2000
#18,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Basco
A surname derived from the city of Basco or the Basque region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,004 Americans carry the last name Basco. That puts it at #16,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basco 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
2.0K
1 in 171,035
Census rank
#16,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,748 bearers of the surname Basco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basco, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (40.4%) and Hispanic (10.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basco
Among Census respondents with the surname Basco, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (40.4%) and Hispanic (10.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Basco 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 Basco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.9% · 715
- Asian and Pacific Islander40.4% · 707
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 175
- Two or more races4.7% · 82
- Black or African American3.4% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basco
Basco 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
#18,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,436
+74 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#16,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,748
+312 bearers (+21.7%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 2,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,645 | 1,362 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,984 | 1,436 | 0.49 | +74 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #16,031 | 1,748 | 0.58 | +312 bearers (+21.7%) | Up 2,953 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 Basco 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 | #18,984 | #16,031 | 15.6% |
| Count | 1,436 | 1,748 | 21.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.58 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basco bearers went from 1,436 to 1,748 (+21.7% change). The surname moved up 2,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,984 to #16,031.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Basco
FAQ
Basco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,004 living Americans carry the surname Basco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,035 residents.
How common is Basco?
Basco ranks #16,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,748 people with the surname Basco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Basco.
Has Basco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basco went from 1,436 recorded bearers to 1,748. That is an increase of 312 (+21.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,984 to #16,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Basco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basco, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (40.4%) and Hispanic (10.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Basco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.9% (715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (40.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (40.4%), Hispanic (10.0%). 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 Basco (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 Basco mean?
A surname derived from the city of Basco or the Basque region. 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 Basco (0.58 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 Basco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.