Lezama
A Basque surname most likely taken from a place-name, referring to someone from Lezama in the Basque Country.
The #8,578 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,402 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lezama is a Basque place-name and surname. Like many Basque surnames, it likely began as a locational byname for a person who came from the town or estate called Lezama, rather than as a word with a transparent meaning in modern Spanish. The exact older Basque roots of the place-name are not certain in these excerpts, so the safest explanation is simply that it is a habitational surname tied to that locality.
History
The name is associated especially with the Basque historical nobility, where it appears in lineages and marriage records. It is still found in Spain and in the wider Spanish-speaking world, including the United States, where it remains relatively uncommon. The surname’s presence in genealogical and heraldic works reflects the importance of Basque place-based surnames in local family history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lezama is also the name of a well-known municipality in Biscay, which helps explain why the surname is strongly tied to Basque toponymy.
From the historical record
“Leirado, Leis, Lema, León, Lequerica, Lerchundi (Lersundi), Lerin, Lesaca, Lesarri, Letamendi, Le- tona, Leyba, Lezama, Lezo, Liaño, Liceras, Lillo, Linares, Lira, Lobon, Lois, Loizaga, Lomana, Longoria, Lora, Lorca, Lorenzana, Loro, Losa, Lnarca, Lucena, Lucientes, Lumbreras, Luna, Lu- 23”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos