2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Burboa
A Spanish surname derived from the word 'burbuja' meaning bubble or blister.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 192 Americans carry the last name Burboa. That puts it at #111,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,785,179 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burboa 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
192
1 in 1,785,179
Census rank
#111,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
167
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 167 bearers of the surname Burboa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burboa
The surname BURBOA is believed to have originated in Spain during the early medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Spanish word "burbo", which refers to a type of small freshwater fish. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who lived near a river or lake and was known for catching or selling these fish.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the BURBOA surname can be found in the Becerro de Behetrias, a medieval Spanish manuscript from the 14th century that documented the nobility and landowners of the time. This document mentions a certain Pedro Burboa, who owned land in the region of Castile.
In the 15th century, there are records of a Juan Burboa, a merchant from the city of Seville, who traded in goods imported from the Americas. His son, Diego Burboa, was born in 1492 and became a renowned sailor and explorer, participating in several expeditions to the Caribbean and Central America.
During the 16th century, the BURBOA name appears to have spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, there are records of a Maria Burboa, who was born in Mexico City in 1564 and was one of the first women to be granted a license to practice medicine in the New World.
One of the most notable historical figures with the BURBOA surname was Fernando Burboa, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish-American War of the late 18th century. He was born in 1745 in Cadiz and played a crucial role in several battles against the British forces in the Caribbean.
Another significant figure was Juana Burboa, a Spanish nun and writer who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1620 in Valencia, she wrote several works of religious literature and poetry, and was known for her advocacy of women's education and rights.
Throughout the centuries, the BURBOA surname has evolved and taken on various spellings and forms, such as Burbo, Burbua, and Burbuoa. It has also been associated with certain place names, such as the town of Burboa in the province of Navarre, Spain, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burboa
Among Census respondents with the surname Burboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Burboa 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 Burboa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino98.8% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burboa
Burboa 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
#95,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
+52 bearers (+37.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 20,578 places
2020
#111,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
-24 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 16,451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,545 | 191 | 0.06 | +52 bearers (+37.4%) | Up 20,578 places |
| 2020 | #111,996 | 167 | 0.06 | -24 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 16,451 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 Burboa 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 | #95,545 | #111,996 | -17.2% |
| Count | 191 | 167 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burboa bearers went from 191 to 167 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 16,451 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,545 to #111,996.
FAQ
Burboa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burboa?
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the surname Burboa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,785,179 residents.
How common is Burboa?
Burboa ranks #111,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 167 people with the surname Burboa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Burboa.
Has Burboa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burboa went from 191 recorded bearers to 167. That is a decrease of 24 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #95,545 to #111,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Burboa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Burboa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.8% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burboa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (98.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Burboa (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 Burboa mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word 'burbuja' meaning bubble or blister. 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 Burboa (0.06 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 Burboa?
You can see how common the surname Burboa is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.