2000
#13,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Bencomo
A Spanish habitational surname indicating someone from Bencomo, likely derived from the Basque word for "valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,889 Americans carry the last name Bencomo. That puts it at #11,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bencomo 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
2.9K
1 in 118,641
Census rank
#11,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,519 bearers of the surname Bencomo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bencomo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bencomo
The surname BENCOMO is of Spanish origin, specifically from the Canary Islands. It is believed to have originated in the late 15th or early 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands.
The name BENCOMO is thought to be derived from the Guanche language, the language spoken by the indigenous people of the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest. It is likely a combination of the words "ben" meaning "son of" and "como" referring to a personal name or title.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BENCOMO can be found in the historical documents related to the Spanish conquest of the island of Tenerife in the late 15th century. These documents mention a Guanche leader named Bencomo who led the resistance against the Spanish invaders.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the BENCOMO surname was primarily concentrated in the Canary Islands, particularly on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. During this period, several individuals bearing the name BENCOMO were involved in various aspects of island life, including agriculture, trade, and local administration.
One notable figure from this era was Juan Bencomo (1550-1620), who served as a magistrate and local official on the island of Tenerife. Another was Sebastián Bencomo (1610-1685), a successful merchant and landowner in Gran Canaria.
As the Canary Islands became more integrated into the Spanish empire, the BENCOMO surname gradually spread to other parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. In the 18th and 19th centuries, individuals with the surname BENCOMO can be found in places like Cuba, Mexico, and the Spanish mainland.
One prominent individual from this period was José Bencomo y Rodríguez (1785-1853), a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the Captain General of Cuba from 1851 to 1853.
Another notable figure was Antonio Bencomo Rodríguez (1805-1876), a Spanish painter and illustrator known for his works depicting scenes from the Canary Islands.
As the BENCOMO surname spread further afield, it also underwent various spelling variations, including Bencomo, Bencomo, and Bencomo, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bencomo
Among Census respondents with the surname Bencomo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bencomo 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 Bencomo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 2,340
- White5.7% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Two or more races0.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bencomo
Bencomo 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
#12,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
+562 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 1,696 places
2020
#11,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,519
-44 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 270 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,852 | 2,001 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,156 | 2,563 | 0.87 | +562 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 1,696 places |
| 2020 | #11,886 | 2,519 | 0.84 | -44 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 270 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 Bencomo 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 | #12,156 | #11,886 | 2.2% |
| Count | 2,563 | 2,519 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.84 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bencomo bearers went from 2,563 to 2,519 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 270 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,156 to #11,886.
FAQ
Bencomo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bencomo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,889 living Americans carry the surname Bencomo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,641 residents.
How common is Bencomo?
Bencomo ranks #11,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,519 people with the surname Bencomo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,889), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Bencomo.
Has Bencomo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bencomo went from 2,563 recorded bearers to 2,519. That is a decrease of 44 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,156 to #11,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Bencomo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bencomo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Bencomo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bencomo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (5.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Bencomo (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 Bencomo mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating someone from Bencomo, likely derived from the Basque word for "valley". 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 Bencomo (0.84 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 are called Bencomo?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Bencomo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.