2000
#84,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Basave
A toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Basave.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 360 Americans carry the last name Basave. That puts it at #67,683 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 952,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basave 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
360
1 in 952,095
Census rank
#67,683
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
314
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 314 bearers of the surname Basave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67683rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basave, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Basave
The surname "BASAVE" has its origins in the Basque Country, a region straddling the border between northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have emerged in the medieval era, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Libro de la Regla, a 13th-century Basque manuscript. The name is thought to be derived from the Basque word "basabe," meaning "woods" or "forest," suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have resided in or near a forested area.
In the 14th century, records show a Sancho Basave, a nobleman from the village of Zumaya in the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the surname in its current spelling.
During the 15th century, the name appears in various Basque genealogical records, such as the Libro de Armería del Reino de Navarra (Book of Heraldry of the Kingdom of Navarre). It is mentioned in connection with several noble families from the region.
One notable individual with the surname was Juan Basave de Guevara (1542-1604), a Spanish soldier and diplomat who served as the ambassador to England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure was Tomás Basave Fernández del Valle (1771-1848), a Mexican lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain.
In the 19th century, Joaquín Basave Fernández del Valle (1822-1890), a Mexican politician and diplomat, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico and later as the ambassador to the United States.
The name has also been associated with several notable academics and writers, such as Agustín Basave Fernández del Valle (1923-2000), a Mexican philosopher and author who wrote extensively on ethics and political philosophy.
While the surname "BASAVE" originated in the Basque region, it has since spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to Latin American countries like Mexico, where it has a significant presence due to historical migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basave
Among Census respondents with the surname Basave, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Basave 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 Basave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.5% · 306
- White1.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basave
Basave 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
#61,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 325
+118 bearers (+57.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 22,565 places
2020
#67,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
-11 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 5,938 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #84,310 | 207 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,745 | 325 | 0.11 | +118 bearers (+57.0%) | Up 22,565 places |
| 2020 | #67,683 | 314 | 0.11 | -11 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,938 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 Basave 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 | #61,745 | #67,683 | -9.6% |
| Count | 325 | 314 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basave bearers went from 325 to 314 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,938 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,745 to #67,683.
FAQ
Basave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basave?
Name Census estimates that about 360 living Americans carry the surname Basave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 952,095 residents.
How common is Basave?
Basave ranks #67,683 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 314 people with the surname Basave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Basave.
Has Basave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basave went from 325 recorded bearers to 314. That is a decrease of 11 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #61,745 to #67,683.
What does the Census say about the background of Basave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basave, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Basave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.5%), White (1.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Basave (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 Basave mean?
A toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Basave. 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 Basave (0.11 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 share the surname Basave?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.