2000
#12,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Lezama
A Basque habitational surname indicating a person from the town of Lezama in Biscay, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,340 Americans carry the last name Lezama. That puts it at #8,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lezama surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,976
Census rank
#8,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,785 bearers of the surname Lezama in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lezama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and White (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lezama
The surname Lezama is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. It is thought to be derived from the Basque word "leza," which means "cave" or "grotto," and "ama," meaning "mother." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with a place or area where there were notable caves or grottos.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lezama can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century that contains legal documents and property records from the Kingdom of Navarre and the surrounding areas. This suggests that the name was already in use in that region by the late Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Lezama was Juan de Lezama, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro. He was born in the late 15th century and died around 1545.
Another prominent individual with the surname Lezama was José Lezama Lima, a Cuban poet, novelist, and essayist who was a key figure in the Cuban literary renaissance of the 20th century. He was born in 1910 and died in 1976, and is considered one of the most influential writers in Latin American literature.
In the 17th century, there was a Spanish painter named Juan Lezama who was active in Madrid and is known for his religious paintings and works depicting scenes from the Bible.
Another notable figure with the surname Lezama was Mariano Lezama, a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as Governor of the State of Chihuahua in the late 19th century. He was born in 1820 and died in 1899.
The surname Lezama has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Lezama in the province of Álava, and Lezama de Leguizamón in the province of La Rioja. These place names may have contributed to the spread and distribution of the surname across different regions of Spain and later to other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lezama
Among Census respondents with the surname Lezama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and White (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lezama bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lezama surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.6% · 3,315
- Black or African American7.9% · 300
- White3.5% · 131
- Two or more races0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lezama
Lezama appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,840
+1,523 bearers (+65.7%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 3,727 places
2020
#8,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,785
-55 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,305 | 2,317 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,578 | 3,840 | 1.30 | +1,523 bearers (+65.7%) | Up 3,727 places |
| 2020 | #8,374 | 3,785 | 1.27 | -55 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 204 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lezama surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,578 | #8,374 | 2.4% |
| Count | 3,840 | 3,785 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.27 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lezama bearers went from 3,840 to 3,785 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,578 to #8,374.
FAQ
Lezama surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lezama?
Name Census estimates that about 4,340 living Americans carry the surname Lezama. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,976 residents.
How common is Lezama?
Lezama ranks #8,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,785 people with the surname Lezama. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lezama.
Has Lezama become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lezama went from 3,840 recorded bearers to 3,785. That is a decrease of 55 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,578 to #8,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Lezama?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lezama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and White (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lezama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (3,315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lezama appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.6%), Black (7.9%), White (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lezama (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lezama mean?
A Basque habitational surname indicating a person from the town of Lezama in Biscay, Spain. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lezama (1.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Lezama?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.