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

Merizalde, 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 Merizalde surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Merizalde in America

Merizalde is the 81772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Merizalde surname appeared 231 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 Merizalde.

We can also compare 2010 data for Merizalde 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 Merizalde

The surname Merizalde is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is a locational surname, derived from the name of a specific place or town. The earliest known spelling of the name was Merizalde, which likely comes from the Basque words "meritu" meaning merit or virtue, and "alde" meaning side or area. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a virtuous or meritorious place or region.

Records show that the Merizalde family can be traced back to the 12th century in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. One of the earliest documented references to the name is found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a landowner named Lope Merizalde.

In the 14th century, there are records of a Juan Merizalde who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Tolosa, Gipuzkoa. He is mentioned in several historical documents related to trade and property transactions during that time.

The name Merizalde also appears in various other historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Corónica General de España by Ambrosio de Morales, which mentions a knight named Martín Merizalde who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Merizalde was Diego Merizalde de Eguía (1603-1678), a Spanish military engineer and architect who played a significant role in the construction of fortifications and defensive works in various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Philippines and the Caribbean.

Another noteworthy figure was Juan Bautista Merizalde (1737-1805), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who participated in several voyages of exploration and discovery in the Pacific Ocean and along the coast of North America.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Merizalde was Francisco Merizalde y Antigua (1823-1891), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Congress of Deputies and was influential in shaping legal reforms in Spain during that period.

While the surname Merizalde is more commonly found in Spain and Latin American countries with Spanish heritage, it has also been documented in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Merizalde

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

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

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

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