2000
#5,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Uncommon Last name
Bahena
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Baena, referring to someone from the town of Baena in Andalusia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,596 Americans carry the last name Bahena. That puts it at #3,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bahena surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,348
Census rank
#3,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,240 bearers of the surname Bahena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bahena
The surname BAHENA has its origins in Spain and dates back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "bahena," which means "bowl" or "basin." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a bowl-shaped depression or basin in the landscape.
In the early records, the name was often spelled as "Baena" or "Bajena," which were variations of the modern spelling. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the medieval Spanish document "Becerro de las Behetrías," where a person named Gonzalo Bahena is mentioned.
The BAHENA surname has been present in various regions of Spain throughout history. In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan Bahena was a prominent landowner and farmer in the region of Andalusia. Another individual, Diego Bahena, born in 1528, was a respected scholar and theologian from the city of Seville.
During the 16th century, the BAHENA surname appeared in several historical records, including the "Catastro de Ensenada," which was a census-like document that recorded land ownership and tax information. One entry mentions a family named BAHENA residing in the town of Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid.
In the 17th century, a famous poet and playwright named Pedro Bahena de Vargas was born in Granada in 1610. His works were widely celebrated during the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
Another notable individual with this surname was Miguel Bahena, a military officer who fought in the Spanish War of Succession in the early 18th century. He was born in 1675 in the city of Córdoba and played a crucial role in several battles against the French forces.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the BAHENA surname also found its way to the Americas. In the 19th century, there are records of a family named BAHENA settling in Mexico, where the name continues to be present today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bahena
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bahena bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bahena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.1% · 8,971
- White2.2% · 204
- Black or African American0.4% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bahena
Bahena appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,983
+3,743 bearers (+60.0%)
Per 100,000 3.38
Rank movement Up 1,587 places
2020
#3,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,240
-743 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,158 | 6,240 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,571 | 9,983 | 3.38 | +3,743 bearers (+60.0%) | Up 1,587 places |
| 2020 | #3,738 | 9,240 | 3.09 | -743 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 167 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bahena surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,571 | #3,738 | -4.7% |
| Count | 9,983 | 9,240 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.38 | 3.09 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bahena bearers went from 9,983 to 9,240 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,571 to #3,738.
FAQ
Bahena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bahena?
Name Census estimates that about 10,596 living Americans carry the surname Bahena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,348 residents.
How common is Bahena?
Bahena ranks #3,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,240 people with the surname Bahena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bahena.
Has Bahena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bahena went from 9,983 recorded bearers to 9,240. That is a decrease of 743 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,571 to #3,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Bahena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Black (0.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bahena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (8,971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bahena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.1%), White (2.2%), Black (0.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bahena (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bahena mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Baena, referring to someone from the town of Baena in Andalusia. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bahena (3.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Bahena?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bahena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.