2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bambao
A surname with an uncertain origin, possibly related to Indonesian or Filipino terms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Bambao. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bambao 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Bambao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bambao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and White (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bambao
The surname BAMBAO is believed to have originated in the Philippines, specifically in the Visayan region, during the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Visayan word "bambao," which means "wild boar" or "pig." The name may have been given to someone who hunted or raised wild boars, or it could have been a descriptive nickname for a person with certain physical or personality traits resembling a wild boar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BAMBAO can be found in a Spanish colonial document from the late 17th century, which mentions a person named Juan BAMBAO living in the town of Cebu. Another early record is a baptismal certificate from 1732 for a child named Maria BAMBAO, born in the town of Bohol.
In the 19th century, the surname BAMBAO can be found in various local records and documents from the Visayan region, indicating that it had become an established family name by that time. Some notable individuals with this surname from that era include Gregorio BAMBAO, a farmer and community leader from the town of Leyte, who lived from 1825 to 1891, and Francisca BAMBAO, a businesswoman and landowner from the town of Negros Oriental, who lived from 1840 to 1912.
As the Philippines underwent various political and social changes throughout the 20th century, the BAMBAO surname spread to other parts of the country, including metropolitan areas like Manila. One notable figure from this period was José BAMBAO, a lawyer and politician who served in the Philippine Senate from 1946 to 1953.
Another prominent individual with the BAMBAO surname was Marcelo BAMBAO, an artist and sculptor who was born in 1920 in the town of Cebu. His works, which often depicted scenes from rural life and Philippine folklore, were highly regarded and earned him several awards and recognition from the Philippine art community.
In more recent times, the surname BAMBAO has also been found among Filipino communities in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States and Canada, where many Filipinos have immigrated and settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bambao
Among Census respondents with the surname Bambao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and White (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bambao 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 Bambao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- White4.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bambao
Bambao appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 4,892 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 Bambao 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 | #146,201 | #141,309 | 3.3% |
| Count | 113 | 121 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bambao bearers went from 113 to 121 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 4,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #141,309.
FAQ
Bambao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bambao?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Bambao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Bambao?
Bambao ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Bambao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bambao.
Has Bambao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bambao went from 113 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 8 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Bambao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bambao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and White (4.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bambao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bambao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), White (4.1%). 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 Bambao (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 Bambao mean?
A surname with an uncertain origin, possibly related to Indonesian or Filipino terms. 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 Bambao (0.04 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 Bambao?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.