Zelaya
A Spanish-language surname, probably from a place name in the Basque Country or another Iberian toponymic source.
The #2,886 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,803 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Zelaya is generally treated as a locational surname, most likely from a place-name of Basque origin. In Basque, a similar form, zelaia, means "the meadow" or "the plain," which fits many Iberian surnames built from local landscape terms. The surname therefore likely began as a name for someone from or near a meadow, field, or named place of that kind.
History
The surname is well established in the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Central America and parts of Mexico, where it is common in Hispanic naming traditions. It is also found in the United States through immigration and later family migration. Spelling with -ya rather than -ia reflects Spanish orthographic adaptation and local surname tradition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Celaya and Zelaya are often treated as related or variant spellings in Hispanic naming, though individual family lines may have distinct histories.