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

Berrelez, 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 Berrelez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berrelez in America

Berrelez is the 133048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berrelez surname appeared 127 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 Berrelez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berrelez 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 Berrelez

The surname BERRELEZ is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France during the late medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Basque words "berri" meaning new and "etxe" meaning house, suggesting the name may have referred to someone living in a newly constructed dwelling.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 14th century document from the village of Ainhoa in the historical Basque province of Labourd. Here it is spelled "Berrietchez", indicating the name's roots in the region predate modern spelling conventions.

In the 16th century, records show a BERRELEZ family residing in the town of Sare, also in Labourd. Around this time, variations like "Berrelechea" and "Berrelitz" begin appearing as the name spread to neighboring areas.

A notable early bearer of the name was Juan de BERRELEZ, a merchant from San Sebastián who was granted a coat of arms by Spanish royalty in 1572 for his business success and civic contributions.

Another prominent BERRELEZ was Pedro de BERRELEZ (1608-1678), a Basque soldier and explorer who accompanied Spanish expeditions mapping the Pacific coast of California and the American Southwest in the mid-1600s.

In the 18th century, the BERRELEZ name can be found among residents of the French Basque town of Ainhoa, with records listing families headed by men like Martin BERRELEZ (1734-1802) and Jean BERRELEZ (1759-1831).

As the 19th century dawned, some BERRELEZ immigrants began settling in the Americas, bringing the name to countries like Argentina, where it retains a small presence today tied to its Basque heritage.

Throughout its long history, the BERRELEZ surname has maintained strongest roots in the Basque regions of Spain and France, with periodic migrations introducing small populations in other parts of the world over time. But its origins clearly trace back to the unique Basque culture and language stemming from the Pyrenees mountains.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berrelez

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

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

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

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