Diaz Surname

Meaning and origin of the surname Diaz

Patronymic surname derived from the Spanish personal name Diego (related to Latin Jacobus or Saint Didacus), with the patronymic suffix -ez/-az meaning 'son of Diego'.

Historically and linguistically, Diaz belongs to the Spanish family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "DEE-az".

United States Census frequency and ranking

In the official 2010 United States Census, Diaz was recorded 347,636 times, ranking as the 55th most common surname in the nation.

This represents an incidence rate of approximately 117.85 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 849 residents.

Race and ethnicity distribution

According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Diazreported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.

History of the surname Diaz

Diaz (traditionally accented as Díaz in Spanish orthography) is an ancient Castilian patronymic surname formed from the given name Diego combined with the characteristic Iberian patronymic suffix -ez or -az ('son of'). Etymologists associate Diego with the Latin Jacobus (via Sant Yago, 'Saint James') or the medieval Hispanic name Didacus, a personal name meaning 'learned' or 'taught' (from Greek didache, 'teaching').

The surname is immortalized in medieval Iberian literature and history by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043–1099), celebrated as El Cid Campeador, the legendary Castilian knight and national hero of the Reconquista. Díaz spread throughout medieval Castile, León, Galicia, and Andalusia, later establishing immense transatlantic networks during the Spanish colonization of the Americas from Mexico and the Caribbean down to the Southern Cone.

In modern American vital statistics, Diaz is one of the fastest-growing major surnames in the country. In the 2010 United States Census, Diaz ranked 55th overall with 347,636 bearers, of whom 92.56% identified as Hispanic or Latino, with large populations in California, Texas, Florida, and New York.

Notable people with the surname Diaz

• Cameron Diaz (1972–), American actress known for There's Something About Mary
• Porfirio Díaz (1830–1915), Mexican general and President of Mexico
• Nate Diaz (1985–), American mixed martial artist
• Junot Díaz (1968–), Dominican-American author and Pulitzer Prize winner