2000
#2,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.19
Uncommon Last name
Zarate
Basque occupational surname referring to a person who manufactured wooden baskets or crates.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,093 Americans carry the last name Zarate. That puts it at #1,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zarate 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
23K
1 in 14,842
Census rank
#1,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,138 bearers of the surname Zarate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zarate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zarate
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zarate
Among Census respondents with the surname Zarate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Zarate 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 Zarate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 18,542
- White4.6% · 930
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 471
- Two or more races0.4% · 82
- Black or African American0.3% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zarate
Zarate 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
#1,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,992
+6,992 bearers (+49.9%)
Per 100,000 7.12
Rank movement Up 658 places
2020
#1,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,138
-854 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 6.74
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,371 | 14,000 | 5.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,713 | 20,992 | 7.12 | +6,992 bearers (+49.9%) | Up 658 places |
| 2020 | #1,735 | 20,138 | 6.74 | -854 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 22 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 Zarate 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 | #1,713 | #1,735 | -1.3% |
| Count | 20,992 | 20,138 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 7.12 | 6.74 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zarate bearers went from 20,992 to 20,138 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,713 to #1,735.
FAQ
Zarate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zarate?
Name Census estimates that about 23,093 living Americans carry the surname Zarate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,842 residents.
How common is Zarate?
Zarate ranks #1,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,138 people with the surname Zarate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,093), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Zarate.
Has Zarate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zarate went from 20,992 recorded bearers to 20,138. That is a decrease of 854 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,713 to #1,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Zarate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zarate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Zarate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (18,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zarate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Zarate (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 Zarate mean?
Basque occupational surname referring to a person who manufactured wooden baskets or crates. 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 Zarate (6.74 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 are called Zarate?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Zarate on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.