the early 1900s.

The Araiza surname has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals of Spanish and Mexican descent. While the name's origins can be traced back to the Basque region of Spain, it has become widely dispersed across different countries and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Araiza

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

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 Araiza was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.59% 326
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.08% 6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.21% 15
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.39% 28
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.21% 15
Hispanic Origin 94.50% 6,705

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 Araiza has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.59% 5.77% -22.78%
Black 0.08% 0.09% -11.76%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.21% 0.30% -35.29%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.39% 0.23% 51.61%
Two or More Races 0.21% 0.25% -17.39%
Hispanic 94.50% 93.36% 1.21%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Araiza last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/araiza-surname-popularity/.

"Araiza last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/araiza-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 October, 2024

Araiza last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/araiza-surname-popularity/.

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