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

Ollarzabal, 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 Ollarzabal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ollarzabal in America

Ollarzabal is the 153769th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ollarzabal surname appeared 106 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 Ollarzabal.

The history of the last name Ollarzabal

The surname Ollarzabal has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It can be traced back to the 16th century, with the earliest known recording of the name appearing in church records from the village of Ollarzun in Navarre, Spain in the year 1545.

Ollarzabal is a compound Basque surname, derived from the combination of the words "ollar" meaning "oven" or "kiln" and "zabal" meaning "wide" or "broad". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near or worked with a large oven or kiln, perhaps a baker or potter.

In the 17th century, several Ollarzabal families were documented as living in the Basque towns of Lesaka and Yanci, also in Navarre. During this period, variations in spelling such as Olarzabal and Ollarzabala were common, reflecting the fluid nature of surname standardization at the time.

One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the name was Juan de Ollarzabal, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 1520s under Hernán Cortés. Records show that he was granted land in the Valley of Mexico as a reward for his service.

Another prominent Ollarzabal was Martín de Ollarzabal, a 17th-century priest and theologian who authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Salamanca in Spain.

In the 18th century, the Ollarzabal name appeared in various Spanish colonial records from the Americas, indicating that some members of the family had participated in the exploration and settlement of the New World.

One such example is José Ignacio de Ollarzabal, a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who was born in Havana, Cuba in 1755. He is credited with creating several important maps of the Caribbean region during his career.

As the Basque people migrated to other parts of Spain and beyond, the Ollarzabal surname spread as well. In the 19th century, Julián Ollarzabal, born in 1812 in the Spanish province of Álava, became a respected lawyer and politician, serving as a member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies.

Another notable figure was Ramón Ollarzabal, a Basque writer and journalist who was born in Tolosa, Spain in 1865. He was a prolific author and contributor to various Basque-language publications, helping to preserve and promote the region's cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ollarzabal

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

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 Ollarzabal 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.

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

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

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