2000
#2,864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.27
Uncommon Last name
Balderas
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "valley of thorns" or "thorny place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,924 Americans carry the last name Balderas. That puts it at #2,267 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balderas 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
18K
1 in 19,123
Census rank
#2,267
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,631 bearers of the surname Balderas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2267th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balderas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balderas
The surname Balderas originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "baldera," which means "large cauldron" or "boiler." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with an occupation or trade involving the use of such vessels.
In the early days, surnames were often derived from professions, physical characteristics, or places of origin. The surname Balderas is thought to have been given to individuals who worked as metal workers or in occupations related to the production or use of large cauldrons or boilers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Balderas can be found in the chronicles of the Spanish Inquisition, where a certain Juan Balderas was mentioned in 1492 as a resident of Seville. This record provides evidence of the surname's existence during the late 15th century in southern Spain.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears in various historical documents and records across different regions of Spain. For example, Pedro Balderas, a prominent landowner from Castile, was mentioned in a land deed dated 1572. Another notable individual was María Balderas, a renowned artist from Valencia, who lived between 1610 and 1678.
As the Spanish Empire expanded its influence in the Americas, the surname Balderas also made its way to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Diego Balderas, a soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in parts of South America, particularly in present-day Colombia and Ecuador. One notable figure was José Balderas, a renowned scientist and explorer who led several expeditions through the Amazon rainforest between 1760 and 1785.
As the centuries passed, the surname Balderas continued to spread and be carried by individuals from various walks of life. For instance, in the 19th century, Mariana Balderas was a celebrated writer and poet from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who published several acclaimed works between 1810 and 1875.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balderas
Among Census respondents with the surname Balderas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Balderas 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 Balderas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 14,549
- White5.0% · 775
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 61
- Two or more races0.4% · 56
- Black or African American0.3% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balderas
Balderas 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
#2,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,576
+5,056 bearers (+43.9%)
Per 100,000 5.62
Rank movement Up 668 places
2020
#2,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,631
-945 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 5.23
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,864 | 11,520 | 4.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,196 | 16,576 | 5.62 | +5,056 bearers (+43.9%) | Up 668 places |
| 2020 | #2,267 | 15,631 | 5.23 | -945 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 71 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 Balderas 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 | #2,196 | #2,267 | -3.2% |
| Count | 16,576 | 15,631 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.62 | 5.23 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balderas bearers went from 16,576 to 15,631 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,196 to #2,267.
FAQ
Balderas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balderas?
Name Census estimates that about 17,924 living Americans carry the surname Balderas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,123 residents.
How common is Balderas?
Balderas ranks #2,267 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,631 people with the surname Balderas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Balderas.
Has Balderas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balderas went from 16,576 recorded bearers to 15,631. That is a decrease of 945 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,196 to #2,267.
What does the Census say about the background of Balderas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balderas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Balderas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (14,549 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balderas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Balderas (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 Balderas mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "valley of thorns" or "thorny place." 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 Balderas (5.23 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 Americans have the surname Balderas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.