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

Bilbo, 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 Bilbo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bilbo in America

Bilbo is the 18622nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bilbo surname appeared 1,478 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bilbo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bilbo 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 Bilbo

The surname "BILBO" is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Castile. It is thought to have derived from the Basque word "bilbo," which means "loop" or "iron hoop." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with a family involved in metalworking or blacksmithing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Becerro de Behetrias, a medieval record of towns and villages in Castile and Leon, dating back to the 14th century. Here, the name appears as "Bilbo," referring to a small settlement in the region.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Bilbo was Diego Gómez de Bilbo, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He later settled in the Caribbean and played a role in the colonization of the region.

Another historical figure with the surname Bilbo was Juan de Bilbo, a 16th-century Spanish architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in Spain, including the Alcázar of Toledo and the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

In the 17th century, a prominent individual with the surname Bilbo was Andrés de Bilbo, a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and played a role in the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.

In the late 18th century, a noteworthy figure was José de Bilbo, a Spanish naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and helped map various islands and coastlines in the region.

Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spellings and variations, including "Bilbao," which is associated with the city of the same name in the Basque Country. However, it is important to note that the surname "BILBO" is distinct from the placename "Bilbao," although they may share a common linguistic root.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bilbo

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

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

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

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