Salazar (surname)

Salazar is a surname meaning old farmhouse (from Basque Sarasaitzu [old], which then evolved to "Sarasaz," and then to the modern, Castillian form "Salazar").^[1] The name originates from the valley of the same name: Salazar Valley, in Navarra, Spain. The surname started appearing during the early Middle Ages.

Its origins are also related to a certain noble family around the 10th century, the Salazars, that held a fief in the area.^[2][3] It later also spread to the rest of the Basque Country, being specially common in Biscay during the 15th century. During that time, Lope García de Salazar, a famous writer, took part in the Reconquista of Cuenca, where he was granted a fief and founded a notable family. Some of his descendants took part in the Conquest of the Americas, thus spreading the surname through Spanish America; others intermarried many noble families, and the surname spread all through the Iberian Peninsula.

Salazar is a common surname in Hispanic America because there were a number of Salazars among the early Spanish conquerors and settlers.^[2]

Salazar is also a common surname among Roma people.^[3] Due to several censuses made in the Kingdom of Castile during the 14th and 15th centuries, every Castilian subject was forced to take a name and two surnames. The Roma, who used to call themselves only by a first name, decided to take established surnames to add prestige to their families.^[4] They chose from among the oldest noble families, usually of Basque origin, thus it is extremely common to find Roma with surnames such as Heredia, Salazar, Mendoza, or Montoya.^[5]

