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

Borneo, 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 Borneo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Borneo in America

Borneo is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Borneo surname appeared 186 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 Borneo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Borneo 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 Borneo

The surname Borneo is believed to have originated from the island of Borneo, located in Southeast Asia. It is thought to have derived from the Malay word "Brunei," which refers to the ancient Sultanate of Brunei, a state located on the island.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Borneo can be found in the 16th century, when Portuguese explorers and traders visited the island. The name likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who hailed from or had connections to the region.

During the colonial era, the name Borneo became more widespread as Europeans, particularly the Dutch and British, established settlements and trading posts on the island. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname as a means of identifying their place of origin or association with the region.

In the 19th century, the name Borneo gained further prominence with the establishment of the British colony of North Borneo (now part of Malaysia) and the Dutch colony of West Borneo (now part of Indonesia). These colonial endeavors likely contributed to the dissemination of the surname beyond the island itself.

Notable individuals who bore the surname Borneo include Antonio Borneo, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer who is credited with being among the first Europeans to document the island's geography and people. Additionally, Sir Frank Borneo (1854-1928), a British colonial administrator, was appointed as the first Governor of North Borneo in 1888.

Another notable figure was Maria Borneo (1832-1901), a Dutch-born writer and explorer who traveled extensively in the East Indies and wrote about her experiences in books such as "Travels in Borneo and the Malay Archipelago" (1874).

In the realm of literature, the name Borneo appeared in the works of several authors, including Joseph Conrad's novel "Lord Jim" (1900), which features a character named Cornelius Borneo, a Dutch merchant and trader in the region.

While the surname Borneo is not among the most common, it has a rich history tied to the exploration, colonization, and cultural exchange that occurred in Southeast Asia, particularly in the context of the island from which it derives its name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Borneo

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

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

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

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