2000
#6,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,496
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Bustillos
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Bustillo in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,283 Americans carry the last name Bustillos. That puts it at #6,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,553 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bustillos 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
6.3K
1 in 54,553
Census rank
#6,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,479 bearers of the surname Bustillos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bustillos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bustillos
The surname Bustillos originated in Spain during the Middle Ages, deriving from the Spanish word "busto," meaning "bust" or "torso." This word likely referred to a person who worked as a sculptor or carver of busts, establishing the name as an occupational surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bustillos can be found in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval Spanish census document from the 14th century. This suggests that the name had already become established in certain regions of Spain by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Archivo General de Indias, which documented Spanish exploration and colonization in the Americas. This indicates that individuals with the surname Bustillos were among the early Spanish settlers in the New World.
A notable figure bearing this name was Juan Bustillos, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Chile in the mid-16th century. He is mentioned in several chronicles of the time, including those written by Pedro de Valdivia and Gerónimo de Vivar.
Another prominent individual was Diego Bustillos, a Spanish painter who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his religious works, many of which can still be found in churches throughout Spain.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical documents related to the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that individuals with the surname Bustillos were involved in these religious proceedings, either as officials or accused.
During the 18th century, a notable figure was José Bustillos y Guerrero, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of several provinces in South America, including Charcas (present-day Bolivia) and Buenos Aires.
As the name spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, variations in spelling emerged, such as Bustillo, Bustillo de la Riva, and Bustillos y Rúa. These variations often indicated different branches or lineages within the same surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bustillos
Among Census respondents with the surname Bustillos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bustillos 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 Bustillos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.6% · 5,019
- White5.9% · 326
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 82
- Two or more races0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bustillos
Bustillos 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
#6,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,684
+1,188 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Up 844 places
2020
#6,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,479
-205 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,888 | 4,496 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,044 | 5,684 | 1.93 | +1,188 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 844 places |
| 2020 | #6,031 | 5,479 | 1.83 | -205 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 13 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 Bustillos 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 | #6,044 | #6,031 | 0.2% |
| Count | 5,684 | 5,479 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.83 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bustillos bearers went from 5,684 to 5,479 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,044 to #6,031.
FAQ
Bustillos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bustillos?
Name Census estimates that about 6,283 living Americans carry the surname Bustillos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,553 residents.
How common is Bustillos?
Bustillos ranks #6,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,479 people with the surname Bustillos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bustillos.
Has Bustillos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bustillos went from 5,684 recorded bearers to 5,479. That is a decrease of 205 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,044 to #6,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Bustillos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bustillos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Bustillos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (5,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bustillos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.6%), White (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Bustillos (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 Bustillos mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Bustillo in Spain. 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 Bustillos (1.83 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 people are called Bustillos?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Bustillos? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.