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

Balmes, 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 Balmes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balmes in America

Balmes is the 40554th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balmes surname appeared 539 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 Balmes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Balmes 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 Balmes

The surname BALMES has its origins in the Catalonia region of Spain, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Catalan word "balma," meaning a cave or a rock shelter. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or in a cave-like dwelling.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name BALMES can be found in the 13th-century Catalan manuscripts, where it appears as "Balmes" or "Balmès." It is possible that the name was initially a descriptive surname, given to individuals who resided in or near a cave or rock shelter.

During the medieval period, the BALMES name was also associated with certain place names in Catalonia, such as the town of Les Balmes and the village of Balmes, both located in the province of Barcelona. These place names were likely derived from the same root word, indicating the presence of caves or rock shelters in those areas.

One notable individual with the surname BALMES was Jaime Lucio Balmes y Urpià, a Spanish philosopher, politician, and Catholic apologist born in 1810 in Vic, Catalonia. He was a prolific writer and is considered one of the most influential thinkers of 19th-century Spain.

Another prominent figure was José Balmes y García, a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of War during the Carlist Wars in the mid-19th century. He was born in 1789 in Valencia and played a significant role in the Spanish political landscape of his time.

In the realm of art, José Balmes y Leoz, a Spanish painter and engraver, made his mark in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in Zaragoza in 1767 and is known for his religious and historical paintings, as well as his engravings.

Moving to the 20th century, Francisco Balmes Bossini, a Spanish architect and urban planner, left a lasting impact on the city of Barcelona. He was born in 1899 and was responsible for designing several notable buildings and urban projects in the city.

Lastly, César Balmes, a Spanish lawyer and politician, served as the Minister of Justice during the Spanish transition to democracy in the late 1970s. He was born in 1932 in Barcelona and played a crucial role in the country's political transformation after the Franco regime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balmes

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

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

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

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