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

Bonga, 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 Bonga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bonga in America

Bonga is the 83834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bonga surname appeared 224 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bonga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bonga 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 Bonga

The surname BONGA is of Spanish origin, emerging in the 16th century from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is derived from the Basque word "bonga," meaning "mushroom" or "fungus."

BONGA is believed to have originally been an occupational surname, referring to individuals engaged in the cultivation or gathering of mushrooms. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to a 1538 census record in the town of Bilbao, which lists a "Pedro de Bonga" as a resident.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BONGA surname appeared sporadically in various historical documents and records across the Basque region, often in relation to agricultural activities or trades involving mushrooms and fungi. Notable examples include Juan de Bonga, a mushroom farmer mentioned in a 1587 land deed from the village of Zarautz, and María Bonga, a vendor of dried mushrooms recorded in a 1624 market register from San Sebastián.

As the Spanish Empire expanded its territories in the Americas during the 16th and 17th centuries, some individuals bearing the BONGA surname are known to have migrated to the New World. One such individual was Diego de Bonga, a soldier from Vitoria who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s under Hernán Cortés.

In the 18th century, the BONGA surname began to appear more frequently in records from other parts of Spain, suggesting a gradual dispersal of the name beyond its Basque origins. One notable figure from this period was Manuel Bonga, a merchant from Cádiz who established trade routes between Spain and its American colonies.

As the BONGA surname spread beyond Spain, it also took on local variations in spelling and pronunciation. For instance, in parts of Latin America, the name was sometimes rendered as "Bonga" or "Bunga," while in certain regions of France and Italy, it became "Bongar" or "Bongari."

Other notable historical figures bearing the BONGA surname include:

1. José Bonga (1789-1858), a Spanish naval officer who served in the Spanish American Wars of Independence.
2. Mariano Bonga (1821-1899), a Basque-Argentine explorer and cartographer who mapped regions of Patagonia.
3. Catalina Bonga (1832-1911), a renowned Spanish opera singer who performed in major theaters across Europe.
4. Tomás Bonga (1857-1923), a Cuban politician and lawyer who served as a Senator in the early years of the Cuban Republic.
5. Emilia Bonga (1873-1945), a Spanish painter and artist known for her portraiture and landscape works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bonga

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

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

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

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