2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Balvaneda
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "small valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 253 Americans carry the last name Balvaneda. That puts it at #89,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,354,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balvaneda 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
253
1 in 1,354,760
Census rank
#89,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
221
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 221 bearers of the surname Balvaneda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 89848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balvaneda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.6%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balvaneda
The surname Balvaneda has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "balvano," which means "sheepfold" or "corral for sheep." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who resided near or worked in areas designated for keeping sheep.
Balvaneda is thought to have evolved from the earlier spelling "Balvanera," which was a common place name in various regions of Spain. One of the earliest known records of this surname can be found in the municipal archives of the town of Balvanera, located in the province of Burgos, where several families with this surname were documented in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Balvaneda appears in historical documents related to the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Juan de Balvaneda, a soldier born in Seville in 1512, was among the first Spaniards to settle in the region now known as Guatemala. His descendants played a significant role in the establishment of Spanish settlements and the spread of the Balvaneda name throughout Central America.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Rodrigo de Balvaneda, a wealthy landowner and cattle rancher who lived in the early 17th century in the region of Extremadura, Spain. His vast estates and influence contributed to the prominence of the Balvaneda name in that area during that period.
In the 18th century, María Balvaneda, born in 1724 in Seville, gained recognition as a talented painter and portraitist. Her works were commissioned by wealthy families and religious institutions, and several of her paintings are preserved in museums and private collections across Spain.
During the 19th century, the Balvaneda name gained further recognition through the achievements of Tomás Balvaneda, a renowned military officer and strategist who played a crucial role in the Spanish-American wars of independence. Born in Cadiz in 1789, Tomás Balvaneda's tactical skills and leadership earned him respect and admiration from both allies and adversaries.
While the surname Balvaneda has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, as a result of Spanish colonization and migration. The name continues to be carried on by individuals of Spanish descent, maintaining its connection to the rich cultural heritage and historical significance of its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balvaneda
Among Census respondents with the surname Balvaneda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.6%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Balvaneda 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 Balvaneda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino98.6% · 218
- White0.5% · 1
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balvaneda
Balvaneda 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
#84,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 222
+95 bearers (+74.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 40,409 places
2020
#89,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
-1 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,463 | 222 | 0.08 | +95 bearers (+74.8%) | Up 40,409 places |
| 2020 | #89,848 | 221 | 0.07 | -1 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 5,385 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 Balvaneda 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 | #84,463 | #89,848 | -6.4% |
| Count | 222 | 221 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balvaneda bearers went from 222 to 221 (-0.5% change). The surname moved down 5,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,463 to #89,848.
FAQ
Balvaneda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balvaneda?
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the surname Balvaneda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,354,760 residents.
How common is Balvaneda?
Balvaneda ranks #89,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 221 people with the surname Balvaneda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Balvaneda.
Has Balvaneda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balvaneda went from 222 recorded bearers to 221. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #84,463 to #89,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Balvaneda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balvaneda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.6%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Balvaneda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.6% (218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balvaneda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (98.6%), White (0.5%), Black (0.5%). 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 Balvaneda (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 Balvaneda mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "small valley". 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 Balvaneda (0.07 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 people have the surname Balvaneda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.