2000
#19,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Bastidas
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "basta" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,303 Americans carry the last name Bastidas. That puts it at #14,332 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bastidas 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 148,829
Census rank
#14,332
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,008 bearers of the surname Bastidas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14332nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastidas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bastidas
The surname Bastidas originated in Spain, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 15th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "bastida," which refers to a temporary fortification or defensive structure built during military campaigns. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who played a role in the construction or maintenance of such fortifications.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Bastidas was Rodrigo de Bastidas, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who lived from around 1460 to 1527. He is known for his explorations along the northern coast of South America, specifically in the region now known as Colombia and Panama. In 1501, Bastidas led an expedition that explored the coastline from the Guajira Peninsula to the Gulf of Urabá, making significant contributions to the mapping of the region.
Another notable figure with the Bastidas surname was Juan de Bastidas, a Spanish conquistador who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He participated in several expeditions to the Caribbean and Central America, including the conquest of Puerto Rico in 1508. Juan de Bastidas is also credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on the mainland of present-day Panama.
In the 16th century, the Bastidas surname appeared in various historical records and documents, including records of land grants and legal proceedings. For instance, the name is mentioned in the "Archivo General de Indias," a Spanish colonial archive that contains documents related to the administration and governance of Spain's territories in the Americas.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bastidas surname continued to be present in various regions of Spain and its colonies. One notable individual from this period was Francisco de Bastidas y Velasco, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia) from 1675 to 1681.
In more recent times, the Bastidas surname has been carried by several notable individuals, such as Rodrigo Bastidas, a Colombian writer and journalist born in 1942, and César Bastidas, a Venezuelan politician and economist who served as the president of the Central Bank of Venezuela from 2004 to 2006.
Throughout its history, the Bastidas surname has undergone slight variations in spelling, including Bastida, Bastide, and Bastides. The name has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Bastida de' Codines in Catalonia and Bastida de Cladells in Valencia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bastidas
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastidas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bastidas 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 Bastidas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.7% · 1,861
- White6.3% · 127
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bastidas
Bastidas 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
#16,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
+545 bearers (+43.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 3,772 places
2020
#14,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,008
+215 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 1,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,908 | 1,248 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,136 | 1,793 | 0.61 | +545 bearers (+43.7%) | Up 3,772 places |
| 2020 | #14,332 | 2,008 | 0.67 | +215 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 1,804 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 Bastidas 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 | #16,136 | #14,332 | 11.2% |
| Count | 1,793 | 2,008 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.67 | 10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bastidas bearers went from 1,793 to 2,008 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 1,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,136 to #14,332.
FAQ
Bastidas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bastidas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,303 living Americans carry the surname Bastidas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,829 residents.
How common is Bastidas?
Bastidas ranks #14,332 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,008 people with the surname Bastidas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Bastidas.
Has Bastidas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bastidas went from 1,793 recorded bearers to 2,008. That is an increase of 215 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,136 to #14,332.
What does the Census say about the background of Bastidas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastidas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Black (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 Bastidas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bastidas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.7%), White (6.3%), Black (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 Bastidas (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 Bastidas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "basta" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." 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 Bastidas (0.67 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 Bastidas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Bastidas at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.