The Spanish surname Carranza, also found as Caranza,  is of locative origin. The name is a Castilianized form of the Basque surname  Karrantza, a habitational name from Karrantza in Biscay province, Basque Country in the northwest of Spain. Karrantza is a valley located in the district of Valmaseda in the Basque province of Vizcaya. The name is first recorded in the New World in 1513 when Diego de Carranza left Spain for South America. Today there are approximately 20,000 bearers of the name Carranza living in the United States.