Quezada last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Quezada

A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person from the town of Quezada in the province of Jaén, Andalusia.

Quezada, 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 Quezada surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quezada in America

Quezada is the 1372nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quezada surname appeared 25,752 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Quezada.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quezada 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1372 1820 -28.07%
Count 25,752 18,107 34.86%
Proportion per 100k 8.73 6.71 26.17%

The history of the last name Quezada

The surname Quezada is of Spanish origin, with roots that can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "queza," which refers to a type of oak tree or shrub commonly found in the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Quezada surname dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various documents and records from the Kingdom of Castile. It is speculated that the name may have originated from a specific location or region where these oak trees were abundant, possibly serving as a distinguishing feature for those who inhabited the area.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Quezada family played a significant role in the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas. Notable figures include Pedro Quezada, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s, and Juan de Quezada, a Spanish explorer and settler who established one of the first settlements in what is now Texas in the late 1600s.

In the 17th century, the Quezada name appeared in various historical records and documents related to the Spanish colonial administration in the Americas. For instance, Luis de Quezada was a prominent colonial official who served as the governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1653 to 1659.

As the centuries passed, the Quezada surname continued to spread across various regions of the Spanish-speaking world. One notable individual was Miguel de Quezada y Vergara, a Chilean military officer and politician who served as the interim President of Chile from 1891 to 1892.

Other notable figures bearing the Quezada surname include Ernesto Quezada, a Mexican artist and painter known for his works depicting the Mexican Revolution (1876-1957), and Rafael Quezada Riquelme, a Chilean writer and poet who played a significant role in the literary movement known as the "Generation of 1938" (1899-1962).

While the origins of the Quezada surname can be traced back to medieval Spain, it has since become a widespread name across various Spanish-speaking countries, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions carrying this surname throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quezada

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

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 Quezada was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.99% 770
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.23% 59
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.30% 77
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.10% 26
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.09% 23
Hispanic Origin 96.29% 24,797

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 Quezada has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.99% 3.13% -4.58%
Black 0.23% 0.20% 13.95%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.30% 0.37% -20.90%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.10% 0.14% -33.33%
Two or More Races 0.09% 0.25% -94.12%
Hispanic 96.29% 95.90% 0.41%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Quezada last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/quezada-surname-popularity/.

"Quezada last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/quezada-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 December, 2024

Quezada last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/quezada-surname-popularity/.

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