Barcenas last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Barcenas

An occupational surname referring to a person who managed or worked in a boat or ship.

Barcenas, 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 Barcenas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barcenas in America

Barcenas is the 5031st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barcenas surname appeared 6,979 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Barcenas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barcenas 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5031 7373 -37.76%
Count 6,979 4,166 50.48%
Proportion per 100k 2.37 1.54 42.46%

The history of the last name Barcenas

The surname Barcenas originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "barcena," which refers to a wooded valley or glen. The name likely originated from a place name, indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname resided in or near a wooded valley.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Barcenas can be found in the medieval Spanish documents from the 13th century. These documents mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Barcena and Barzena. The presence of these variations suggests that the name had already been in use for some time before the 13th century.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan Barcenas was a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Juan Barcenas played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the Caribbean islands.

During the 16th century, the surname Barcenas appeared in various records from different regions of Spain, indicating that the name had spread across the country. One prominent individual from this period was Diego de Barcenas, a Spanish soldier and adventurer born in 1521, who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro.

In the 17th century, a prominent bearer of the surname was Juan de Barcenas y Huerta, a Spanish playwright and poet born in 1622. His works, which included comedies and religious plays, were widely acclaimed and contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish literature.

Another notable figure with the surname Barcenas was José Barcenas y Meneses, born in 1776, who served as a Spanish military officer and statesman. He played a crucial role in the Spanish struggle for independence against the French during the Peninsular War in the early 19th century.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Barcenas has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, soldiers, and leaders. While the name originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and global connections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barcenas

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

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 Barcenas was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 3.25% 227
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.21% 15
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.65% 185
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.11% 8
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.37% 26
Hispanic Origin 93.39% 6,518

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 Barcenas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 3.25% 3.77% -14.81%
Black 0.21% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.65% 2.11% 22.69%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.11% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.37% 0.36% 2.74%
Hispanic 93.39% 93.61% -0.24%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Barcenas last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/barcenas-surname-popularity/.

"Barcenas last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/barcenas-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 July, 2024

Barcenas last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/barcenas-surname-popularity/.

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