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

Bengochea, 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 Bengochea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bengochea in America

Bengochea is the 54752nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bengochea surname appeared 376 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 Bengochea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bengochea 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 Bengochea

The surname Bengochea originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Basque words "benko", meaning "bent" or "crooked", and "etxe", meaning "house", suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a crooked or irregularly shaped house.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bengochea name can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documented the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. In this manuscript, a certain Petrus Bengochea is mentioned as a resident of the town of Valcarlos in Navarre, Spain.

During the 16th century, the Bengochea family played a significant role in the military campaigns against the Moors in southern Spain. Juan Bengochea (1520-1589) was a renowned soldier and commander who fought alongside the Spanish armies during the Reconquista.

In the 17th century, the name Bengochea was associated with several prominent figures in the Basque country. Martín Bengochea (1610-1678) was a respected theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. His contemporary, Catalina Bengochea (1625-1695), was a notable philanthropist and benefactor who founded several charitable institutions in the city of Bilbao.

The 18th century saw the Bengochea name spread beyond the Basque region, as members of the family migrated to other parts of Spain and the Americas. Sebastián Bengochea (1745-1821) was a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and contributed to the mapping of the western coasts of North and South America.

In the 19th century, Francisco Bengochea (1810-1887) was a prominent politician and lawyer from San Sebastián, Spain. He served as a member of the Spanish parliament and was a vocal advocate for the rights and autonomy of the Basque people.

It is worth noting that variations of the name, such as Bengochea, Bengoxea, and Bengochea, have been used throughout history, reflecting the linguistic diversity and regional dialects of the Basque country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bengochea

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

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

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

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