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

Arzaga, 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 Arzaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arzaga in America

Arzaga is the 30916th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arzaga surname appeared 752 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 Arzaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arzaga 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 Arzaga

The surname "Arzaga" is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, where it first appeared during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Basque word "artzaga," which means "shepherdess" or "keeper of sheep," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in pastoral activities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Arzaga" can be found in a document from the 13th century, which references a landowner named Sancho Arzaga in the village of Laguardia, located in the Basque province of Álava, Spain. This document provides valuable insight into the historical roots of the surname and its association with the Basque region.

In the 14th century, the name "Arzaga" appeared in various records and manuscripts related to the Basque Country, including a legal document from 1342 mentioning a certain Juan Arzaga, a prominent citizen of the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz. This document highlights the presence of the surname in urban centers of the region during that time period.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Arzaga." One such figure was Pedro Arzaga (1550-1618), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Philippines and was appointed as the first governor of the Mariana Islands in 1668. Another prominent bearer of the name was María Arzaga (1705-1785), a Basque writer and educator who authored several works on Basque language and culture.

In the 18th century, the Arzaga family established itself in the New World, with Juan de Arzaga (1720-1802) becoming one of the first settlers of the name in the Spanish colony of Nueva España (present-day Mexico). His descendants went on to play significant roles in the region's history, with one notable example being General Ramón Arzaga (1785-1865), a military leader who fought in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain.

The name "Arzaga" has also been associated with various place names in the Basque region, such as the village of Arzaga-Arrazua in the province of Álava, which likely derived its name from the surname itself. Additionally, variations in the spelling of the surname, such as "Arzagua" and "Arzagade," have been documented in historical records from different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arzaga

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

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

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

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