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

Bedoya, 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 Bedoya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bedoya in America

Bedoya is the 9486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bedoya surname appeared 3,429 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bedoya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bedoya 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 Bedoya

The surname BEDOYA originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "bedoye," which means "watchman" or "guard." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who served as watchmen or guards in the Basque region of Spain.

The earliest recorded instances of the BEDOYA surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the Basque Country, an autonomous community located in northern Spain and southwestern France. Historical records from this region mention individuals bearing the name BEDOYA or similar spellings, such as BEDOIA or BEDOIA.

One of the earliest known references to the BEDOYA surname is found in a medieval manuscript from the year 1275, which mentions a certain Juan de BEDOYA, a landowner in the village of Guetaria, located in the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country.

In the 15th century, the BEDOYA surname gained prominence when Pedro de BEDOYA (born around 1420) served as a military commander during the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest over Muslim territories in the Iberian Peninsula. Pedro de BEDOYA reportedly played a significant role in the capture of the city of Granada in 1492, marking the end of the Reconquista.

Another notable figure bearing the BEDOYA surname was Diego de BEDOYA (1490-1562), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He is credited with founding the city of Trujillo in northern Peru in 1535.

During the 16th century, the BEDOYA surname also appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition. One such record mentions a certain María de BEDOYA, who was accused of heresy and brought before the Inquisition in Seville in 1568.

In the 17th century, the BEDOYA surname was associated with the town of Bedoya, located in the municipality of Durango, Basque Country. This town likely took its name from the BEDOYA surname, indicating the presence of a prominent BEDOYA family in the area.

Throughout history, various individuals with the BEDOYA surname have made significant contributions in fields such as literature, art, and politics. For example, José Joaquín de BEDOYA (1786-1841) was a Colombian poet and politician who played a role in the independence of Colombia from Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bedoya

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

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

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

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