Explore the Family Name Bourbon
The meaning of Bourbon
French: habitational name from a village in Allier, the site of the (now ruined) castle of Bourbon, or from another place called (Le) Bourbon, mainly in the southern part of France. The placename is derived from a Celtic and pre-Celtic element borb- denoting a hot spring. History: The progenitor of a large part of the American bearers of the surname Bourbon was Jean-Pierre Bourbon from Salins-les-Bains in Jura, France, who settled in MO in the middle of the 19th century. However, many bearers of the surname claim a connection with the house of Bourbon, which provided generations of monarchs of France and Spain and other European royalty. It takes its name from the castle of Bourbon in Allier, which was held by Adhémar, a 9th-century noble. His descendant Beatrice, heiress of Bourbon, married Robert of Clermont, 6th son of King Louis IX of France, in 1272, and these two are considered founders of the royal house. Robert’s son Louis was created Duke of Bourbon in 1327. By the 16th century they had added much of southern France, the dukedom of Vendôme, and the kingdom of Navarre to their fiefs, and in 1589 a Bourbon succeeded to the throne of France as Henry IV. His grandson, Louis XIV, called ‘the Sun King’, reigned 1643–1715, presiding over a golden age of French literature and art and attempting to establish French supremacy in Europe. The Bourbons ruled France until the Revolution in 1793 and again 1815–48. The present claimants to the French throne are descended from Louis XIV’s brother, Philippe, Duke of Orléans. The Bourbons acquired the Spanish throne in 1700, when a grandson of Louis XIV succeeded as Philip V; they ruled until 1931 and were restored, in the person of King Juan Carlos, in 1975. The Bourbon kings of the Two Sicilies (i.e. Sicily and Naples), 1759–1861, and Bourbon dukes of Parma, 1748–1860, were descended from the Spanish branch of the family.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bourbon in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Bourbon saw an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 33,993rd most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had risen to the 33,596th position, an improvement of 1.17%. The number of people bearing the surname also grew from 632 in 2000 to 678 in 2010, marking a growth rate of 7.28%. However, the proportion per 100,000 people remained constant at 0.23.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #33,993 | #33,596 | 1.17% |
| Count | 632 | 678 | 7.28% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.23 | 0.23 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bourbon
Ethnic identity data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the majority of individuals with the surname Bourbon identify as White, with numbers slightly declining from 79.75% in 2000 to 78.76% in 2010. The second-largest ethnic group is Hispanic, which increased from 15.35% in 2000 to 16.67% in 2010. There was a significant rise in those identifying as Black, from 1.58% in 2000 to 2.06% in 2010, indicating a 30.38% increase. Those identifying with two or more races decreased by over 40%. No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native during either census period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.75% | 78.76% | -1.24% |
| Hispanic | 15.35% | 16.67% | 8.6% |
| Black | 1.58% | 2.06% | 30.38% |
| Two or More Races | 1.74% | 1.03% | -40.8% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |