2000
#19,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,263
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Urzua
A surname of Basque origin meaning "mountain pass" or "door".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,907 Americans carry the last name Urzua. That puts it at #16,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 179,735 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urzua surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 179,735
Census rank
#16,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,663 bearers of the surname Urzua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urzua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urzua
The surname URZUA has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, where the name was likely derived from the Basque word "urtsu," meaning "watery" or "abundant in water."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name URZUA can be found in the Becerro Antiguo, a medieval census record from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with variations of the surname, such as Urçua and Urçoa, indicating that the name was already well-established in that region.
During the 15th century, the URZUA name appeared in various historical records, including the Libro de Armeria, a heraldic manuscript documenting noble families and their coats of arms. This suggests that the URZUA family held a certain degree of social status and prominence at the time.
The first notable figure with the surname URZUA was Juan de Urzua, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who lived in the late 16th century. He led an expedition to the northern territories of New Spain (present-day Mexico) in search of the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.
In the 17th century, Alonso de Urzua y Arizmendi (c. 1590-1655) was a Spanish military officer who served as the Governor of New Mexico from 1638 to 1639. He played a crucial role in the defense of the region against attacks by indigenous tribes.
Another significant individual bearing the URZUA name was María de Urzua (born c. 1680), a Spanish noblewoman known for her philanthropic endeavors. She founded several charitable institutions and educational facilities in her hometown of Bilbao, leaving a lasting impact on the local community.
In the 19th century, José María Urzua (1811-1872) was a prominent Mexican politician and military leader. He served as the Governor of Zacatecas and played a key role in the War of the Reform, supporting the liberal forces against the conservative regime.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Manuel Urzua (1868-1935) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the early 20th century. He was instrumental in shaping Chile's economic and diplomatic policies at the time.
While the URZUA surname originated in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to countries in Latin America, due to Spanish colonization and migration. Despite its widespread distribution, the name maintains a strong connection to its Basque roots and the historical significance it holds within that cultural context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urzua
Among Census respondents with the surname Urzua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Urzua bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Urzua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.2% · 1,584
- White4.1% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urzua
Urzua appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,757
+494 bearers (+39.1%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 3,349 places
2020
#16,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,663
-94 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 332 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,734 | 1,263 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,385 | 1,757 | 0.60 | +494 bearers (+39.1%) | Up 3,349 places |
| 2020 | #16,717 | 1,663 | 0.56 | -94 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 332 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Urzua surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,385 | #16,717 | -2.0% |
| Count | 1,757 | 1,663 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.56 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urzua bearers went from 1,757 to 1,663 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 332 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,385 to #16,717.
FAQ
Urzua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urzua?
Name Census estimates that about 1,907 living Americans carry the surname Urzua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 179,735 residents.
How common is Urzua?
Urzua ranks #16,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,663 people with the surname Urzua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,907), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Urzua.
Has Urzua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urzua went from 1,757 recorded bearers to 1,663. That is a decrease of 94 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,385 to #16,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Urzua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urzua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Urzua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (1,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urzua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.2%), White (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Urzua (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Urzua mean?
A surname of Basque origin meaning "mountain pass" or "door". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Urzua (0.56 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Urzua?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Urzua at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.