Explore the Family Name Zaya

The meaning of Zaya

Assyrian/Chaldean: from the male personal name Zay’ā, borne by St. Zaya, a Christian saint martyred in the northern Mesopotamia in the early 5th century. Compare Zaia 3.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Zaya in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Zaya has significantly increased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Zaya was ranked as the 55,971st most common surname in the United States and by 2010, it had risen to the 36,048th spot, a change of approximately 35.6%. The count of people with this surname also surged from 342 to 622, demonstrating an impressive growth of roughly 81.87%. This correlates to an uptick in the proportion per 100,000 people from 0.13 to 0.21, indicating a rise of 61.54%.

20002010Change
Rank#55,971#36,04835.6%
Count34262281.87%
Proportion per 100k0.130.2161.54%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zaya

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that individuals with the Zaya surname exhibit varied ethnic identities. In both 2000 and 2010, the largest population identified as White, increasing from 75.73% to 85.37%, a change of about 12.73%. People identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those claiming two or more races both decreased, from 2.63% to 1.29% and 12.28% to 6.75% respectively. The portion of individuals identifying as Hispanic also saw a decline from 9.36% to 6.27%. No individuals with the Zaya surname identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either years.

20002010Change
White75.73%85.37%12.73%
Two or More Races12.28%6.75%-45.03%
Hispanic9.36%6.27%-33.01%
Asian/Pacific Islander2.63%1.29%-50.95%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%