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

Balmas, 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 Balmas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balmas in America

Balmas is the 123064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balmas surname appeared 140 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 Balmas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Balmas 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 Balmas

The surname Balmas has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically the Basque region that straddles the border between Spain and France. The name is derived from the Basque word "balma," which means "cave" or "grotto." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived in or near a notable cave or rock formation.

Balmas is a relatively uncommon surname, but it can be traced back to the 16th century in historical records from the Basque region. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the baptismal records of the church of San Miguel de Idiazabal in Gipuzkoa, Spain, where a child named Juan Balmas was baptized in 1573.

The name Balmas is also found in some early French records, likely due to the proximity of the Basque region to southwestern France. In the 17th century, a family with the surname Balmas was recorded in the parish registers of the town of Oloron-Sainte-Marie in the Pyrenees region of France.

One notable historical figure with the surname Balmas was Juan de Balmas, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century. He participated in the expeditions of Hernán Cortés and Pedro de Alvarado and was among the first Spaniards to set foot in what is now Mexico and Guatemala.

Another individual of note was Pedro Balmas, a 17th-century Spanish architect and engineer who worked on several notable projects in Madrid, including the construction of the Plaza Mayor and the Buen Retiro Palace.

In the 18th century, a French military officer named Jean-Baptiste Balmas served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Legion of Honor for his service at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.

Fast-forwarding to the 20th century, a Spanish artist named Manuel Balmas gained recognition for his avant-garde paintings and sculptures, which were exhibited in galleries across Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

Finally, one of the most notable modern-day figures with the surname Balmas is Gonzalo Balmas, a Basque chef who has earned Michelin stars for his innovative cuisine at his restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain.

While relatively uncommon, the surname Balmas has a rich history that can be traced back to its Basque origins and the meaning of "cave" or "grotto." It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, architects, artists, and chefs, across multiple centuries and countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balmas

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

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

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

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