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

Bobadilla, 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 Bobadilla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bobadilla in America

Bobadilla is the 7303rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bobadilla surname appeared 4,566 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bobadilla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bobadilla 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 Bobadilla

The surname Bobadilla has its origins in Spain, dating back to the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish town of Bobadilla, located in the province of Malaga, Andalusia. The name itself is derived from the Latin word "bovarius," meaning "oxherd" or "cowherd," suggesting that the earliest bearers of the name may have been involved in cattle herding or farming.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bobadilla can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Bobadilla, indicating their presence in various regions of Spain during that time.

In the 15th century, Beatriz de Bobadilla (c. 1440-1501) was a prominent Spanish noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella I of Castile. She played a significant role in the court and was involved in the negotiations for the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, which ultimately united the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile.

Another notable figure with the surname Bobadilla was Francisco de Bobadilla (c. 1458-1502), a Spanish nobleman and colonial administrator. In 1499, he was appointed by the Spanish Crown to investigate the governance of Christopher Columbus in the Indies. Upon his arrival in Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic), Bobadilla arrested Columbus and temporarily took control of the colony before being replaced himself in 1502.

In the 16th century, the Bobadilla family had a strong presence in the Spanish colonial empire. Jerónimo de Bobadilla (c. 1520-1590) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He later served as a royal inspector and played a role in the administration of the Spanish colonies in South America.

Another prominent figure was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), the renowned Spanish novelist and author of the classic work "Don Quixote." Although his surname was Cervantes, his mother's maiden name was Bobadilla, linking him to the family lineage.

As the Bobadilla surname spread across Spain and its colonies, it also became associated with various place names, such as Bobadilla de Alcolea in the province of Albacete, and Bobadilla del Campo in the province of Valladolid.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bobadilla

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

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

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

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