2000
#1,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,900
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.86
Uncommon Last name
Zapata
A Spanish surname referring to a person who made or sold shoes or lived near a shoe shop.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,617 Americans carry the last name Zapata. That puts it at #1,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zapata 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Zapata with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,112
Census rank
#1,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,804 bearers of the surname Zapata in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zapata, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zapata
The surname Zapata originates from Spain, specifically from the Basque region, and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "zapata," which means "a small shoe" or "a wooden clog."
The earliest recorded use of the surname Zapata can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. These early mentions often refer to individuals from the Basque region and nearby areas of northern Spain.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the surname Zapata was Ruy López de Zapata, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who lived in the 15th century (c. 1440-1500). He served as a captain in the army of Ferdinand II of Aragon and played a significant role in the conquest of Granada.
Another prominent figure with the Zapata surname was Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919), a Mexican revolutionary leader who fought for land reform and peasant rights during the Mexican Revolution. He is a revered figure in Mexican history and is often referred to as the "Caudillo del Sur" (Leader of the South).
In the 16th century, the Zapata name appeared in several Spanish colonial records from the Americas, suggesting that individuals with this surname had migrated to the New World during the era of Spanish exploration and colonization.
Juan Zapata y Sandoval (1570-1630), a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate, was appointed Bishop of Guatemala in 1619. He played a significant role in the religious and cultural development of colonial Guatemala.
Mariano Zapata (1794-1863) was a Mexican politician and military officer who served as the Governor of the State of Mexico from 1845 to 1851. He was a prominent figure during the Mexican-American War and the Reform War.
Antonio Zapata y Mendoza (1550-1635) was a Spanish poet and author who is best known for his work "Miscelánea de Poesías" (Miscellany of Poems), published in 1612. He was a member of the literary circle known as the "Spanish Golden Age."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zapata
Among Census respondents with the surname Zapata, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Zapata 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 Zapata surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 30,226
- White5.4% · 1,773
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 395
- Black or African American0.6% · 207
- Two or more races0.4% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zapata
Zapata 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
#1,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,274
+8,374 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 10.94
Rank movement Up 279 places
2020
#1,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,804
+530 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 10.97
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,361 | 23,900 | 8.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,082 | 32,274 | 10.94 | +8,374 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 279 places |
| 2020 | #1,055 | 32,804 | 10.97 | +530 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 27 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 Zapata 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 | #1,082 | #1,055 | 2.5% |
| Count | 32,274 | 32,804 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.94 | 10.97 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zapata bearers went from 32,274 to 32,804 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,082 to #1,055.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zapata
FAQ
Zapata surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zapata?
Name Census estimates that about 37,617 living Americans carry the surname Zapata. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,112 residents.
How common is Zapata?
Zapata ranks #1,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,804 people with the surname Zapata. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,617), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Zapata.
Has Zapata become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zapata went from 32,274 recorded bearers to 32,804. That is an increase of 530 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,082 to #1,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Zapata?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zapata, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Zapata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (30,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zapata appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Zapata (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 Zapata mean?
A Spanish surname referring to a person who made or sold shoes or lived near a shoe shop. 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 Zapata (10.97 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 Zapata?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Zapata, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.