Zúñiga
A Spanish habitational surname linked to a place name in Navarre, Spain, especially the town of Zúñiga.
The #600 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,479 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Zúñiga is a habitational surname taken from the place name Zúñiga in Navarre, northern Spain. The place name is generally treated as pre-Roman or Basque in origin, and its exact original meaning is uncertain. As with many Spanish surnames, it simply identified someone by the place they came from.
History
The surname spread from Spain into the wider Spanish-speaking world and later to the Americas through migration and colonial-era settlement. In modern usage it is found especially in Spain, Mexico, the southwestern United States, and other Latin American communities. The accent mark in the Spanish form is often dropped in English-language records, producing Zuniga.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because English records often omit the tilde, the same family may appear as both Zúñiga and Zuniga in different documents.