People

• Abel Salazar (actor) (1917–1995), Mexican actor, producer, and director
• Abel Salazar (scientist) (1889–1946), Portuguese physician, lecturer, researcher, writer, and painter
• Alberto Salazar (born 1958), American distance runner and athletics coach banned for life for emotional and sexual misconduct
• Alejandro Salazar (born 1984), American soccer-player
• Alexander Salazar (born 1949), Costa-Rican-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
• Alonso de Salazar (died 1526), Spanish explorer and discoverer of Marshall Islands
• Alonso Salazar Frias (c. 1564–1636), Spanish opponent of witch-trials
• Anaís (Ana Isabel Salazar, born 1974), Mexican actress
• Ángel Salazar (born 1956), Cuban-American comedian and actor
• Antonio de Salazar (composer) (c. 1650–1715), composer and choirmaster
• António de Oliveira Salazar (1889–1970), Portuguese dictator, academic and politician
• Antonio Sebastián de Toledo, 2nd Marquis of Mancera (c. 1608–1715), Viceroy of New Spain
• Ángel Salazar (born 1956), Cuban-American comedian and actor
• Ángel Salazar (baseball) (born 1961), former Major League Baseball shortstop
• Ashley Salazar (born 1984),1st Ever Playboy Miss Social of The Year 2013, Model, Actress, Photographer, USAF Veteran, Philanthropist
• Braulio Salazar (1917–2008), Venezuelan painter
• Carlos Salazar (disambiguation), Argentine politician
• César Salazar (born 1996), Mexican baseball player
• Cristina Díaz Salazar (born 1958), Mexican politician
• Danny Salazar (born 1990), Dominican professional baseball player
• David Salazar, multiple people
• Diana Salazar (born 1972), Mexican artist
• Diego Salazar (born 1980), Colombian weightlifter
• Domingo de Salazar (1512–1594), first bishop of Manila
• Eduardo Salazar (born 1998), Venezuelan baseball player
• Eliseo Salazar (born 1954), Chilean racing driver
• Elsa Salazar Cade (born 1952), U.S. entomologist
• Emiliano Zapata Salazar (1879–1919), Mexican Revolution leader
• Evangelina Salazar (born 1946), Argentine actress
• Fanny Zampini Salazar (1853–1931), Belgian-born Italian writer, editor, and lecturer
• Flavio Salazar (born 1965), Chilean politician
• Francisco Cervantes de Salazar (1514?–1575), Spanish theologian, writer, chronicler, and rector of the University of Mexico
• Francisco Javier Salazar Sáenz, Mexican Secretary of Labor
• Francisco Salazar, Chilean handball-player
• Gabriel Salazar (born 1936), Chilean historian
• George Salazar (born 1986), American actor
• Iván Salazar (born 1998), Uruguayan soccer-player
• Jeff Salazar (born 1980), American baseball player
• Jessica Salazar (born 1995), Mexican professional track cyclist
• John Salazar (born 1953), American politician
• Jorge Salazar (basketball) (born 1989), American wheelchair basketball player
• Jorge Ibarra Salazar, Mexican economist
• José Salazar (born 1957), Venezuelan triple jumper
• José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza (1750–1802), Mexican portrait painter
• José Gregorio Salazar (1773–1838), general, politician, president of the Federal Republic of Central America
• Juan de Oñate y Salazar (1550–1626), Spanish explorer, conquistador & governor of New Mexico
• Juan de Salazar, maestre de campo in the Arauco War
• Juana de Salazar, wife of governor of Chile Antonio de Acuña Cabrera
• Juan García de Salazar (1639–1710), Spanish composer
• Julia Salazar, American political activist
• Kenneth Salazar (born 1955), U.S. Secretary of the Interior and former U.S. Senator from the state of Colorado
• Liana Salazar (born 1992), Colombian footballer
• Luciana Salazar (born 1980), Argentine model and actress
• Luis Salazar (born 1956), former Major League Baseball infielder/outfielder
• Magdalena Salazar Palma (born 1949), Spanish electrical engineer
• Manuel Salazar y Baquíjano (1777–1850), President of Peru in 1827
• Maria Elvira Salazar (born 1961), TV anchor and Representative for Florida's 27th Congressional seat
• Marina Saiz-Salazar (1930–1990), Panamanian composer
• Martha Salazar (born 1970), American boxer
• Max Salazar (1932–2010), American journalist and writer on Hispanic music
• Nick Salazar (1929–2020), American politician
• Noel B. Salazar (born 1973), European sociocultural anthropologist
• Octavio Salazar Miranda (1952–2024), Peruvian politician
• Oscar Salazar (baseball) (born 1978), Major League Baseball second baseman
• Oscar Salazar (taekwondo) (born 1977), Olympic taekwondo athlete from Mexico
• Philippe-Joseph Salazar (born 1955), French philosopher and rhetorician
• Rafael Cardona Salazar (died 1987), Colombian drug dealer
• Ricardo Salazar (born 1972), MLS and FIFA soccer-referee
• Richard Salazar (born 1981), Venezuelan baseball pitcher
• Rigoberto Salazar (born 1954), Cuban decathlete
• Roger Salazar (consultant) (born 1970), American former presidential and gubernatorial spokesperson
• Rosa Salazar (born 1985), American actress
• Rubén Salazar (1928–1970), reporter for the Los Angeles Times and KMEX-TV, Los Angeles
• Tim Salazar, Wyoming State Senator
• Vicente Lucio Salazar (1832–1896), President of Ecuador in 1895
• Victor Salazar (1911–1985), American businessman, political figure and officeholder.
• Víctor Salazar (footballer, born 1991), Colombian soccer-player
• Víctor Salazar (footballer, born 1993), Argentine soccer-player
• Zeus A. Salazar (born 1934), a Filipino historian, anthropologist, and philosopher of history.

Fictional characters

• Armando Salazar, villain of the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
• Augustine Salazar, a character in 3 Body Problem (TV Series)
• Bennie Salazar, a central character and record company executive from the book A Visit From the Goon Squad
• Daniel Salazar, a main character in Fear The Walking Dead
• Griselda Salazar, a character in Fear The Walking Dead
• Hector Salazar (disambiguation), multiple fictional characters
• King Salazar, main antagonist of the animated film Wakko's Wish
• Ofelia Salazar, a character in Fear The Walking Dead
• Ramon Salazar (Resident Evil 4), from the video game Resident Evil 4
• Ramon Salazar (24 character), from the television series 24
• Rex Salazar, fictional titular protagonist of Generator Rex.
• Rosario Salazar, from the television series Will & Grace
• Víctor Salazar, main character of the television series Love, Victor