2000
#908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,824
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.91
Uncommon Last name
Bonilla
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Bonilla, meaning "good town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 62,452 Americans carry the last name Bonilla. That puts it at #602 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonilla 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
62K
1 in 5,488
Census rank
#602
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,461 bearers of the surname Bonilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 602nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonilla
The surname Bonilla originated in Spain and has its roots in the Latin word "bona" which means "good". It is believed to have originally referred to someone who lived in a good or prosperous area.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in the northern regions of Castile and León. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in a medieval Spanish manuscript from the year 1087, which mentioned a nobleman named Rodrigo Bonilla.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in several historical documents from the Kingdom of Castile, such as land grants and records of noble families. It is likely that the name spread to other parts of Spain during this period as a result of migration and the expansion of the Reconquista.
The surname Bonilla is also associated with several place names in Spain, such as Bonilla de la Sierra, a municipality in the province of Ávila, and Bonilla del Campo, a town in the province of Soria. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable individual with the surname Bonilla was Alonso de Bonilla, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the exploration of Central America and Mexico in the early 16th century. He was born in Seville, Spain, around 1490 and died in 1542.
Another prominent figure was Juan de Bonilla, a Spanish military commander and administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1619 to 1625. He was born in Málaga, Spain, in the late 16th century and died in 1629.
In the 17th century, Sebastián de Bonilla was a Spanish painter known for his religious works, such as the altarpiece in the Church of San Nicolás de Bari in Seville. He was born in Seville in 1615 and died in 1677.
In the 19th century, Adolfo Bonilla y San Martín (1875-1926) was a Spanish historian, philologist, and literary critic who made significant contributions to the study of Spanish literature and culture.
Finally, Gerardo Bonilla (1929-2021) was a renowned Colombian painter and sculptor known for his abstract and figurative works. He was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and his artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonilla 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 Bonilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.8% · 50,525
- White4.5% · 2,469
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 704
- Black or African American0.9% · 473
- Two or more races0.4% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonilla
Bonilla 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
#664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,475
+16,651 bearers (+47.8%)
Per 100,000 17.45
Rank movement Up 244 places
2020
#602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,461
+2,986 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 18.22
Rank movement Up 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #908 | 34,824 | 12.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #664 | 51,475 | 17.45 | +16,651 bearers (+47.8%) | Up 244 places |
| 2020 | #602 | 54,461 | 18.22 | +2,986 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 62 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 Bonilla 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 | #664 | #602 | 9.3% |
| Count | 51,475 | 54,461 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 17.45 | 18.22 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonilla bearers went from 51,475 to 54,461 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #664 to #602.
FAQ
Bonilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonilla?
Name Census estimates that about 62,452 living Americans carry the surname Bonilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,488 residents.
How common is Bonilla?
Bonilla ranks #602 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,461 people with the surname Bonilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (62,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Bonilla.
Has Bonilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonilla went from 51,475 recorded bearers to 54,461. That is an increase of 2,986 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #664 to #602.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Bonilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (50,525 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.8%), White (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Bonilla (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 Bonilla mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Bonilla, meaning "good town." 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 Bonilla (18.22 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 common is the surname Bonilla?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Bonilla is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.