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

Zaia, 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 Zaia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zaia in America

Zaia is the 50960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zaia surname appeared 409 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 Zaia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zaia 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 Zaia

The surname Zaia is believed to have its origins in Italy, specifically from the Veneto region, tracing back to medieval times. The name is a diminutive form derived from the given name "Isaia," which in turn stems from the biblical name "Isaiah," meaning "Yahweh is salvation" in Hebrew. This reflects the typical Italian practice of forming surnames from given names by truncating, modifying, or adding diminutive suffixes.

In historical references, the surname Zaia appears to have been recorded in various forms. One of the earliest instances can be found in 13th-century civic documents from Venice, where the name appears as Zayo or Zaja. This indicates the transitional nature of surnames during this period, when orthographic conventions were not yet standardized.

Andrea Zaia, born in 1420 in Venice, was a noted Venetian merchant whose business correspondences from the mid-15th century provide insights into the commercial networks of the time. His dealings across the Mediterranean were indicative of the economic activities that many bearers of this surname were engaged in.

Another significant figure bearing the name is Giovanni Battista Zaia, a 16th-century military officer known for his service in the Venetian navy. His contributions during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 have been documented in various military archives, highlighting the valor and strategic acumen of members of the Zaia family in Venetian service.

In the field of the arts, Francesca Zaia, born in 1655, emerged as a notable painter during the Baroque period. Her works, predominantly religious and commissioned by Venetian churches, bear the stylistic influences of her time and contribute to our understanding of the cultural milieu in which the Zaia name prospered.

The 18th century saw Ansaldo Zaia, born in 1734, gain recognition as a legal scholar and jurist. His treatises on Venetian law were influential in the legal reforms of the Republic of Venice, reflecting the intellectual contributions of individuals with this surname.

Lastly, Vincenzo Zaia, a botanist born in 1820, played a key role in the botanical exploration of Northern Italy. His expeditions and subsequent documentation of plant species in the Alpine regions were critical to the development of botanical sciences in Italy.

Through historical records and contributions across various fields, the surname Zaia presents a rich tapestry of cultural, military, and intellectual history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zaia

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

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

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

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