2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Balbontin
A Spanish surname derived from a place name referring to someone from the town of Balbontin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Balbontin. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balbontin 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Balbontin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balbontin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.7%) and White (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balbontin
The surname Balbontin has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Galician or Portuguese word "balbón," which means "speech impediment" or "stuttering."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Balbontin can be found in a document from the year 1285, which mentions a certain "Pedro Balbontin" residing in the city of Santiago de Compostela. It is believed that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone who had a speech impediment or stutter.
In the 15th century, there is a record of a Francisco Balbontin, born around 1420, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Pontevedra, Galicia. His family's wealth and influence in the region likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname in the area.
During the 16th century, the Balbontin name appears in various legal documents and records from the Galician region. One notable figure was Juan Balbontin (1512-1580), a Catholic priest who served as the vicar of the church in the town of Caldas de Reis.
In the 18th century, a Balbontin family from Galicia emigrated to the Spanish colonies in the Americas, specifically to Cuba. One of their descendants, Manuel Balbontin (1774-1848), became a successful sugar plantation owner and played a significant role in the island's economy at the time.
Another prominent individual with the Balbontin surname was Andrés Balbontin (1820-1892), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as a member of the Spanish parliament (Cortes Generales) in the late 19th century, representing the province of Lugo in Galicia.
While the Balbontin surname is most commonly associated with Spain and its Galician roots, it has also been recorded in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and cultural diffusion. However, the historical records suggest that the name's origins can be traced back to the northwestern region of Spain, where it emerged as a descriptive nickname several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balbontin
Among Census respondents with the surname Balbontin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.7%) and White (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Balbontin 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 Balbontin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.6% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.7% · 14
- White10.8% · 11
- Black or African American6.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balbontin
Balbontin appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Balbontin 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balbontin bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Balbontin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balbontin?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Balbontin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Balbontin?
Balbontin ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Balbontin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Balbontin.
Has Balbontin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balbontin went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Balbontin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balbontin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.7%) and White (10.8%). 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 Balbontin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balbontin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.7%), White (10.8%). 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 Balbontin (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 Balbontin mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a place name referring to someone from the town of Balbontin. 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 Balbontin (0.03 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 many people are called Balbontin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Balbontin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.