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

Maza, 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 Maza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maza in America

Maza is the 14617th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maza surname appeared 2,036 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 Maza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maza 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 Maza

The surname MAZA is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. Its roots are believed to lie in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, where it was likely derived from the Basque word "maza," meaning a cudgel or club. This suggests that the name may have originated from someone who worked as a club-maker or wielded such a weapon.

One of the earliest recorded references to the MAZA name can be found in the archives of the city of Bilbao, Spain, dating back to the late 1400s. It is mentioned in a document detailing a legal dispute over property ownership, which lists a certain Juan de MAZA as one of the parties involved.

In the 16th century, the MAZA surname began to spread beyond the Basque region as Spain expanded its territories through exploration and conquest. It appears in various historical records from this period, including the baptismal records of the Cathedral of Seville, where a child named Pedro MAZA was baptized in 1589.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the MAZA name became more widely dispersed throughout Spain and its colonies in the Americas. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Pedro de MAZA y Lozano (1592-1662), a Spanish priest and writer who authored several religious texts, and Juan de MAZA y Cabrera (1655-1722), a Spanish military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.

As the Spanish empire grew, the MAZA surname also made its way to the Philippines, where it is still found today. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Philippines is that of Antonio MAZA, a Spanish soldier who arrived in Manila in the late 16th century and is believed to have started a family there.

Other notable figures with the MAZA surname include José María MAZA (1784-1868), a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the President of Mexico for a brief period in 1844, and Rafael MAZA Campos (1853-1928), a Cuban painter and art professor who was instrumental in the development of Cuban art education.

Throughout its history, the MAZA surname has seen variations in spelling, including Maza, Maza y, and Mazas, reflecting regional differences and the influence of other languages. Despite these variations, the name has maintained a strong presence across Spain, Latin America, and beyond, serving as a testament to its enduring legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maza

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

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

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

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