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

Blanco, 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 Blanco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blanco in America

Blanco is the 1099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blanco surname appeared 31,800 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Blanco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blanco 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 Blanco

The surname Blanco is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Spanish word "blanco" meaning "white." It first emerged in Spain during the Middle Ages, likely as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with fair hair or pale complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Blanco can be found in the 13th century Catalonian legal document known as the "Llibre de Repartiment de València." This document, dating back to 1238, listed individuals who received lands after the conquest of Valencia by the Crown of Aragon. Several individuals with the surname Blanco appear in this record, indicating the name's prevalence in the region at that time.

The surname Blanco has a long and distinguished history in Spain, with several notable figures bearing the name throughout the centuries. One of the earliest and most prominent was Andrés Blanco (c. 1475 - 1512), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to the Americas in 1502.

Another notable Blanco was Gaspar Blanco (1500 - 1574), a Spanish theologian and professor at the University of Alcalá. He played a significant role in the Council of Trent, one of the most important ecumenical councils in the history of the Catholic Church.

In the 17th century, Juan Blanco de Paz (1590 - 1650) was a renowned Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.

Moving into the 19th century, Ramón de la Sagra y Periz (1798 - 1871), a Spanish botanist and economist, adopted the name Ramón de la Sagra Blanco. He is credited with pioneering studies on the flora and fauna of Cuba, as well as contributing to the development of economic theory.

Lastly, José María Blanco White (1775 - 1841) was a Spanish-born British writer and theologian who played a significant role in the intellectual and religious debates of his time. He is remembered for his criticism of the Spanish Inquisition and his advocacy for religious tolerance.

While the surname Blanco originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries with historical ties to Spain. The name has various spelling variations, such as Blanko and Bianco, but its roots can be traced back to the medieval Iberian Peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blanco

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

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

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

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