2000
#2,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,245
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.91
Uncommon Last name
Zaragoza
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Zaragoza in Aragon, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,836 Americans carry the last name Zaragoza. That puts it at #1,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,450 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zaragoza 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
21K
1 in 16,450
Census rank
#1,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,170 bearers of the surname Zaragoza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaragoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaragoza
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaragoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 16,881
- White4.1% · 744
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 368
- Two or more races0.6% · 104
- Black or African American0.2% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zaragoza
Zaragoza 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
#1,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,908
+5,663 bearers (+42.8%)
Per 100,000 6.41
Rank movement Up 598 places
2020
#1,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,170
-738 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 6.08
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,495 | 13,245 | 4.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,897 | 18,908 | 6.41 | +5,663 bearers (+42.8%) | Up 598 places |
| 2020 | #1,935 | 18,170 | 6.08 | -738 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 38 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 Zaragoza 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 | #1,897 | #1,935 | -2.0% |
| Count | 18,908 | 18,170 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.41 | 6.08 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zaragoza bearers went from 18,908 to 18,170 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,897 to #1,935.
FAQ
Zaragoza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zaragoza?
Name Census estimates that about 20,836 living Americans carry the surname Zaragoza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,450 residents.
How common is Zaragoza?
Zaragoza ranks #1,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,170 people with the surname Zaragoza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Zaragoza.
Has Zaragoza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zaragoza went from 18,908 recorded bearers to 18,170. That is a decrease of 738 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,897 to #1,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Zaragoza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaragoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Zaragoza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (16,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zaragoza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Zaragoza (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 Zaragoza mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Zaragoza in Aragon, 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 Zaragoza (6.08 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 Zaragoza?
Want to know how many people have the last name Zaragoza? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.