2000
#5,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Borja
Spanish habitational surname indicating a person from any of the various places named Borja, likely derived from Arabic "burj" meaning "tower".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,073 Americans carry the last name Borja. That puts it at #4,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borja 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Borja with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,777
Census rank
#4,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,912 bearers of the surname Borja in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.3%) and White (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borja
The surname Borja is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Aragonese town of Borja, located in the present-day province of Zaragoza. The town's name is believed to have originated from the Latin word "boria," meaning "north wind" or "north."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Borja surname appears in the 14th century chronicles of the Kingdom of Aragon. During this time, the Borja family held significant political and ecclesiastical power, with members serving as nobles, military leaders, and high-ranking officials within the Catholic Church.
Rodrigo Borja, also known as Pope Alexander VI (1431-1503), was a prominent figure in the Renaissance era. Born in Xàtiva, near Valencia, he ascended to the papacy in 1492 and is renowned for his controversial reign, which was marked by nepotism and accusations of immorality.
Another notable individual bearing the Borja surname was St. Francis Borja (1510-1572), a Spanish Jesuit and the third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was canonized in 1671 and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
In the 16th century, Juan Borja y Enríquez (1494-1543) was a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Viceroy of Peru from 1542 to 1543. He played a significant role in the early Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Gaspar de Borja y Velasco (1580-1645) was a Spanish diplomat and cardinal who served as the Ambassador of Spain to the Holy See during the reign of Pope Urban VIII. He was renowned for his diplomatic skills and played a crucial role in mediating conflicts between Spain and other European powers.
The Borja surname has also been associated with various places in Spain, such as Borja in Aragon, Borges Blanques in Catalonia, and Borges in Mallorca. These locations may have contributed to the spread and variations of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borja
Among Census respondents with the surname Borja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.3%) and White (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Borja 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 Borja surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino59.3% · 4,691
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.3% · 2,318
- White6.8% · 535
- Two or more races3.9% · 305
- Black or African American0.7% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borja
Borja 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
#4,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,618
+2,242 bearers (+41.7%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Up 1,239 places
2020
#4,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,912
+294 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Up 317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,895 | 5,376 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,656 | 7,618 | 2.58 | +2,242 bearers (+41.7%) | Up 1,239 places |
| 2020 | #4,339 | 7,912 | 2.65 | +294 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 317 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 Borja 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 | #4,656 | #4,339 | 6.8% |
| Count | 7,618 | 7,912 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.65 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borja bearers went from 7,618 to 7,912 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 317 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,656 to #4,339.
FAQ
Borja surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borja?
Name Census estimates that about 9,073 living Americans carry the surname Borja. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,777 residents.
How common is Borja?
Borja ranks #4,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,912 people with the surname Borja. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Borja.
Has Borja become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borja went from 7,618 recorded bearers to 7,912. That is an increase of 294 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,656 to #4,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Borja?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.3%) and White (6.8%). 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 Borja in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (4,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borja appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (59.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (29.3%), White (6.8%). 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 Borja (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 Borja mean?
Spanish habitational surname indicating a person from any of the various places named Borja, likely derived from Arabic "burj" meaning "tower". 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 Borja (2.65 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 Borja?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.