Explore the Family Name Borgia
The meaning of Borgia
Italian: habitational name from Borgia, a place in Catanzaro province, or from Borja in Spain (see Borja). History: The powerful and notorious Borgia family in Renaissance Rome was of Spanish origin. Rodrigo Borja (1431–1503), born in Játiva, Spain, became pope as Alexander VI. Among his four children by his mistress Vannozza Catanei were Cesare Borgia (1475–1507) and Lucrezia Borgia (1480–1519). Cesare was a brilliant but unscrupulous soldier and politician, who was made a cardinal at the age of 17 and was implicated in the murders of both his elder brother and his sister’s husband. Lucrezia was rumored to have been a poisoner and to have had incestuous relations with her father and her brother, but she led a conventional life after her marriage to her third husband, Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, in 1501, and became a patron of the arts and sciences. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Angelo, Vito, Elio, Giovanni, Salvatore, Tullio.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Borgia in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Borgia saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the Borgia surname ranked 23,638th in terms of frequency, but in 2010 it dropped to 24,305th place, representing a change of -2.82%. However, the total count of individuals with this surname increased marginally by 3.2%, from 1,000 to 1,032. The proportion of the Borgia surname per 100,000 population fell by 5.41%, from 0.37 in 2000 to 0.35 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #23,638 | #24,305 | -2.82% |
| Count | 1,000 | 1,032 | 3.2% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.37 | 0.35 | -5.41% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Borgia
The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also provides insights into the ethnic distribution of the Borgia surname. In 2000, the majority of the Borgias identified as White (92.40%), followed by Hispanic (4.20%), and a small percentage were of two or more races (1.90%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.70%). By 2010, the percentage of Whites had slightly increased to 94.09%, while the number of Hispanics remained relatively constant at 4.17%. Interestingly, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races decreased significantly (-38.95%) and no Borgias identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native. Additionally, for the first time, a small proportion (0.48%) of Borgias identified as Asian/Pacific Islander.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.4% | 94.09% | 1.83% |
| Hispanic | 4.2% | 4.17% | -0.71% |
| Two or More Races | 1.9% | 1.16% | -38.95% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.48% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.7% | 0% | 0% |