Explore the Family Name Bilbao

The meaning of Bilbao

Basque: habitational name from the city of Bilbao, in Biscay, Basque Country (Spain). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Carlos, Jorge, Jose, Miguel, Francisco, Mario, Ofelia, Pedro, Aida, Alicia, Amalia, Ana.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bilbao in the United States?

The Bilbao surname has seen a rise in popularity in the United States, as reflected in the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the surname ranked 28,375, but it climbed to a rank of 25,975 by 2010, a change of 8.46%. The number of individuals with the Bilbao surname also increased from 792 in 2000 to 945 in 2010, which represents a 19.32% growth. This upward trend is further showcased by an increase in the proportion per 100,000 people from 0.29 to 0.32.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#28,375	#25,975	8.46%
Count	792	945	19.32%
Proportion per 100k	0.29	0.32	10.34%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bilbao

As for the ethnic identity associated with the Bilbao surname, there have been noticeable shifts between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The most significant percentage of Bilbao surname holders identify as Hispanic, rising from 55.30% in 2000 to 60.74% in 2010. The second largest group identifies as White, although its proportion decreased from 36.87% in 2000 to 30.69% in 2010. Individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 5.68% to 7.94%. However, those identifying with two or more races saw a significant drop from 1.89% to 0.53%. There were no recorded individuals with the Bilbao surname who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	55.3%	60.74%	9.84%
White	36.87%	30.69%	-16.76%
Asian/Pacific Islander	5.68%	7.94%	39.79%
Two or More Races	1.89%	0.53%	-71.96%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%