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

Urbay, 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 Urbay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Urbay in America

Urbay is the 111988th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Urbay surname appeared 157 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 Urbay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Urbay 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 Urbay

The surname Urbay originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "urbe," meaning "town" or "village," combined with the suffix "-ay," which denotes a place. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who hailed from a specific town or village.

The earliest known records of the Urbay surname date back to the 14th century, when it appeared in various medieval documents and registries from the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. It is likely that the name was initially associated with a particular settlement or locality within these regions.

In the 16th century, the Urbay name was mentioned in the "Becerro Galicano," a census-like document that recorded the noble families and landowners of the Basque Country. This suggests that the Urbays held a certain social standing and prominence during this period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Urbay surname was Juan de Urbay, a merchant and shipowner from the town of Bilbao who lived in the late 15th century. He was involved in the thriving maritime trade between the Basque ports and other parts of Europe.

Another notable figure was Martín de Urbay, a Catholic priest and theologian born in the town of Azpeitia in 1536. He authored several religious works and served as a Canon of the Cathedral of Pamplona.

In the 17th century, Pedro de Urbay y Arteaga (1610-1678) was a prominent military officer who served in the Spanish army during the Thirty Years' War and later became the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

María Urbay Berrio (1784-1860), born in San Sebastián, was a renowned philanthropist and benefactor who established several charitable institutions and schools in her hometown.

Lastly, Ignacio Urbay Oar (1845-1921), a native of Bilbao, was a successful businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the Basque iron and steel industry in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Urbay

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

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

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

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