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

Balcázar, 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 Balcázar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balcázar in America

Balcázar is the 14511th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balcázar surname appeared 2,055 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Balcázar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Balcázar 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 Balcázar

The surname Balcazar has its origins in Spain, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "baltzea," meaning "oak grove" or "oak forest." The name likely originated in the Basque region of northern Spain, where oak trees were abundant.

During the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula, many Basque soldiers and settlers migrated to the areas conquered from the Moors. The name Balcazar may have been adopted by some of these individuals, who established themselves in various parts of Spain and Portugal.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Balcazar can be found in a 13th-century document from the Kingdom of Castile, where a nobleman named Diego de Balcazar is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence by that time.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name Balcazar was Pedro de Balcazar, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He played a crucial role in the subjugation of the Aztec Empire and was later granted land and titles in recognition of his services.

Another prominent individual with the surname Balcazar was Juan de Balcazar, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador. He led expeditions into present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States, establishing settlements and exploring new territories for the Spanish crown.

In the 17th century, a man named Alonso de Balcazar gained recognition as a skilled architect and engineer. He oversaw the construction of several notable buildings and fortifications in Spain, including the Alcázar of Segovia and the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida.

During the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Balcazar was Miguel de Balcazar, a Spanish military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought alongside the British forces against the American colonists and was involved in several key battles.

As the name Balcazar spread throughout Spain and its territories, variations in spelling emerged, such as Balcázar, Balcázares, and Balcázar-Crespo. These variations often reflected regional dialects or personal preferences, but all shared the same Basque roots.

While the surname Balcazar is not as common today as it once was, it remains a proud reminder of the Basque heritage and the historical contributions of individuals who bore this name in the exploration, conquest, and development of the Spanish Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balcázar

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

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 Balcázar 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 Balcázar 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 Balcázar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!