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

Zaragoza, 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 Zaragoza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zaragoza in America

Zaragoza is the 1897th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zaragoza surname appeared 18,908 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Zaragoza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza

The surname Zaragoza originated in Spain, specifically in the city of Zaragoza, located in the northeastern region of Aragon. The name likely dates back to the 12th century when surnames began to be adopted in the region.

Zaragoza is derived from the Latin name "Caesaraugusta," which was the Roman name for the city. The name Caesaraugusta is a combination of the name "Caesar" and the word "Augusta," meaning "imperial." This suggests that the city may have been founded or granted special status by the Roman emperor Augustus.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Zaragoza can be found in the Repartimiento de Zaragoza, a document from the 12th century that records the distribution of land and property in the city after it was conquered by the Christians from the Moors in 1118.

In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Juan Zaragoza was a renowned architect and master builder who worked on several important projects in Aragon, including the Monastery of Piedra and the Cathedral of Teruel.

During the 16th century, a Spanish soldier and explorer named Juan de Zaragoza accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and later became one of the first settlers in the city of Veracruz.

Another notable individual with the surname Zaragoza was José María Zaragoza, a Mexican general who fought in the Mexican-American War and the War of the Reform in the mid-19th century. He is best known for his defense of the city of Puebla against the French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, which is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo in Mexico.

In the 20th century, Pedro Zaragoza Godínez was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the Secretary of Agriculture and Development during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas in the 1930s.

The surname Zaragoza is still relatively common in Spain, particularly in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia, as well as in parts of Mexico and other Latin American countries with significant Spanish heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zaragoza

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

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

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

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