Find out how popular the last name Espeleta is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Espeleta.
A surname derived from the Basque town of Espeleta, possibly referring to an origin or place of residence.
Espeleta, 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 Espeleta surname is from the 2010 census data.
Espeleta is the 59171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Espeleta surname appeared 342 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 Espeleta.
We can also compare 2010 data for Espeleta 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 | 59171 | 61376 | -3.66% |
| Count | 342 | 306 | 11.11% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.12 | 0.11 | 8.70% |
The surname Espeleta originates from the Basque region of Spain and France, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Basque word "espeleta," meaning "small ravine" or "gorge," suggesting that the name may have been associated with a geographical location or a place of residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Espeleta can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century, which contains references to individuals bearing this surname in the Basque region.
In the 13th century, the name Espeleta appeared in several historical documents, including the Fueros de Navarra, a collection of legal codes and charters from the Kingdom of Navarre. This suggests that the Espeleta family held a prominent position in the region during that time.
The surname Espeleta is also linked to several place names in the Basque Country, such as the town of Espelette in the Northern Basque Country of France. This town is known for its cultivation of Espelette peppers, which are named after the town itself.
One notable individual with the surname Espeleta was Juan de Espeleta (1597-1671), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (present-day Colombia and Panama) from 1670 to 1671.
Another prominent figure was José de Espeleta (1739-1795), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Viceroy of New Granada from 1789 to 1795. He played a significant role in the defense of the Spanish colonies against the British during the Anglo-Spanish War (1796-1808).
In the 19th century, José María Espeleta (1790-1855) was a Spanish politician and military officer who participated in the Peninsular War against the French invasion of Spain.
Additionally, Jaime Augusto Espeleta (1871-1958) was a Colombian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia in the early 20th century.
Lastly, Pedro Espeleta (1920-2010) was a Spanish painter and sculptor known for his abstract and surrealist works, who gained recognition in the artistic circles of Spain during the latter half of the 20th century.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Espeleta.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Espeleta was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 9.06% | 31 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 50.00% | 171 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.34% | 8 |
| Hispanic Origin | 38.01% | 130 |
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 Espeleta has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 9.06% | 11.76% | -25.94% |
| Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 50.00% | 50.65% | -1.29% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 2.34% | 1.96% | 17.67% |
| Hispanic | 38.01% | 35.29% | 7.42% |
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 Espeleta was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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