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

Suniga, 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 Suniga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Suniga in America

Suniga is the 13790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Suniga surname appeared 2,193 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 Suniga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Suniga 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 Suniga

The surname Suniga originated in Spain, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "suni," meaning fire or flame, coupled with the suffix "-ga," often used to denote a place of origin. This suggests that the name may have referred to a person or family associated with a location where fires or flames were prominent, such as a blacksmith's forge or a volcanic region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Suniga name appears in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census of landholdings and settlements in the Kingdom of Castile, compiled in the 14th century. This document mentions individuals bearing the name Suniga residing in the region of Burgos, located in northern Spain.

In the 15th century, the Suniga family gained prominence as members of the Castilian nobility. Notably, Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán (1410-1488) served as the Duke of Arévalo and played a significant role in the political intrigues surrounding the reign of Isabella I of Castile. His son, Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán (1455-1531), also held influential positions as the Duke of Béjar and a member of the Royal Council of Castile.

The Suniga name has also been linked to various place names in Spain, such as Zuñiga, a municipality in the province of Navarre, and Zúñiga, a village in the province of Badajoz. These locations likely derived their names from the Suniga family or their ancestral lands.

Another notable figure bearing the Suniga surname was Juan de Zúñiga Avellaneda (1556-1631), a Spanish playwright and poet who authored several works, including the comedies "El amor invencionero" and "El hombre Dios."

In the realm of exploration and colonization, Diego López de Zúñiga (c. 1510-1564) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He later served as the governor of the Charcas region, now part of modern-day Bolivia.

While the Suniga name has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin America, due to Spanish colonial expansion and migration patterns. Individuals bearing this surname can be found in various countries, including Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Suniga

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

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

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

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