2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bengoechea
A Basque surname indicating a place of origin or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Bengoechea. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bengoechea 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Bengoechea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bengoechea, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (49.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bengoechea
The surname Bengoechea originated in the Basque region of Spain and France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque words "beko" meaning "lower" and "etxea" meaning "house," suggesting the name may have referred to those who lived in a house located in a lower area.
The Basque Country, spanning parts of northern Spain and southwestern France, has a rich cultural heritage and distinct language separate from the surrounding Romance languages. Surnames like Bengoechea reflect the region's linguistic influences.
Early recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as municipal archives and church registers. One notable example is Juan de Bengoechea, a merchant from San Sebastian, Spain, who is mentioned in a trade document dated 1457.
In the 16th century, the name appears in connection with the town of Bengoechea, located in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. It is likely that some individuals bearing this surname originated from or had ties to this particular town.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Bengoechea surname. Juan Ignacio de Bengoechea (1735-1809) was a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Pedro de Bengoechea (1768-1845) was a prominent Basque politician and lawyer who played a role in the Spanish liberal revolution of the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, Joaquín Bengoechea (1898-1981) was a Spanish painter and sculptor known for his cubist works and involvement in the avant-garde movements of his time. Pedro Bengoechea (1925-2010) was a renowned Basque writer and journalist who contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of the Basque language and culture.
Another notable figure was José Bengoechea (1938-2012), a Spanish businessman and philanthropist who founded several successful companies and supported various charitable causes in the Basque region.
While the surname Bengoechea has its roots in the Basque Country, it has since spread to other parts of Spain and beyond, carried by individuals and families who have migrated from the region over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bengoechea
Among Census respondents with the surname Bengoechea, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (49.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bengoechea 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 Bengoechea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.5% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino49.5% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bengoechea
Bengoechea 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,401 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-13 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,050 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,401 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 10,050 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 Bengoechea 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 | #145,220 | #155,270 | -6.9% |
| Count | 114 | 101 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bengoechea bearers went from 114 to 101 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 10,050 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #155,270.
FAQ
Bengoechea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bengoechea?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Bengoechea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Bengoechea?
Bengoechea ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Bengoechea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bengoechea.
Has Bengoechea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bengoechea went from 114 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Bengoechea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bengoechea, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (49.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bengoechea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (51 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bengoechea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.5%), Hispanic (49.5%). 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 Bengoechea (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 Bengoechea mean?
A Basque surname indicating a place of origin or residence. 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 Bengoechea (0.03 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 have the last name Bengoechea?
Want to know how many people have the surname Bengoechea? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.