2000
#25,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 897
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Bermeo
A Spanish surname of geographical origin, referring to the town of Bermeo, located in the Basque Country of Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,181 Americans carry the last name Bermeo. That puts it at #14,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bermeo 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 157,155
Census rank
#14,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,902 bearers of the surname Bermeo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bermeo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bermeo
The surname BERMEO originated in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. The earliest known records of this name date back to the late 15th century. It is likely derived from the town of Bermeo, located in the Biscay province of the Basque Country. The town's name is believed to come from the Basque words "ibar" meaning valley and "mea" meaning small or narrow, suggesting the name refers to a small valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BERMEO surname can be found in the archives of the city of San Sebastian, where a certain Juan de BERMEO is mentioned in a document from 1492. Another early reference is in the records of the village of Guernica, where a family by the name of BERMEO is listed as landowners in the early 16th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the BERMEO surname gained prominence in various fields. One notable figure was Pedro de BERMEO, a Basque mariner and explorer who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on the famous Magellan expedition that circumnavigated the globe between 1519 and 1522.
In the realm of literature, Juan de BERMEO was a renowned poet and playwright from Bilbao, active during the late 16th century. His works are considered among the earliest examples of Basque literature.
The BERMEO surname also has a connection to the Spanish colonial era in the Americas. In 1534, a certain Andrés de BERMEO from Bermeo, Biscay, was among the early Spanish settlers in what is now Venezuela, where he served as one of the founding residents of the city of Coro.
Another notable individual was Martín de BERMEO, a 17th-century Spanish military engineer who oversaw the construction of several fortifications in the Caribbean, including the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In more recent times, the surname BERMEO has continued to be borne by individuals of Basque descent, both in Spain and in various parts of the world where Basque immigrants settled, such as Argentina, Mexico, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bermeo
Among Census respondents with the surname Bermeo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bermeo 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 Bermeo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.5% · 1,797
- White3.6% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- Two or more races0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bermeo
Bermeo 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
#16,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,790
+893 bearers (+99.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 9,618 places
2020
#14,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
+112 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,775 | 897 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,157 | 1,790 | 0.61 | +893 bearers (+99.6%) | Up 9,618 places |
| 2020 | #14,931 | 1,902 | 0.64 | +112 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 1,226 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 Bermeo 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 | #16,157 | #14,931 | 7.6% |
| Count | 1,790 | 1,902 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.64 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bermeo bearers went from 1,790 to 1,902 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 1,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,157 to #14,931.
FAQ
Bermeo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bermeo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,181 living Americans carry the surname Bermeo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,155 residents.
How common is Bermeo?
Bermeo ranks #14,931 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 1,902 people with the surname Bermeo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,181), 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 Bermeo.
Has Bermeo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bermeo went from 1,790 recorded bearers to 1,902. That is an increase of 112 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,157 to #14,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Bermeo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bermeo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Bermeo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (1,797 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bermeo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.5%), White (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Bermeo (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 Bermeo mean?
A Spanish surname of geographical origin, referring to the town of Bermeo, located in the Basque Country of 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 Bermeo (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 Americans have the surname Bermeo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.