2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barralaga
An Anglicized spelling of a Galician surname indicating an origin near the town of Baralha.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 297 Americans carry the last name Barralaga. That puts it at #79,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,154,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barralaga 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
297
1 in 1,154,055
Census rank
#79,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
259
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 259 bearers of the surname Barralaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barralaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barralaga
The surname Barralaga has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal, where it first emerged during the late Middle Ages. Its roots can be traced back to the Basque language, an ancient tongue spoken in the Pyrenees mountains that straddles the border between Spain and France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Barralaga appears in a municipal register from the town of Bilbao, situated in the Basque Country of northern Spain, dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions a certain Lope de Barralaga, a local landowner and prominent figure within the community.
The name itself is believed to be derived from the Basque words "barra," meaning "valley," and "laga," which can be translated as "meadow" or "clearing." Thus, the surname Barralaga may have initially referred to someone who resided in or owned a valley with a meadow, reflecting the region's geography and the occupation of its early bearers.
Throughout the centuries, the Barralaga surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Juan de Barralaga, a 16th-century explorer and navigator who accompanied the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to the Americas. Juan de Barralaga played a crucial role in mapping and charting the coastlines of present-day Mexico and Central America.
Another prominent figure bearing this surname was María Barralaga, a renowned 17th-century poet and writer from the city of Seville in southern Spain. Her works, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, were widely celebrated during her lifetime and contributed significantly to the literary landscape of the Spanish Golden Age.
In the 18th century, the Barralaga family produced a notable military leader in the form of General Pedro Barralaga. He distinguished himself in the Napoleonic Wars, leading Spanish forces against the French invaders and earning numerous accolades for his bravery and strategic acumen.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Barralaga gained further recognition through the work of Javier Barralaga, a pioneering architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several iconic landmarks in Madrid, including the Palacio de Comunicaciones and the Puerta de Toledo, which remain cherished examples of Spanish neoclassical architecture.
Throughout its long history, the surname Barralaga has maintained a strong presence in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in Spain and Portugal, where it continues to be associated with families of Basque heritage and cultural traditions. While its origins may be rooted in the distant past, the Barralaga name has left an indelible mark across various fields, from exploration and literature to military service and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barralaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Barralaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Barralaga 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 Barralaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.7% · 253
- Black or African American1.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barralaga
Barralaga 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
#85,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
+119 bearers (+119.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 65,079 places
2020
#79,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 259
+40 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 6,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,357 | 219 | 0.07 | +119 bearers (+119.0%) | Up 65,079 places |
| 2020 | #79,345 | 259 | 0.09 | +40 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 6,012 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 Barralaga 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 | #85,357 | #79,345 | 7.0% |
| Count | 219 | 259 | 18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barralaga bearers went from 219 to 259 (+18.3% change). The surname moved up 6,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,357 to #79,345.
FAQ
Barralaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barralaga?
Name Census estimates that about 297 living Americans carry the surname Barralaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,154,055 residents.
How common is Barralaga?
Barralaga ranks #79,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 259 people with the surname Barralaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Barralaga.
Has Barralaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barralaga went from 219 recorded bearers to 259. That is an increase of 40 (+18.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #85,357 to #79,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Barralaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barralaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Barralaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barralaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.7%), Black (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Barralaga (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 Barralaga mean?
An Anglicized spelling of a Galician surname indicating an origin near the town of Baralha. 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 Barralaga (0.09 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 are called Barralaga?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Barralaga, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.