Zabala History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Spain

Etymology of Zabala

What does the name Zabala mean?

The illustrious name Zabala is a Basque surname of locative origin, derived from a geographical or artificial feature near which the founder of the lineage lived or had land. In this case, Zabala derives from the Basque word "zabal" which means "the wide, the flat." Therefore, the first bearer of the surname Zabala was someone whom members of his community identified as "he who lives on the plain."

Early Origins of the Zabala family

The surname Zabala was first found in the Basque Country of Spain where the name Zabala is the surname of a noble Basque lineage, widespread in the provinces of Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa and Alava. Many of the family came from Biscay.

According to the chronicles, at the beginning of the Reconquista, a knight of this lineage called Lope de Zabala accompanied King Don Pelayo. In Vizcaya, Zabala's house was established in the towns of Bilbao, Elorrio, Durango and Portugalete, in the parish churches of Dima, Ceanuri, Bernagoiti and Yurre, in the Durango district, and in Zamudio, in the Bilbao district. From the house of the Antechurch of Yurre was Pascual de Zabala, Juana's husband, and they had a son named Agustín de Zabala, who married María de Lasarte. From this union Martín, Gregorio and Juana de Zabala y Lasarte were born. The eldest, Martin de Zabala y Lasarte, settled in Amzaga, in the Zuya Valley, in Alava. Esteban de Zabala descended from the same house as the Antechurch of Yurre, who moved to Chile and was one of the founders of the city of La Serena in 1549. A member of the house from the town of Durango, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, died in Panama in 1736. He was Lord of the Zabala Mayorazgo, in Durango, Knight of the Order of Calatrava, Field Marshal of the Royal Armies of His Majesty, Governor and Captain General of Buenos Aires, in 1717 and co-founder of Montevideo.

Early History of the Zabala family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zabala research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1531, 1567, 1580, 1600, 1613, 1646, 1661, 1809 and 1878 are included under the topic Early Zabala History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zabala Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Zavala, Zavála, Zabala, Zabal and Zabaleta and others.

Early Notables of the Zabala family

Prominent among bearers of the Zabala family name at this time was Generál Agustín de Zavala (1567-1646), Governor & Captain General of Nuevo Leon (1613). General Juan de Zavala (1600-1661) was born in Pais Vizcaya, Reino de Castilla, Spain but emigrated to Mexico...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Zabala Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zabala Ranking

In the United States, the name Zabala is the 10,539^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Zabala migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Zabala Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan De Zabala, who landed in America in 1812 2
Tomas Zabala, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1841 2
Gabriel Zabala, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1855 2
J. B. Zabala, aged 44, Cuban settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "City of Washington" in 1880 3
E. Zabala, aged 30, Cuban settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "City of Washington" in 1881 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Zabala Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alberto Zabala, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1919
Andrew Zabala, aged 35, who landed in America, in 1922
Andres Zabala, aged 35, who immigrated to America, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Zabala (post 1700) +

Gaizka Mendieta Zabala (b. 1974), Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result