Show ContentsZelaya History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Zelaya is derived from the Basque word "zelai" for "field" or "meadow."

Early Origins of the Zelaya family

The surname Zelaya was first found in the Basque region of Navarre.

Early History of the Zelaya family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zelaya research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1388, 1399, 1490, 1510, 1515, 1558 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Zelaya History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zelaya Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Celaya, Zelaya, Zelaia and others.

Early Notables of the Zelaya family

Prominent among bearers of the family name at this time was Juan de Celaya (c.1490-1558), a Spanish mathematician, physicist, cosmologist, philosopher and theologian who taught Physics...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Zelaya Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zelaya Ranking

In the United States, the name Zelaya is the 6,937th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Zelaya family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Martin de Celaya, who sailed to New Spain in 1580.


Contemporary Notables of the name Zelaya (post 1700) +

  • Jose Santos Zelaya, President of Nicaragua from 1894 to 1909


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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