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

Deza, 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 Deza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Deza in America

Deza is the 54530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Deza surname appeared 378 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 Deza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Deza 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 Deza

The surname DEZA has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "deza," which means "slope" or "hill," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have resided in a hilly or sloping area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the DEZA surname can be found in the historical archives of the Spanish city of Seville, dating back to the 1300s. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Desa" or "Deza," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in medieval times.

In the 15th century, the DEZA surname gained prominence with the birth of Diego de Deza (1443-1523), a Spanish Dominican friar who served as the Archbishop of Seville and played a significant role in the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation.

Another notable figure bearing the DEZA surname was Pedro de Deza (1498-1567), a Spanish theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Salamanca and wrote extensively on topics such as logic and metaphysics.

During the 16th century, the DEZA surname was also associated with the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Juan de Deza (c. 1510-1585) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru and later served as the governor of the province of Quito (now part of Ecuador).

In the realm of literature, the DEZA surname is linked to Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (1533-1594), a Spanish soldier and poet who is best known for his epic poem "La Araucana," which chronicles the Spanish conquest of Chile and the Arauco War against the Mapuche people.

Another figure of note is Juan de Deza y Arguijo (1585-1658), a Spanish painter and poet who was part of the literary movement known as the Baroque period in Spain.

While the DEZA surname may have originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, where it can still be found today. However, it is important to note that the majority of historical records and notable figures associated with this surname can be traced back to its Spanish roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Deza

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

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

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

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