2000
#13,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Lizama
A Chamorro surname derived from the Spanish word "liza," meaning mullet fish, likely referring to a fisherman or seller of mullets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,905 Americans carry the last name Lizama. That puts it at #9,201 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lizama 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
3.9K
1 in 87,773
Census rank
#9,201
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,405 bearers of the surname Lizama in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9201st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lizama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%) and White (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lizama
The surname Lizama is of Spanish origin, specifically from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It dates back to the medieval period, around the 11th-12th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Basque words "liz" meaning "mud" or "clay" and "ama" meaning "mother" or "source," possibly referring to an area with fertile, muddy soil suitable for agriculture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lizama surname is found in the Becerro Galicano, a 13th-century document related to the nobility and landowners of the Kingdom of León and Castile. It mentions a certain Pedro Lizama who held lands in the region of Álava, in present-day Basque Country.
Another notable early reference is the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval cartulary from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 11th century. It includes a record of a certain Sancho Lizama, a landowner in the area.
The Lizama surname has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One example is Juan de Lizama, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century under Hernán Cortés. He was born in Álava, Spain, around 1495 and died in Mexico in the mid-1500s.
Another prominent figure was Pedro de Lizama y Leguizamón, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Panama from 1600 to 1603. He was born in Navarra, Spain, in the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, there was Diego de Lizama, a Spanish soldier and explorer who led expeditions in South America, particularly in present-day Colombia and Venezuela. He was born in Álava, Spain, around 1610.
In the 19th century, José Lizama was a notable Mexican politician and military officer who fought in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). He was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, in 1802 and died in 1876.
Another notable bearer of the Lizama surname was Julio Lizama, a Chilean journalist, writer, and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in the late 19th century. He was born in Chillán, Chile, in 1851 and died in 1923.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lizama
Among Census respondents with the surname Lizama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%) and White (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lizama 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 Lizama surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino76.7% · 2,610
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.8% · 436
- White5.6% · 190
- Two or more races3.3% · 113
- Black or African American1.5% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lizama
Lizama 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
#10,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,960
+978 bearers (+49.3%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 3,194 places
2020
#9,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,405
+445 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 1,576 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,971 | 1,982 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,777 | 2,960 | 1.00 | +978 bearers (+49.3%) | Up 3,194 places |
| 2020 | #9,201 | 3,405 | 1.14 | +445 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 1,576 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 Lizama 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 | #10,777 | #9,201 | 14.6% |
| Count | 2,960 | 3,405 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 1.14 | 13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lizama bearers went from 2,960 to 3,405 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 1,576 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,777 to #9,201.
FAQ
Lizama surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lizama?
Name Census estimates that about 3,905 living Americans carry the surname Lizama. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,773 residents.
How common is Lizama?
Lizama ranks #9,201 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,405 people with the surname Lizama. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,905), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Lizama.
Has Lizama become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lizama went from 2,960 recorded bearers to 3,405. That is an increase of 445 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,777 to #9,201.
What does the Census say about the background of Lizama?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lizama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%) and White (5.6%). 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 Lizama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (2,610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lizama appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (76.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%), White (5.6%). 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 Lizama (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 Lizama mean?
A Chamorro surname derived from the Spanish word "liza," meaning mullet fish, likely referring to a fisherman or seller of mullets. 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 Lizama (1.14 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 Lizama?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.