2000
#13,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Basurto
A Basque surname derived from the word "basurde," meaning "wild boar," likely referring to a hunter or someone with boar-like qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,792 Americans carry the last name Basurto. That puts it at #9,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basurto 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
3.8K
1 in 90,389
Census rank
#9,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,307 bearers of the surname Basurto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basurto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Basurto
The surname Basurto is of Spanish origin, hailing from the Basque region of northern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "baso," meaning forest or woods, and "urto," meaning year or season. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a particular forest or wooded area during a specific time of year.
The earliest recorded instances of the Basurto surname can be traced back to the 11th century in the Basque Country. It is mentioned in several medieval manuscripts and records from the region, often associated with local landowners or prominent families.
One notable historical reference to the name Basurto is found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documents the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. It mentions a village called Basurto along the way, likely named after an early bearer of the surname.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Juan de Basurto (c. 1420-1490) was a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He later became the governor of the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and Dominican Republic).
Another notable individual with the Basurto surname was Agustín de Basurto (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications and buildings in Spain and its colonies during the 16th and early 17th centuries.
In the realm of literature, Francisco de Basurto (c. 1580-1645) was a Spanish poet and playwright whose works were popular in the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
The name Basurto has also been associated with several place names in the Basque region, such as the municipality of Basurto in Bilbao, which likely took its name from an early inhabitant or landowner with the surname.
Over time, the surname Basurto has spread beyond the Basque Country and can be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in Latin American countries with significant Spanish immigration, such as Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basurto
Among Census respondents with the surname Basurto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Basurto 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 Basurto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 3,091
- White5.0% · 166
- Black or African American0.8% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Two or more races0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basurto
Basurto 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
#9,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,522
+1,363 bearers (+63.1%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 3,778 places
2020
#9,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,307
-215 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,019 | 2,159 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,241 | 3,522 | 1.19 | +1,363 bearers (+63.1%) | Up 3,778 places |
| 2020 | #9,421 | 3,307 | 1.11 | -215 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 180 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 Basurto 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 | #9,241 | #9,421 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,522 | 3,307 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.11 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basurto bearers went from 3,522 to 3,307 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,241 to #9,421.
FAQ
Basurto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basurto?
Name Census estimates that about 3,792 living Americans carry the surname Basurto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,389 residents.
How common is Basurto?
Basurto ranks #9,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,307 people with the surname Basurto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Basurto.
Has Basurto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basurto went from 3,522 recorded bearers to 3,307. That is a decrease of 215 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,241 to #9,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Basurto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basurto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Basurto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (3,091 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basurto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (5.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Basurto (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 Basurto mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "basurde," meaning "wild boar," likely referring to a hunter or someone with boar-like qualities. 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 Basurto (1.11 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 Basurto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.