Who is Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit?
I discovered that this surname Bilbo has multitude of origins. Bilbo could derived from the following origins below:
French: In the US, usually the Bilbos of the South particularly Virginia originated from France. It is a variant of French surname Bilbeau, which is a variant of French surname Billebault, of uncertain origin, but it could be from a Germanic personal name.
Irish (ultimately of Spanish/Basque in origin): In the US, usually the Bilbos of the North such as Pennsylvania and New York originated from Ireland. The Irish surname Bilbo is ultimately derived from a city called Bilbao in northern Spain. Variants include Bilboa and Bilbow. There is also a place called Bilboa in Ireland. According to the Wikipedia page of Bilboa, "Colonel John Staunton Rochford (1802-1844) returned from fighting in the British army in the Napoleonic Wars. He was credited with some act of valour while fighting around the Spanish city of Bilboa. Hence he became known as Rochford of Bilboa, where as his family before him where the Rochfords of Clogrennene. Later members of his family were involved in the building of Bilboa church c. 1850. Since then, the area has been known as Bilboa." The meaning of Bilbao is uncertain.
English: Of uncertain origin. They are probably not related to the Irish Bilbos as the surname has bearers who predate John Staunton Rochford. Variants include Bilboe, Bilbow, Billbow, and Bilboa. Bilboa from Lincolnshire is a variant of Bilbow/Billbow from Middlesex. This might suggest that the English surname Bilbo may have derived from the city called Bilbao in northern Spain, like the Irish Bilbos. Other possible origins is that it is a nickname/occupational from the Bilbo sword, name derived from the city Bilbao, or a anglicized form of French surname Bilbeau.
Spanish/Basque: There are Bilbo bearers from Spain as well. It is from the city named Bilbao. Bilbao is also a Spanish/Basque surname too.
Scandinavian (particularly Denmark): In very few numbers in Denmark, there is a possible Scandinavian origin. Origin unexplained. Billbo might be a variant, and is also found in Norway. Belbo is a Norwegian surname and could be related.