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

Zurita, 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 Zurita surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zurita in America

Zurita is the 7020th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zurita surname appeared 4,770 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Zurita.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zurita 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 Zurita

The surname Zurita has its origins in Spain, and is believed to date back to the 12th century or earlier. It is a locational name, derived from one of several places named Zurita or a variant spelling, such as Çurita or Zurita de los Canes, located in different regions of Spain, including Aragon, Navarre, and Castile.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zurita can be found in a document from the year 1190, which mentions a certain Rodrigo de Zurita, a landowner in the region of Aragon. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that area by the late 12th century.

The name Zurita is thought to have its roots in the Basque language, and may be related to the word "zuri" meaning "white" or "pure," possibly referring to the color of soil or other geographical features in the areas where the name originated.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the writings of the renowned Spanish chronicler and historian Jerónimo Zurita y Castro (1512-1580), who served as the official chronicler of the Crown of Aragon under King Philip II. His masterwork, the Anales de la Corona de Aragón, is considered one of the most important historical works of the Spanish Renaissance.

Another notable figure with the surname Zurita was Miguel Jerónimo Zurita Herrera (1653-1716), a Spanish Baroque painter and engraver, known for his religious works and portraits.

In the 19th century, the Mexican poet and author José Joaquín Pesado Zurita (1801-1861) gained recognition for his contributions to the romantic literary movement in Mexico.

Juan Zurita y Ruiz de Velasco (1789-1864) was a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of War during the reign of Queen Isabella II.

More recently, the Peruvian writer and journalist Mario Vargas Zurita (1908-1997) gained acclaim for his novels and short stories depicting life in the Andes region of Peru.

Throughout its history, the surname Zurita has maintained a strong presence in Spain, as well as in various Latin American countries, reflecting the influence of Spanish colonization and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zurita

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

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

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

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