2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bisnar
A surname potentially originating from a Spanish word meaning "twice" or "double".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Bisnar. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bisnar 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Bisnar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bisnar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.2%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bisnar
The surname BISNAR is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia, located in the northeastern part of Spain. It is thought to derive from the Catalan word "bisner," which means "nephew" or "grandson." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname, possibly referring to someone's relationship within a family or clan.
The earliest known record of the BISNAR surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1246, a document from the city of Barcelona mentioned a certain "Pere Bisner," which is likely one of the earliest written instances of this surname.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were not yet widely established, and people were often identified by their occupation, location, or physical characteristics. As such, the BISNAR name may have initially referred to a specific individual's familial relationship before becoming a hereditary surname.
One notable historical figure bearing the BISNAR surname was Guillem Bisner, a Catalan merchant and trader who lived in the 14th century. Records show that he was involved in the lucrative Mediterranean trade routes, transporting goods between Barcelona and various ports in Italy and North Africa.
In the 16th century, the BISNAR surname appears to have spread beyond Catalonia, with records indicating individuals bearing this name in other parts of Spain, as well as in parts of Portugal and southern France.
Another notable individual with the BISNAR surname was Jaume Bisnar, a Catalan painter who lived in the late 17th century. He is known for his religious paintings and frescoes that adorned several churches and monasteries in Barcelona and its surrounding areas.
As the centuries passed, the BISNAR surname continued to be present in various regions of Spain and beyond. In the 19th century, Juan Bisnar, a Spanish military officer, played a role in the Spanish-American War, serving in the Spanish forces stationed in Cuba.
Additionally, María Bisnar, born in 1842 in Valencia, Spain, was a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights. She established several schools for girls and campaigned for equal educational opportunities for women in Spain during a time when such efforts were highly progressive.
While the BISNAR surname may have originated as a descriptive term related to family relationships, it eventually became a hereditary surname carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and occupations, leaving a lasting mark on the historical record of Spain and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bisnar
Among Census respondents with the surname Bisnar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.2%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bisnar 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 Bisnar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander69.7% · 69
- White17.2% · 17
- Two or more races7.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bisnar
Bisnar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-22 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 17,701 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 Bisnar 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 | #138,304 | #156,005 | -12.8% |
| Count | 121 | 99 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bisnar bearers went from 121 to 99 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 17,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #156,005.
FAQ
Bisnar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bisnar?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Bisnar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Bisnar?
Bisnar ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Bisnar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Bisnar.
Has Bisnar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bisnar went from 121 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 22 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Bisnar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bisnar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.2%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bisnar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (69 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bisnar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (69.7%), White (17.2%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Bisnar (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 Bisnar mean?
A surname potentially originating from a Spanish word meaning "twice" or "double". 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 Bisnar (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 Bisnar?
Find out how many people are called Bisnar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.