2000
#31,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 682
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Bonillas
A Spanish surname derived from the word "bonillo" meaning a small bun or roll.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 898 Americans carry the last name Bonillas. That puts it at #31,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 381,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonillas 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
898
1 in 381,686
Census rank
#31,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
783
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 783 bearers of the surname Bonillas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonillas
The surname Bonillas is of Spanish origin, originating in the region of Castile. It is derived from the Spanish word "bonillo," which means "small good" or "little good." The name first appeared in the 12th century in the Kingdom of Castile.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bonillas can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census of landholdings in Castile, dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Bonillas, indicating its presence in various parts of Castile at that time.
The surname Bonillas is also associated with the town of Bonilla de la Sierra in the province of Ávila, Spain. It is believed that the surname may have originated from this town, or that individuals from this town may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin.
In the 16th century, the surname Bonillas gained prominence with the explorer and conquistador Francisco de Bonillas, who participated in the conquest of Honduras and Nicaragua in the early 1500s. He was born in Seville, Spain, in the late 15th century.
Another notable individual with the surname Bonillas was Diego de Bonillas, a Spanish priest and missionary who lived in the 16th century. He accompanied the explorer Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and played a significant role in the evangelization of the indigenous populations.
In the 17th century, Juan de Bonillas was a prominent Spanish painter known for his religious works. He was born in Baeza, Spain, in 1585 and died in 1655.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bonillas was Enrique Bonillas, a Mexican diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico from 1944 to 1945. He was born in 1882 and died in 1962.
Another notable figure with the surname Bonillas was Ignacio Bonillas, a Mexican philosopher and educator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1854 and died in 1940.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonillas
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonillas 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 Bonillas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.4% · 661
- White12.6% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 10
- Two or more races1.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonillas
Bonillas 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
#31,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 733
+51 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 404 places
2020
#31,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 783
+50 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,958 | 682 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,554 | 733 | 0.25 | +51 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 404 places |
| 2020 | #31,657 | 783 | 0.26 | +50 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 103 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 Bonillas 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 | #31,554 | #31,657 | -0.3% |
| Count | 733 | 783 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.26 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonillas bearers went from 733 to 783 (+6.8% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,554 to #31,657.
FAQ
Bonillas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonillas?
Name Census estimates that about 898 living Americans carry the surname Bonillas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 381,686 residents.
How common is Bonillas?
Bonillas ranks #31,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 783 people with the surname Bonillas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (898), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Bonillas.
Has Bonillas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonillas went from 733 recorded bearers to 783. That is an increase of 50 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,554 to #31,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonillas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Bonillas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonillas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.4%), White (12.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Bonillas (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 Bonillas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "bonillo" meaning a small bun or roll. 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 Bonillas (0.26 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 share the surname Bonillas?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.