Biscayne (ethnonym)

Until the early 19th century the word Biscayne (= Biscayan) was a demonym and ethnonym referring ambiguously to the Basques of Spain excluding Navarre, or more often the Basques in general. For example, Saint Francis Xavier identified himself as a Biscayne, or "vizcaino", as he wrote it, meaning a Basque. Whaling crews from Labourd in the north Atlantic are also referred to as Biscaynes (16-18th century).

The word Biscayne left an imprint in different place-names and surnames (last names) of America and Philippines, related to the Basque whale hunting and colonization of the New World. As of the 19th century, the concept shifted gradually to mean anything related to the Basque province of Biscay, in Spain.