2000
#938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.63
Uncommon Last name
Zavala
A Basque surname meaning "wide valley" or "spacious meadow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 58,241 Americans carry the last name Zavala. That puts it at #654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,885 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zavala 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
58K
1 in 5,885
Census rank
#654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
51K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 50,789 bearers of the surname Zavala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zavala, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zavala
The surname Zavala has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Basque language, where "zabala" means "wide" or "broad," potentially referring to a geographic feature such as a valley or a plain.
The earliest recorded instances of the Zavala surname can be found in medieval Spanish documents, particularly in the regions of Navarre and the Basque Country. One notable example is the mention of Pedro de Zavala in a 1498 manuscript from the town of Elgóibar.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Zavala appeared in various historical records, including land deeds and parish registers. One prominent figure from this period was Juan de Zavala, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the 18th century, the Zavala name gained further recognition with the birth of Lorenzo de Zavala (1788-1836), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the first Vice President of the Republic of Texas. His contributions to the Texas Revolution and the establishment of the Republic of Texas cemented his place in history.
Another notable individual with the Zavala surname was María Dolores Zavala y Acevedo (1887-1927), a Mexican writer and journalist who advocated for women's rights and social reform. Her literary works, including novels and short stories, shed light on the experiences of women in early 20th-century Mexico.
In the realm of sports, Juan Zavala (1906-1994), a Mexican baseball player, made a significant impact as a pitcher for various teams in the Mexican League and the Negro Leagues in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.
The Zavala surname also gained prominence in the arts, with individuals like Iris Zavala (1936-2020), a renowned Mexican actress known for her roles in both television and film, and Alejandro Zavala (born 1968), a Mexican painter and sculptor whose works explore themes of identity and cultural heritage.
While the Zavala surname originated in Spain and has strong ties to the Basque region, it has since spread across the globe, particularly to Latin American countries like Mexico, where it continues to be a prominent surname today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zavala
Among Census respondents with the surname Zavala, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Zavala 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 Zavala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 48,316
- White4.0% · 2,049
- Black or African American0.3% · 144
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 102
- Two or more races0.2% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zavala
Zavala 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
#667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,153
+17,085 bearers (+50.1%)
Per 100,000 17.34
Rank movement Up 271 places
2020
#654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,789
-364 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 16.99
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #938 | 34,068 | 12.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #667 | 51,153 | 17.34 | +17,085 bearers (+50.1%) | Up 271 places |
| 2020 | #654 | 50,789 | 16.99 | -364 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 13 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 Zavala 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 | #667 | #654 | 1.9% |
| Count | 51,153 | 50,789 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 17.34 | 16.99 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zavala bearers went from 51,153 to 50,789 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #667 to #654.
FAQ
Zavala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zavala?
Name Census estimates that about 58,241 living Americans carry the surname Zavala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,885 residents.
How common is Zavala?
Zavala ranks #654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 50,789 people with the surname Zavala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (58,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Zavala.
Has Zavala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zavala went from 51,153 recorded bearers to 50,789. That is a decrease of 364 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #667 to #654.
What does the Census say about the background of Zavala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zavala, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Zavala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (48,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zavala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (4.0%), Black (0.3%). 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 Zavala (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 Zavala mean?
A Basque surname meaning "wide valley" or "spacious meadow." 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 Zavala (16.99 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 have the last name Zavala?
Want to know how many people have the last name Zavala? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.