2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Olazo
A Spanish surname derived from Galician meaning "good star" or "lucky star."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Olazo. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olazo 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Olazo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olazo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olazo
The surname OLAZO has its origins in the Basque Country, a region straddling the western Pyrenees in northern Spain and southern France. It is believed to have emerged during the 8th to 10th centuries, a period when the Basque language and culture were particularly influential in the area.
OLAZO is thought to be derived from the Basque words "ola," meaning "mill" or "factory," and "zo," a suffix indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked at a mill or factory.
While there are no definitive records of the name's earliest usage, it is possible that it appeared in medieval Basque texts or documents from the region. However, the earliest known written instances of the surname OLAZO date back to the 15th century.
One notable person with this surname was Martín de Olazo, a Basque soldier and explorer who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the early 16th century. He accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and later settled in the region.
Another figure of historical significance was Domingo de Olazo, a 17th-century Basque monk and scholar who authored several works on theology and philosophy. He was born in Bilbao, Spain, in 1612 and died in Vitoria, Spain, in 1684.
In the 18th century, Juan Antonio de Olazo was a prominent Basque merchant and shipowner based in San Sebastián, Spain. He played a significant role in the region's maritime trade and commerce during that period.
The 19th century saw the birth of Enrique Olazo y Pimentel, a Spanish writer and journalist who was born in Madrid in 1842. He was known for his literary works and contributions to several publications of the time.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, María Olazo Fernández was a Spanish educator and advocate for women's rights. Born in Seville in 1878, she fought for equal access to education and opportunities for women in Spain.
While the surname OLAZO has its roots in the Basque Country, it has since spread to other parts of Spain and beyond, carried by individuals and families as they migrated and settled in new regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olazo
Among Census respondents with the surname Olazo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Olazo 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 Olazo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander61.2% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino30.6% · 30
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
- White3.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olazo
Olazo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 2,163 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 Olazo 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 | #158,432 | #156,269 | 1.4% |
| Count | 102 | 98 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olazo bearers went from 102 to 98 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 2,163 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,269.
FAQ
Olazo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olazo?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Olazo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Olazo?
Olazo ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Olazo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Olazo.
Has Olazo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olazo went from 102 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Olazo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olazo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Olazo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (60 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olazo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (61.2%), Hispanic (30.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Olazo (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 Olazo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from Galician meaning "good star" or "lucky star." 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 Olazo (0.03 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 are called Olazo?
You can see how many people have the last name Olazo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.