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

Ballejo, 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 Ballejo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ballejo in America

Ballejo is the 55741st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ballejo surname appeared 368 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ballejo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ballejo 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 Ballejo

The surname Ballejo is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of Castile. The name is derived from the Castilian Spanish word "ballejo," which means "little valley" or "small ravine."

One of the earliest known records of the surname Ballejo dates back to the late 15th century, when it appeared in a manuscript documenting land ownership in the town of Segovia, Castile. This document mentioned a certain Juan Ballejo, who owned a parcel of land near a small valley.

In the 16th century, the name Ballejo can be found in several historical records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For instance, Diego Ballejo was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.

Another notable figure was Francisca Ballejo, a Spanish noblewoman born in Seville in 1562. She was known for her charitable works and patronage of the arts, and her name appears in several chronicles and memoirs from that period.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Ballejo spread across various regions of the world. In the 17th century, there are records of a family named Ballejo residing in the Philippine Islands, which was then a Spanish colony.

In the late 18th century, a man named Sebastián Ballejo was a prominent landowner and rancher in the region of Alta California, which is now part of the modern-day state of California in the United States. His legacy is still remembered in the form of the Ballejo Rancho, a historical site located near the city of Santa Rosa.

As the centuries passed, the surname Ballejo underwent various spelling variations, including Vallejo, Balejo, and Vallejos. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences from different areas where Spanish settlers had established communities.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Ballejo have made their mark in various fields, such as literature, politics, and the military. For example, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1808-1890) was a prominent military leader and politician in California during the Mexican and early American periods. He played a crucial role in the transition of California from Mexican to American rule.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ballejo

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

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

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

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