2000
#15,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,668
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Cabanas
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived in a cabin, hut, or small house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,767 Americans carry the last name Cabanas. That puts it at #12,305 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cabanas 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
2.8K
1 in 123,872
Census rank
#12,305
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,413 bearers of the surname Cabanas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12305th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabanas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cabanas
The surname Cabanas originated in Spain and Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese word "cabana," meaning a small cabin or hut, and likely referred to someone who lived in a humble dwelling or worked with cabins.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in 13th and 14th century Spanish and Portuguese documents, with variations in spelling such as Cabana, Cabaña, and Cabanhas. It is believed that the name may have originated in the northern regions of Spain and Portugal, where small cabins and huts were common dwellings for farmers and shepherds.
One notable historical figure with the surname Cabanas was Juan de Cabanas, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Cabanas played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
Another prominent individual was Álvaro de Cabanas, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who was part of the expeditions to the Americas and Africa in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore parts of the Brazilian coast and is mentioned in various records and chronicles from that period.
In the 17th century, Gaspar de Cabanas was a Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. Some of his paintings can still be found in churches and museums across Spain, showcasing his artistic talent and contribution to the Spanish Golden Age of art.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Joaquín Cabanas y Catalá was a Spanish physician and pathologist who made significant contributions to the field of medicine. He is particularly known for his work on tuberculosis and his advocacy for public health measures to combat the disease.
Finally, in the early 20th century, María Cabanas Aliaga was a Spanish educator and feminist who fought for women's rights and access to education. She established several schools for girls and played a pivotal role in advancing educational opportunities for women in Spain during a time when such opportunities were limited.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cabanas
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabanas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cabanas 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 Cabanas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.7% · 2,092
- White6.8% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 125
- Two or more races0.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cabanas
Cabanas 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
#12,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,528
+860 bearers (+51.6%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 3,688 places
2020
#12,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
-115 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,984 | 1,668 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,296 | 2,528 | 0.86 | +860 bearers (+51.6%) | Up 3,688 places |
| 2020 | #12,305 | 2,413 | 0.81 | -115 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 9 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 Cabanas 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 | #12,296 | #12,305 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,528 | 2,413 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.81 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cabanas bearers went from 2,528 to 2,413 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,296 to #12,305.
FAQ
Cabanas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cabanas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,767 living Americans carry the surname Cabanas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,872 residents.
How common is Cabanas?
Cabanas ranks #12,305 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,413 people with the surname Cabanas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cabanas.
Has Cabanas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cabanas went from 2,528 recorded bearers to 2,413. That is a decrease of 115 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,296 to #12,305.
What does the Census say about the background of Cabanas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabanas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). 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 Cabanas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (2,092 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cabanas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.7%), White (6.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). 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 Cabanas (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 Cabanas mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived in a cabin, hut, or small house. 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 Cabanas (0.81 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 common is the surname Cabanas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Cabanas at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.