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

Urtiaga, 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 Urtiaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Urtiaga in America

Urtiaga is the 107669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Urtiaga surname appeared 165 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 Urtiaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Urtiaga 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 Urtiaga

The surname "URTIAGA" has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Basque words "urti," meaning "water," and "aga," which can refer to a place or location, suggesting a connection to a specific area near a body of water or a waterway.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Basque census records from the late 15th century, where it appears as "Vrtiaga" or "Vrteaga." These variations likely reflect the evolution of the spelling over time, as well as regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various historical documents, including property records and legal proceedings in the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. Some notable individuals bearing the surname during this period include Juan Urtiaga, a merchant from the town of Tolosa, who was active in the 1550s, and Martín Urtiaga, a landowner from Hernani, whose name is mentioned in a land dispute from the late 1500s.

As the Basque population dispersed throughout Spain and beyond, the name spread to other regions. One notable example is Pedro Urtiaga, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the 18th century and participated in the Spanish conquest of Florida.

In the 19th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of José Urtiaga Urquijo (1827-1896), a prominent Basque industrialist and entrepreneur who founded several successful businesses in the mining and steel industries. His son, Tomás Urtiaga Urquijo (1866-1943), followed in his footsteps and became a respected figure in the Basque business community.

Another notable individual with the surname was Ángel Urtiaga (1875-1955), a Basque painter and artist who was part of the Impressionist movement in Spain and gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits.

The name "URTIAGA" has also been associated with various place names in the Basque region, such as Urtiaga Goikoa and Urtiaga Bekoa, which are small villages or neighborhoods in the municipality of Andoain, Gipuzkoa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Urtiaga

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

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

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

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