Zayas (surname)

Zayas
Family name
Meaning	derived from Basque zai, meaning watchman or guard
Region of origin	Castile, Spain
Language(s) of origin	Spanish

Zayas is a Castilian surname rooted in the toponym of the same name, which itself derives from the Basque word zai, meaning watchman or guard.^[1]

Places

The following places in Spain are related to the surname Zayas:^[1]

• Zayas de Báscones, Soria (es)
• Zayas de la Torre, Soria (es)
• Zayas de Torre, Soria (es)
• Zayuelas, Soria (es)
• Zay, Navarra
• Zaya, Navarra
• Zaitua, Vizcaya
• Záitegui, Álava

People

The following people have the surname Zayas or any of its variations:

• Ada Zayas-Bazán, Cuban writer (es)
• Agustín de las Cuentas Zayas, Spanish Governor of Sonora (es)
• Alberto Álvarez de Zayas, Cuban botanist
• Alberto Zayas, Cuban rumba musician
• Alexandra Zayas, American investigative reporter
• Alfonso de Zayas de Bobadilla, Spanish aristocrat and Falange supporter (es)
• Alfonso Zayas, Mexican actor (es)
• Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, Cuban-American lawyer
• Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso, President of Cuba between 1921 and 1925
• Anastacio Zayas Alvarado, Puerto Rican sugarcane worker
• Ángel L. Malavé Zayas, Puerto Rican politician
• Antonio de Zayas, Spanish diplomat and writer
• Armando Zayas, Mexican orchestra director (es)
• Bigram John Zayas, American DJ and producer
• Billy Colón Zayas, Puerto Rican guitarist
• Carlos Saladrigas Zayas, Cuban politician
• Carlos Zayas, Spanish politician (es)
• César Zayas, Paraguayan footballer
• Cirilo R. Zayas, Paraguayan composer and writer
• Cristóbal de Zayas, Spanish Governor of Yucatán (es)
• Daniel de Zayas, Goya Award-winning sound engineer
• David Zayas, Puerto Rican-American actor
• Edwin Colón Zayas, Puerto Rican cuatro player
• Eliseo Roberto Colón Zayas, Puerto Rican mass media researcher
• Elizabeth Zayas Ortiz, Miss Puerto Rico 1976
• Felipe Salido Zayas, Mexican politician (es)
• Fernando de Zayas, Cuban entomologist
• Francisco Zayas Seijo, Puerto Rican politician
• Gabriel de Zayas, Spanish Secretary of State (es)
• George de Zayas, Mexican caricature artist
• Héctor Zayas Chardón, Puerto Rican cooperativist (es)
• Ivania Zayas Ortiz, Puerto Rican singer
• Jesús Carreras Zayas, Cuban commander (es)
• Jesús Guerra Zayas, Cuban musician and songwriter (es)
• Joel Zayas, Paraguayan football goalkeeper
• José Francisco Martí Zayas Bazán, Cuban politician and army general (es)
• José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón, commander of the Spanish Army
• Juan Alonso Zayas, Puerto Rican Second Lieutenant of the Spanish Army
• Juan Antoine y Zayas, Spanish diplomat (es)
• Juan Bruno Zayas, Cuban doctor and army general (es)
• Liza Colón-Zayas, American actress and playwright
• Luis H. Zayas, American psychologist
• Manuel Zayas, Cuban journalist and filmmaker (es)
• María de Zayas, Spanish writer
• Marius de Zayas, Mexican artist
• Máximo Othón Zayas, Mexican politician
• Miguel Aurelio Díaz Zayas, Cuban percussionist
• Nicolás Osorio y Zayas, Spanish aristocrat (es)
• Octavio Zaya, Spanish-American art critic
• Orlando Zayas, Paraguayan beach soccer player
• Pedro Pimentel Zayas, Spanish lieutenant general (es)
• Pedro de Zayas, Spanish sculptor (es)
• Rafael de Zayas Enríquez, Mexican historian
• Ricky Zayas, Puerto Rican trumpeter and arranger
• Roberto Muñoz-Zayas, President of the Puerto Rican Athletics Federation
• Samuel Zayas, Dominican footballer
• Sergio Mancilla Zayas, Mexican politician
• Sergio Zayas, Argentine swimmer
• Tomás Rafael Rodríguez Zayas, Cuban artist
• Wampa Zayas, American heavy metal drummer
• Yoan Limonta Zayas, Cuban baseball player
• Yunior Díaz Zayas, Cuban track and field athlete

See also

• Zayas, the Castilian noble family with this surname

References

1. Ramón Menéndez Pidal cited in Silgo Gauche, Luis (2013). Estudio de Toponimia Ibérica (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: Visión Libros. p. 266.