2000
#15,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,756
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Basquez
A Basque-language habitational surname indicating a person who lived near a small wood or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,329 Americans carry the last name Basquez. That puts it at #14,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,168 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basquez 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
2.3K
1 in 147,168
Census rank
#14,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,031 bearers of the surname Basquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Basquez
The surname Basquez is believed to have originated from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Basque language and is thought to be a variant spelling of the word "bazterra," which translates to "border" or "frontier." This suggests that the name may have been originally borne by individuals who lived near the border areas between the Basque territories and neighboring regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Basquez can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century that contains records of land transactions and legal documents in the Basque region. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Basterra" and "Bazterra," reflecting the dialectal variations of the Basque language.
During the 13th century, the name Basquez began to spread beyond the Basque territories as a result of migration and trade. In 1254, a certain Juan Basquez was mentioned in a document from the city of Burgos, suggesting that the name had already established a presence in other parts of Spain by that time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Basquez include:
1. Rodrigo Basquez (c. 1440-1510), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
2. María Basquez (1570-1645), a Basque noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the governance of the village of Bilbao during the 16th century.
3. Juan Basquez de Villaurrutia (1615-1677), a Spanish military commander and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Spanish Florida from 1671 to 1673.
4. Pedro Basquez de Sotomayor (1685-1749), a Spanish colonial official and explorer who led expeditions in the Rio de la Plata region of South America in the early 18th century.
5. Mateo Basquez y Meléndez (1790-1868), a Chilean politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Manuel Montt in the mid-19th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Basquez has also been associated with various place names in the Basque region, such as Baztán, a valley located in the province of Navarre, and Basaburua, a municipality in the province of Gipuzkoa. These place names share linguistic roots with the surname, further reinforcing its origins in the Basque territories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Basquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Basquez 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 Basquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.5% · 1,736
- White9.5% · 193
- Black or African American1.7% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 22
- Two or more races1.1% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basquez
Basquez 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
#12,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
+686 bearers (+39.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 2,695 places
2020
#14,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,031
-411 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,529 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,356 | 1,756 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,661 | 2,442 | 0.83 | +686 bearers (+39.1%) | Up 2,695 places |
| 2020 | #14,190 | 2,031 | 0.68 | -411 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,529 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 Basquez 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 | #12,661 | #14,190 | -12.1% |
| Count | 2,442 | 2,031 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.68 | -18.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basquez bearers went from 2,442 to 2,031 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,529 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,661 to #14,190.
FAQ
Basquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basquez?
Name Census estimates that about 2,329 living Americans carry the surname Basquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,168 residents.
How common is Basquez?
Basquez ranks #14,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,031 people with the surname Basquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,329), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Basquez.
Has Basquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basquez went from 2,442 recorded bearers to 2,031. That is a decrease of 411 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,661 to #14,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Basquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Basquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (1,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.5%), White (9.5%), Black (1.7%). 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 Basquez (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 Basquez mean?
A Basque-language habitational surname indicating a person who lived near a small wood or grove. 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 Basquez (0.68 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 have the last name Basquez?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Basquez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.