Zerate History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe distinguished surname Zerate is of Spanish origin, derived from the name place where the initial bearer of the name resided. In this instance, the surname is derived from the place-name Zárate, located in the district of Zuya (Victoria) in northern Spain. According to etymologists, the place-name Zárate is derived from the Basque words "zara" meaning "forest" and "at(h)e" meaning "door," thus signifying "opening to the forest." Early Origins of the Zerate familyThe surname Zerate was first found in the northern Basque region of Spain, near the city of Zárate. They began to branch out into other regions of the Iberian peninsula with the Christian Reconquest of Spain from the Muslims. The family established themselves in Vizcaya, Andalusia and Madrid. An early record of the surname is of Juan Ortiz de Zárate, who died in a bloody battle at the river Zadorra in the 14th century. The family was ennobled in the early 17th century when they were made members of the Orders of Santiago, Calatrava and Alcantara. Early History of the Zerate familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zerate research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1658 and 1776 are included under the topic Early Zerate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Zerate Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: zerate, zarrate, zarace and others. Early Notables of the Zerate familyProminent among bearers of the family name at this time was Francisco Lopez de Zarate (1580-1658), a Spanish poet, playwright and writer; Fortun Saenz de Salcedo, who was killed in the battle at the river... Migration of the Zerate familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Pedro De Zarate who sailed to Peru with his brother Juan in 1553; Luis De Zarate who arrived in the Spanish Main in 1575; Rodrigo Zarate and Juan De Zarate who came to New Spain in 1576.
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