2000
#4,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,629
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.83
Uncommon Last name
Zamudio
A Basque habitational surname indicating the person was from Zamudio, a town near Bilbao, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,238 Americans carry the last name Zamudio. That puts it at #3,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,007 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zamudio 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
12K
1 in 28,007
Census rank
#3,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,672 bearers of the surname Zamudio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zamudio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zamudio
The surname ZAMUDIO is of Spanish origin, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. The name is believed to have originated from the Basque region, where it was likely derived from a combination of the words "zama" (meaning "burden" or "load") and "udi" (meaning "village" or "settlement").
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ZAMUDIO surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that documented the names of landowners and their properties in various regions of Castile. This suggests that individuals with the ZAMUDIO surname held land and may have been part of the local gentry or nobility during that time.
The ZAMUDIO name is also closely associated with the town of Zamudio, located in the Basque province of Biscay. It is possible that the surname originated from this specific place name, which itself may have been derived from the Basque words mentioned earlier.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the ZAMUDIO surname. One such figure was Juan de Zamudio, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century. Another notable ZAMUDIO was Gaspar de Zamudio y Agüero (1548-1623), a Spanish jurist and legal scholar who served as a magistrate in the Audiencia of Lima, Peru.
In the realm of art and literature, Mariano Zamudio (1816-1886) was a notable Mexican painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and depictions of everyday life in Mexico during the 19th century. Jesús Zamudio (1853-1916) was a Mexican poet and journalist whose works explored themes of nationalism and social justice.
Moving into more recent times, María Cristina Zamudio (1952-2018) was a prominent Mexican actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows, earning critical acclaim for her performances and contributions to Mexican cinema.
While the ZAMUDIO surname may have originated in the Basque region, it has since spread to various parts of Spain and Latin America, particularly Mexico, where it continues to be a prominent surname today. The rich history and cultural significance of this name reflect the diverse heritage and contributions of those who have carried it throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zamudio
Among Census respondents with the surname Zamudio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zamudio 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 Zamudio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.7% · 10,003
- White4.8% · 509
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 76
- Two or more races0.4% · 41
- Black or African American0.3% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zamudio
Zamudio 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
#3,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,384
+3,755 bearers (+49.2%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Up 1,129 places
2020
#3,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,672
-712 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,303 | 7,629 | 2.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,174 | 11,384 | 3.86 | +3,755 bearers (+49.2%) | Up 1,129 places |
| 2020 | #3,309 | 10,672 | 3.57 | -712 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 135 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 Zamudio 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 | #3,174 | #3,309 | -4.3% |
| Count | 11,384 | 10,672 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.57 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zamudio bearers went from 11,384 to 10,672 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,174 to #3,309.
FAQ
Zamudio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zamudio?
Name Census estimates that about 12,238 living Americans carry the surname Zamudio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,007 residents.
How common is Zamudio?
Zamudio ranks #3,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,672 people with the surname Zamudio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Zamudio.
Has Zamudio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zamudio went from 11,384 recorded bearers to 10,672. That is a decrease of 712 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,174 to #3,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Zamudio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zamudio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Zamudio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (10,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zamudio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.7%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Zamudio (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 Zamudio mean?
A Basque habitational surname indicating the person was from Zamudio, a town near Bilbao, Spain. 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 Zamudio (3.57 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 Zamudio?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Zamudio at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.