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

Loaiza, 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 Loaiza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loaiza in America

Loaiza is the 11114th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loaiza surname appeared 2,854 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Loaiza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loaiza 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 Loaiza

The surname Loaiza originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "loaza," which means "muddy" or "swampy." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a marshy area or near a swamp.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces. This document mentions a certain "Alfonso Loaiza," who was granted land in the region.

In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Loaiza residing in the town of Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid. This family was known for their involvement in the wool trade, which was a significant industry in Spain at the time.

During the 16th century, the name Loaiza gained prominence with the exploits of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer and conquistador. Balboa's mother's maiden name was Loaiza, and he is said to have used this name occasionally, although he is better known by his father's surname, Núñez de Balboa.

Another notable figure with the surname Loaiza was García de Loaisa, a Spanish navigator and explorer who led an expedition to the Moluccas Islands in the Pacific Ocean in the early 16th century. His expedition, known as the Loaisa Expedition, was one of the earliest attempts to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west across the Pacific.

In the 17th century, there was a notable poet and playwright named Juan de Loaisa, who was born in Seville in 1593 and died in 1658. He was known for his religious works and was a member of the Hermandad de Sacerdotes Operarios (Brotherhood of Operative Priests) in Seville.

As the Spanish empire expanded, the name Loaiza was carried to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the Philippines, where it can still be found today. However, its origins can be traced back to the marshy regions of medieval Spain, where the name first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loaiza

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

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

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

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