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

Zapien, 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 Zapien surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zapien in America

Zapien is the 9818th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zapien surname appeared 3,298 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Zapien.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zapien 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 Zapien

The surname "Zapien" originates from Spain and is believed to have its roots in the Basque region. It is thought to be derived from the Basque word "zapai," which means "thick" or "sturdy," likely referring to a person with a robust or sturdy build.

In the early Middle Ages, surnames were not commonly used in Spain. It wasn't until the 11th and 12th centuries that the practice of adopting hereditary surnames began to spread among the nobility and later the general population. The name "Zapien" is believed to have emerged during this period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Zapien" can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a census-like document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed individuals and families in various regions of Spain, including those bearing the surname "Zapien."

The name "Zapien" has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Juan Zapien, a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Another was Pedro Zapien de las Roelas, a 16th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Zapien family settled in the New World, particularly in New Spain (modern-day Mexico). One prominent member was Gaspar Zapien, a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Nueva Vizcaya (a region in present-day Mexico) from 1638 to 1642.

Another notable figure with the surname "Zapien" was Mariano Zapien y Sandoval, a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence. He was born in 1788 and served as a colonel in the insurgent army led by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

In more recent times, the name "Zapien" has been carried by individuals such as José Zapien, a Mexican-American artist and muralist born in 1918, and Alejandro Zapien, a Mexican-American writer and academic born in 1941, known for his contributions to Chicano literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zapien

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

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

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

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