2000
#14,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,950
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Balboa
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from the town of Balboa in León, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,831 Americans carry the last name Balboa. That puts it at #12,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balboa 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
2.8K
1 in 121,072
Census rank
#12,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,469 bearers of the surname Balboa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balboa
The surname Balboa is of Spanish origin, originating from the Basque region in northern Spain during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Basque word "balu" meaning "whale" and "boa" referring to a type of snake, likely referring to a location or occupation related to these animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Balboa appears in the 15th century, with the famous Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475-1519). He was the first European to cross the Isthmus of Panama and view the Pacific Ocean, naming it "Mar del Sur" (South Sea). His explorations and discoveries were pivotal in the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
Another notable figure with the surname Balboa was Juan José de Balboa y Quesada (1736-1809), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who played a significant role in mapping the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Pacific Northwest of North America.
In the 19th century, Andrés Balboa (1819-1891), a Peruvian politician and diplomat, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President of the Council of Ministers of Peru.
The name Balboa is also associated with the city of Panama City, specifically the neighborhood of Balboa, which was named after the famous explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa.
Additionally, the Balboa Islands in Newport Beach, California, were named after the explorer, highlighting the lasting impact of this surname in various geographical locations.
Throughout history, the surname Balboa has been recorded with various spellings, such as Balba, Balva, and Balbuena, reflecting regional variations and linguistic evolution. However, the core meaning and origin of the name can be traced back to the Basque region of Spain and its association with maritime exploration and discovery during the Age of Exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balboa
Among Census respondents with the surname Balboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Balboa 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 Balboa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.2% · 1,955
- White11.4% · 282
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.9% · 196
- Two or more races1.2% · 29
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balboa
Balboa 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
#12,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
+570 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 1,808 places
2020
#12,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,469
-51 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,147 | 1,950 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,339 | 2,520 | 0.85 | +570 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 1,808 places |
| 2020 | #12,062 | 2,469 | 0.83 | -51 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 277 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 Balboa 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 | #12,339 | #12,062 | 2.2% |
| Count | 2,520 | 2,469 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.83 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balboa bearers went from 2,520 to 2,469 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 277 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,339 to #12,062.
FAQ
Balboa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balboa?
Name Census estimates that about 2,831 living Americans carry the surname Balboa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,072 residents.
How common is Balboa?
Balboa ranks #12,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,469 people with the surname Balboa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,831), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Balboa.
Has Balboa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balboa went from 2,520 recorded bearers to 2,469. That is a decrease of 51 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,339 to #12,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Balboa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%). 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 Balboa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (1,955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balboa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.2%), White (11.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%). 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 Balboa (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 Balboa mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from the town of Balboa in León, Spain. 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 Balboa (0.83 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 Balboa?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Balboa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.