2000
#6,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Bocanegra
A Spanish surname referring to a person with a dark or black mouth, likely from dark skin or beard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,948 Americans carry the last name Bocanegra. That puts it at #4,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bocanegra 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
7.9K
1 in 43,125
Census rank
#4,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,931 bearers of the surname Bocanegra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bocanegra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bocanegra
The surname Bocanegra originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish words "boca," meaning mouth, and "negra," meaning black or dark. The name likely referred to someone with a dark or swarthy complexion or someone who had a distinctive feature related to their mouth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bocanegra can be found in the 13th century, when a nobleman named Garci Bocanegra served as an admiral in the Castilian navy during the reign of King Alfonso X, known as "El Sabio" (The Wise). Garci Bocanegra played a crucial role in the conquest of Cádiz in 1262.
Another notable figure with the surname Bocanegra was Juan Bocanegra, a 15th-century Spanish navigator and explorer. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and later served as the first governor of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
In the 16th century, the Bocanegra family established itself in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. One prominent member was Mateo Bocanegra, a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Seville, including the Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas and the Church of Santa Catalina.
The Bocanegra name also appears in literary works from the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the iconic novel "Don Quixote," mentioned a character named Bocanegra in one of his lesser-known works, "La ilustre fregona" (The Illustrious Kitchen-Maid).
Another significant figure with the surname Bocanegra was José María Bocanegra, a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Valentín Gómez Farías in the mid-19th century. He played a crucial role in shaping Mexico's foreign policy during a tumultuous period in the country's history.
Over the centuries, the Bocanegra surname has spread throughout Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging in different regions. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, it has become a part of the rich tapestry of Hispanic culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bocanegra
Among Census respondents with the surname Bocanegra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bocanegra 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 Bocanegra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 6,467
- White5.4% · 375
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 30
- Two or more races0.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bocanegra
Bocanegra appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,134
+1,862 bearers (+35.3%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Up 1,076 places
2020
#4,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,931
-203 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,010 | 5,272 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,934 | 7,134 | 2.42 | +1,862 bearers (+35.3%) | Up 1,076 places |
| 2020 | #4,926 | 6,931 | 2.32 | -203 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 8 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 Bocanegra 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 | #4,934 | #4,926 | 0.2% |
| Count | 7,134 | 6,931 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.32 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bocanegra bearers went from 7,134 to 6,931 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,934 to #4,926.
FAQ
Bocanegra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bocanegra?
Name Census estimates that about 7,948 living Americans carry the surname Bocanegra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,125 residents.
How common is Bocanegra?
Bocanegra ranks #4,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,931 people with the surname Bocanegra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bocanegra.
Has Bocanegra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bocanegra went from 7,134 recorded bearers to 6,931. That is a decrease of 203 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,934 to #4,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Bocanegra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bocanegra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bocanegra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (6,467 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bocanegra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Bocanegra (2000, 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 Bocanegra mean?
A Spanish surname referring to a person with a dark or black mouth, likely from dark skin or beard. 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 Bocanegra (2.32 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 Americans have the surname Bocanegra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.