2000
#28,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Banderas
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "flags" or "banners".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,662 Americans carry the last name Banderas. That puts it at #18,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 206,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Banderas 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
1.7K
1 in 206,230
Census rank
#18,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,449 bearers of the surname Banderas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Banderas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Banderas
The surname Banderas originates from Spain, where it first emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Spanish word "bandera," which means "flag" or "banner." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with military or heraldic roles, perhaps serving as standard-bearers or flag-makers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Banderas surname can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript that details hunting expeditions and related activities during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a certain "Fernan Banderas," who participated in a royal hunt in the region of Andalusia.
The Banderas name is also connected to various place names in Spain, such as Banderillas, a municipality in the province of Cáceres, and Banderas de Castilla, a village in the province of Burgos. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname across different regions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Banderas surname. One of the earliest was Pedro Banderas (c. 1470-1540), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. Another prominent figure was Fray Domingo Banderas (1590-1668), a Franciscan friar and missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of the United States).
In the 19th century, José María Banderas (1808-1887) was a Spanish politician and writer who served as a member of the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament) and authored several works on philosophy and politics. Another notable bearer of the surname was Antonio Banderas (1907-1995), a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs, including Sevilla FC and Real Betis.
Perhaps the most famous individual with the Banderas surname today is the actor Antonio Banderas (born 1960), who has starred in numerous Hollywood films and has been recognized with various awards and accolades, including a Tony Award and several Goya Awards (Spain's national film awards).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Banderas
Among Census respondents with the surname Banderas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Banderas 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 Banderas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 1,355
- White4.3% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- Two or more races0.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Banderas
Banderas 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
#19,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,342
+556 bearers (+70.7%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 8,572 places
2020
#18,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,449
+107 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 1,189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,548 | 786 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,976 | 1,342 | 0.45 | +556 bearers (+70.7%) | Up 8,572 places |
| 2020 | #18,787 | 1,449 | 0.48 | +107 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 1,189 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 Banderas 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 | #19,976 | #18,787 | 6.0% |
| Count | 1,342 | 1,449 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.48 | 7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Banderas bearers went from 1,342 to 1,449 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 1,189 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,976 to #18,787.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Banderas
FAQ
Banderas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Banderas?
Name Census estimates that about 1,662 living Americans carry the surname Banderas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 206,230 residents.
How common is Banderas?
Banderas ranks #18,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,449 people with the surname Banderas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,662), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Banderas.
Has Banderas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Banderas went from 1,342 recorded bearers to 1,449. That is an increase of 107 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,976 to #18,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Banderas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Banderas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%). 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 Banderas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Banderas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (4.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%). 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 Banderas (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 Banderas mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "flags" or "banners". 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 Banderas (0.48 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 Americans have the surname Banderas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.