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

Basabe, 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 Basabe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Basabe in America

Basabe is the 56710th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Basabe surname appeared 360 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 Basabe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Basabe 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 Basabe

The surname Basabe originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It likely derives from the Basque words "baso" meaning forest or woods, and "be" meaning low or under, suggesting the name may have referred to someone living in or near a low-lying forested area.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Basabe name is found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a 12th-century manuscript from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This cartulary contains several references to individuals with the surname Basabe, indicating the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, the Basabe family was prominent in the town of Bilbao, with several members holding important positions in the local government and civic affairs. One notable individual was Juan López de Basabe, who served as the alcalde (mayor) of Bilbao in the mid-1300s.

The name Basabe has also been associated with various place names in the Basque Country, such as the village of Basabe-Errota (meaning "Basabe Mill") in Bizkaia, and the Basabeko Gaina mountain in Navarre. These place names likely derived from the surname, suggesting the Basabe family had a significant presence in these areas.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Basabe surname. One of the earliest recorded is Pedro de Basabe, a 15th-century navigator and explorer from Portugalete, Bizkaia, who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to reach the coast of Brazil in 1500.

Another prominent figure was Juan de Basabe y Navarrete (1562-1628), a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1624 to 1628.

In the realm of literature, Ignacio Basabe (1854-1927) was a renowned Basque writer and poet from Bilbao, known for his works celebrating Basque culture and language.

More recently, Patxi Basabe (1934-2022) was a prominent Basque politician and activist who played a key role in the revival of Basque nationalism and the recognition of the Basque language and culture in the late 20th century.

Throughout its history, the Basabe surname has maintained a strong connection to its Basque roots and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from exploration and colonization to literature and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Basabe

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

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

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

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