2000
#16,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Berlanga
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Berlanga in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,194 Americans carry the last name Berlanga. That puts it at #14,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,223 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berlanga 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
2.2K
1 in 156,223
Census rank
#14,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,913 bearers of the surname Berlanga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlanga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berlanga
The surname Berlanga traces its origins to Spain, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Basque language, where "berri" means "new" and "langa" signifies a "field" or "plain." Thus, the name likely referred to an individual who resided in a newly cultivated or settled area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Berlanga name can be found in the Becerro de Behetrias, a document from the 14th century that catalogued the rights and privileges of various Spanish towns and villages. This text mentions the town of Berlanga de Duero, located in the province of Soria, suggesting the surname's connection to this region.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Berlanga name appeared in various historical records, such as land deeds, legal documents, and parish registers. Notable individuals from this era include Pedro de Berlanga, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Berlanga surname gained prominence through the works of Jerónimo de Berlanga, a Spanish playwright and dramatist known for his comedic plays and contributions to the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was born in 1598 and died in 1668.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Berlanga name spread across the Americas, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various regions. One such figure was Juan de Berlanga, a Spanish naval officer and explorer who led expeditions to the Pacific coast of Mexico in the late 16th century.
In the 19th century, Manuel Berlanga y Melgarejo, born in 1820 and died in 1881, was a prominent Spanish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and held various ambassadorial positions.
Another noteworthy individual with the Berlanga surname was Tomás Berlanga, a Mexican lawyer and politician born in 1860. He played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution and served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Francisco I. Madero.
Throughout history, the Berlanga name has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the rich tapestry of Spanish and Hispanic culture across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berlanga
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlanga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Berlanga 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 Berlanga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.4% · 1,748
- White6.6% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- Two or more races0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berlanga
Berlanga 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
#15,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
+374 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 1,608 places
2020
#14,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,913
-22 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,829 | 1,561 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,221 | 1,935 | 0.66 | +374 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 1,608 places |
| 2020 | #14,867 | 1,913 | 0.64 | -22 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 354 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 Berlanga 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 | #15,221 | #14,867 | 2.3% |
| Count | 1,935 | 1,913 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.64 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berlanga bearers went from 1,935 to 1,913 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 354 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,221 to #14,867.
FAQ
Berlanga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berlanga?
Name Census estimates that about 2,194 living Americans carry the surname Berlanga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,223 residents.
How common is Berlanga?
Berlanga ranks #14,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,913 people with the surname Berlanga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Berlanga.
Has Berlanga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berlanga went from 1,935 recorded bearers to 1,913. That is a decrease of 22 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,221 to #14,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Berlanga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlanga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Berlanga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berlanga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.4%), White (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Berlanga (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 Berlanga mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Berlanga in Spain. 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 Berlanga (0.64 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 share the surname Berlanga?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.