2000
#9,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Zurita
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Zurita.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,304 Americans carry the last name Zurita. That puts it at #7,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zurita 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
5.3K
1 in 64,622
Census rank
#7,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,625 bearers of the surname Zurita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zurita, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zurita
Among Census respondents with the surname Zurita, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zurita 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 Zurita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 4,327
- White4.7% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 38
- Black or African American0.5% · 22
- Two or more races0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zurita
Zurita 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
#7,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,770
+1,543 bearers (+47.8%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 2,267 places
2020
#7,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,625
-145 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,287 | 3,227 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,020 | 4,770 | 1.62 | +1,543 bearers (+47.8%) | Up 2,267 places |
| 2020 | #7,004 | 4,625 | 1.55 | -145 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 16 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 Zurita 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 | #7,020 | #7,004 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,770 | 4,625 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.55 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zurita bearers went from 4,770 to 4,625 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,020 to #7,004.
FAQ
Zurita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zurita?
Name Census estimates that about 5,304 living Americans carry the surname Zurita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,622 residents.
How common is Zurita?
Zurita ranks #7,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,625 people with the surname Zurita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Zurita.
Has Zurita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zurita went from 4,770 recorded bearers to 4,625. That is a decrease of 145 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,020 to #7,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Zurita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zurita, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Zurita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (4,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zurita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Zurita (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 Zurita mean?
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Zurita. 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 Zurita (1.55 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 Zurita?
If you just want to know how many people are called Zurita, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.