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

Basco, 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 Basco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Basco in America

Basco is the 18984th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Basco surname appeared 1,436 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 Basco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Basco 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 Basco

The surname Basco is thought to have originated in Spain, likely during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "basco," meaning someone from the Basque region in northern Spain and southern France. The Basque people have a distinct language and cultural identity that predates the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Basco can be found in the 13th century Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. The document mentions an individual named "Didacus Basco," suggesting the name's use in that region during that time.

In the 14th century, a Spanish nobleman named Fernán Basco de Sotomayor served as the Grand Master of the Order of Calatrava, a prestigious military order in Castile. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the effort to reclaim territories from the Moors.

During the 15th century, a Basque navigator named Juan Sebastián del Cano (c. 1476-1526) became the first person to circumnavigate the globe, completing the journey begun by Ferdinand Magellan. Del Cano's voyage was a remarkable achievement in the Age of Exploration.

In the 17th century, a Spanish military commander named Isidro Basco y Guzmán (1632-1703) served as the Governor of Chile and helped defend the colony against the Mapuche resistance. He is remembered for his efforts to establish Spanish control over the region.

Another notable figure with the surname Basco was the 19th-century Spanish theologian and philosopher Valentín Basco y Mendieta (1801-1870). He was a prominent scholar and authored works on philosophy, theology, and education.

The name Basco has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Basconia, an ancient name for the Basque region, and Bascuñana, a municipality in the province of Guadalajara. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Basco

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

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

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

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