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

Urueta, 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 Urueta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Urueta in America

Urueta is the 36525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Urueta surname appeared 612 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 Urueta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Urueta 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 Urueta

The surname Urueta has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval era around the 11th century. It is believed to have originated from the Basque Country, a region straddling the border between northern Spain and southwestern France. The name is thought to be derived from the Basque words "uru," meaning "water" or "river," and "eta," meaning "and" or "with," potentially indicating a connection to a specific location near a river or body of water.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Urueta can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 11th century. This document contains references to individuals bearing the name Urueta, suggesting its use during that time period.

In the 13th century, the Urueta surname appears in the Becerro de las Behetrías, an important historical record documenting the territories and landholdings of the Castilian nobility. This record mentions several individuals with the surname Urueta, indicating their presence in various regions of Castile during that era.

Notable individuals with the surname Urueta include:

1. Juan de Urueta (c. 1480-1550), a Spanish historian and chronicler during the reign of King Charles I of Spain.
2. Pedro de Urueta (c. 1520-1590), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Álvaro de Mendaña on his expeditions to the Pacific Ocean.
3. Tomás de Urueta (c. 1570-1630), a Spanish military commander who served in the Spanish Armada and participated in the Eighty Years' War against the Dutch.
4. Martín de Urueta (c. 1610-1680), a Spanish architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Madrid and other parts of Spain.
5. María de Urueta (c. 1650-1720), a Spanish noblewoman and philanthropist who established a charitable foundation in her hometown of Bilbao.

The surname Urueta has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, particularly in the Basque Country and surrounding regions. For instance, the town of Urueta in the province of Álava is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself, indicating the historical presence of families bearing this name in that area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Urueta

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

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

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

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