Zayas
A Spanish surname most likely tied to place-name origins, especially from the Basque-Navarrese area.
The #4,414 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 38,377 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Zayas is best understood as a locational name, taken from a place called Zayas in Spain. The place-name itself is generally linked with the older Basque and Navarrese naming landscape, though the exact root is not fully certain from the excerpted sources. In surname use, it would originally have identified someone who came from that place.
History
The name is established in Spanish surname lists and appears in historical collections of Hispanic surnames. It is also carried into the Americas through Spanish migration, which explains its presence in modern Spanish-speaking populations and in the United States. The provided sources mainly show it as part of a wider set of Spanish surnames rather than giving a detailed origin note.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in early 20th-century Spanish surname lists alongside many classic Iberian place-based names such as Zamora, Zaragoza, and Zurita.
From the historical record
“contener aceite. Zayas. Las cargas que se acomodan en las braseras de los carruajes. La parte de atras o trasera en cualquiera cosa. El postrero en el Juego, Zalea. Piel no trasquilada de los carneros i ovejas.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos