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

Zárate, 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 Zárate surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zárate in America

Zárate is the 1713th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zárate surname appeared 20,992 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Zárate.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zárate 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 Zárate

The surname Zarate has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century or earlier. It is believed to have originated from the Basque region, where it may have derived from the Basque words "sare" meaning "net" and "ate" meaning "door" or "entrance". This suggests a connection to fishing villages or towns with gates or entrances.

The name Zarate first appeared in written records in the late 15th century, around the time of the Spanish unification and the beginnings of the Spanish colonial empire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Juan de Zarate, a Spanish conquistador and historian who lived from 1509 to 1557. He authored a chronicle of the Spanish conquest of Peru.

In the 16th century, the name Zarate was also found in records from the region of Aragon in northeastern Spain. It is possible that the name had multiple points of origin within the Iberian Peninsula before spreading to Spanish colonies in the Americas.

Notable individuals with the surname Zarate throughout history include:

1. Juan de Zarate (1509-1557), Spanish conquistador and historian.
2. Agustín de Zárate (1516-1590), Spanish Catholic prelate and scholar.
3. Fernando de Zárate (1525-1598), Spanish explorer and soldier in the conquest of Chile.
4. Antonio de Zárate (1555-1635), Spanish painter and engraver.
5. Miguel Zarate (1942-2022), Mexican boxer and Olympic medalist.

The surname Zarate has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Zaratamo and Zaratón, which may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa. Variations in spelling, such as Zarate, Zarati, and Zaratti, have appeared over time in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zárate

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

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

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

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