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

Benalcázar, 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 Benalcázar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benalcázar in America

Benalcázar is the 82317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benalcázar surname appeared 229 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Benalcázar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benalcázar 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 Benalcázar

The surname Benalcazar has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century and the Spanish conquest of the Americas. The name is derived from the Arabic words "Banu al-Qasr," meaning "sons of the castle" or "family of the castle." This suggests that the Benalcazar lineage may have been associated with a particular castle or fortified structure in Spain during the period of Islamic rule on the Iberian Peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Benalcazar name can be found in chronicles documenting the expeditions of Spanish conquistadors in the early 16th century. Sebastián de Benalcázar was a renowned Spanish conquistador born around 1495 in the town of Benalcázar, located in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia. He played a significant role in the conquest of present-day Ecuador and the establishment of the city of Quito in 1534.

Another notable figure bearing the Benalcazar surname was Alonso de Benalcázar, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Francisco Pizarro in the conquest of Peru in the 1530s. He is credited with founding the city of Cali in present-day Colombia in 1536.

In the 17th century, Diego de Benalcázar y Guzmán, a Spanish nobleman and military officer, served as the Governor of Chile from 1618 to 1623. His tenure was marked by conflicts with the indigenous Mapuche people and efforts to establish Spanish control over the region.

Moving forward to the 18th century, José Antonio de Benalcázar y Sánchez de Toca was a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1779 to 1781. He played a role in fortifying the island's defenses against potential attacks during the American Revolutionary War.

The Benalcazar name has also been associated with various locations in Spain, such as the town of Benalcázar in Córdoba, which likely served as the ancestral home of many families bearing this surname. Additionally, the name may have evolved into other spellings or forms over time, reflecting regional variations and linguistic shifts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benalcázar

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

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

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

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