2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Balcacer
A Spanish surname referring to an individual from the town of Balcacer in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 239 Americans carry the last name Balcacer. That puts it at #94,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,434,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balcacer 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
239
1 in 1,434,119
Census rank
#94,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
208
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 208 bearers of the surname Balcacer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 94341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balcacer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balcacer
The surname Balcacer originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish place name Balcácer, a municipality located in the province of Valencia. The name itself may have roots in the Arabic word "bakkar," meaning "first-born."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Balcacer can be found in the Repartimiento de Valencia, a document from 1238 that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Christian conquerors of the region after the Reconquista. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the 13th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name Balcacer was Juan Balcacer, a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 1400s. He played a crucial role in the subjugation of the indigenous Guanche people and the establishment of Spanish control over the islands.
Another notable individual with the surname Balcacer was Pedro Balcacer, a Spanish soldier and adventurer who traveled to the Americas in the early 16th century. He participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés and later settled in the region, becoming one of the early Spanish colonists in the New World.
During the 17th century, the Balcacer family had a presence in various parts of Spain, with records showing individuals bearing the name in regions such as Andalusia and Catalonia. One notable figure from this era was María Balcacer, a noblewoman who was involved in a prominent court case regarding inheritance rights in the city of Seville in the 1670s.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Balcacer was Antonio Balcacer, a Spanish architect who was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Puerta de Alcalá, a monumental gate that remains an iconic landmark in the city today.
Throughout its history, the surname Balcacer has been associated with various occupations and social classes, from navigators and soldiers to noblemen and architects. While its origins can be traced back to the Valencia region of Spain, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Spanish exploration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balcacer
Among Census respondents with the surname Balcacer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Balcacer 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 Balcacer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.6% · 201
- White2.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balcacer
Balcacer 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
#98,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 184
+73 bearers (+65.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 40,188 places
2020
#94,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
+24 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 4,212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,553 | 184 | 0.06 | +73 bearers (+65.8%) | Up 40,188 places |
| 2020 | #94,341 | 208 | 0.07 | +24 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,212 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 Balcacer 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 | #98,553 | #94,341 | 4.3% |
| Count | 184 | 208 | 13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balcacer bearers went from 184 to 208 (+13.0% change). The surname moved up 4,212 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,553 to #94,341.
FAQ
Balcacer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balcacer?
Name Census estimates that about 239 living Americans carry the surname Balcacer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,434,119 residents.
How common is Balcacer?
Balcacer ranks #94,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 208 people with the surname Balcacer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (239), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Balcacer.
Has Balcacer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balcacer went from 184 recorded bearers to 208. That is an increase of 24 (+13.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #98,553 to #94,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Balcacer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balcacer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Balcacer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balcacer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.6%), White (2.4%), Black (0.5%). 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 Balcacer (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 Balcacer mean?
A Spanish surname referring to an individual from the town of Balcacer in 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 Balcacer (0.07 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 Balcacer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Balcacer at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.