2000
#524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.19
Uncommon Last name
Cabrera
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone who lived near fields or pastures for grazing goats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 98,555 Americans carry the last name Cabrera. That puts it at #357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cabrera 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cabrera with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
99K
1 in 3,478
Census rank
#357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
28.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
86K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 85,945 bearers of the surname Cabrera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cabrera
The surname Cabrera traces its origins to Spain, with its earliest documented use dating back to the 8th century CE. The name is derived from the Spanish word "cabra," meaning goat, suggesting a possible connection to those who herded or worked with goats in the past. It may also be linked to the Latin word "caprarius," which means "goatherd."
Cabrera is believed to have originated in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain, where goat herding was a common occupation. Some historians suggest that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived in areas abundant with goats or had a notable connection to these animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cabrera can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documents the history of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Cabrera, indicating its widespread use in medieval Spain.
The name Cabrera has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One such individual was Fernán González de Cabrera (c. 1280 - c. 1345), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
Another prominent figure was Beatriz de Cabrera (c. 1490 - 1528), a Spanish noblewoman and supporter of the Catholic Monarchs during the Reconquista. She was known for her courage and loyalty to the crown and was granted significant lands and titles for her service.
In the 16th century, Alonso de Cabrera (c. 1510 - 1598) was a Spanish Renaissance humanist and writer, known for his works on philosophy and theology. He served as a tutor to the children of King Philip II of Spain and was highly regarded for his intellect and literary contributions.
Miguel Cabrera (born 1983) is a contemporary professional baseball player from Venezuela who has played for the Florida Marlins and the Detroit Tigers. He is a two-time American League Most Valuable Player and a nine-time All-Star, renowned for his exceptional batting skills.
The surname Cabrera has also been connected to various place names in Spain, such as Cabrera de Mar, a town in Catalonia, and Cabrera, a municipality in the province of Soria, Castile and León. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cabrera
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cabrera 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 Cabrera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.2% · 77,514
- White4.7% · 4,038
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 3,367
- Two or more races0.6% · 517
- Black or African American0.5% · 402
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cabrera
Cabrera 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
#376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,621
+26,450 bearers (+46.3%)
Per 100,000 28.35
Rank movement Up 148 places
2020
#357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 85,945
+2,324 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 28.75
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #524 | 57,171 | 21.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #376 | 83,621 | 28.35 | +26,450 bearers (+46.3%) | Up 148 places |
| 2020 | #357 | 85,945 | 28.75 | +2,324 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 19 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 Cabrera 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 | #376 | #357 | 5.1% |
| Count | 83,621 | 85,945 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 28.35 | 28.75 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cabrera bearers went from 83,621 to 85,945 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #376 to #357.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cabrera
FAQ
Cabrera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cabrera?
Name Census estimates that about 98,555 living Americans carry the surname Cabrera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,478 residents.
How common is Cabrera?
Cabrera ranks #357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 85,945 people with the surname Cabrera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (98,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Cabrera.
Has Cabrera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cabrera went from 83,621 recorded bearers to 85,945. That is an increase of 2,324 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #376 to #357.
What does the Census say about the background of Cabrera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Cabrera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (77,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cabrera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.2%), White (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Cabrera (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 Cabrera mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone who lived near fields or pastures for grazing goats. 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 Cabrera (28.75 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 have the surname Cabrera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.