Find out how popular the last name Balbás is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Balbás.

Balbás, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Balbás surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balbás in America

Balbás is the 65593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balbás surname appeared 302 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Balbás.

We can also compare 2010 data for Balbás to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Balbás

The surname BALBAS is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "balba," which means "stammer" or "stutter." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone who had a speech impediment or difficulty speaking fluently.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BALBAS can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript that details hunting expeditions in the kingdom of Castile. In this text, a certain Pedro Balbas is mentioned as a participant in a hunting party organized by King Alfonso XI.

In the 16th century, records show that a family with the surname BALBAS resided in the town of Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid. One notable member of this family was Juan Balbas (1515-1588), a renowned scholar and professor of theology at the University of Alcalá.

During the 17th century, the name BALBAS appears in various documents related to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, Diego Balbas (1620-1678) was a military officer who served as the governor of the province of Sinaloa in present-day Mexico.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname BALBAS was Francisco Balbas y Mendoza (1708-1784), a Spanish nobleman and politician who held various important positions in the government of King Charles III.

Another notable individual with the surname BALBAS was Gregorio Balbas (1819-1892), a prominent architect and engineer from Madrid who was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, a famous bullring.

While the surname BALBAS is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has a long and interesting history that can be traced back to medieval times. The name's connection to the word "balba" and its implications of a speech impediment make it a distinctive and memorable surname with a unique origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balbás

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Balbás.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Balbás was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Balbás has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Balbás was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Balbás, please contact us.

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