2000
#12,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,247
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Zapien
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "zapia," meaning "bramble" or "thicket."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,694 Americans carry the last name Zapien. That puts it at #9,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zapien 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
3.7K
1 in 92,787
Census rank
#9,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,221 bearers of the surname Zapien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zapien, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zapien
Among Census respondents with the surname Zapien, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Zapien 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 Zapien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 3,055
- White4.2% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
- Two or more races0.4% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zapien
Zapien 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
#9,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,298
+1,051 bearers (+46.8%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 2,820 places
2020
#9,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,221
-77 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,638 | 2,247 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,818 | 3,298 | 1.12 | +1,051 bearers (+46.8%) | Up 2,820 places |
| 2020 | #9,641 | 3,221 | 1.08 | -77 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 177 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 Zapien 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 | #9,818 | #9,641 | 1.8% |
| Count | 3,298 | 3,221 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.08 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zapien bearers went from 3,298 to 3,221 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,818 to #9,641.
FAQ
Zapien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zapien?
Name Census estimates that about 3,694 living Americans carry the surname Zapien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,787 residents.
How common is Zapien?
Zapien ranks #9,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,221 people with the surname Zapien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,694), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Zapien.
Has Zapien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zapien went from 3,298 recorded bearers to 3,221. That is a decrease of 77 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,818 to #9,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Zapien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zapien, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Zapien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (3,055 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zapien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Zapien (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 Zapien mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "zapia," meaning "bramble" or "thicket." 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 Zapien (1.08 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 are called Zapien?
See how many Americans have the surname Zapien on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.