2000
#2,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.39
Uncommon Last name
Cavazos
A Spanish habitational surname indicating someone from any of the several places named Cavazos in Burgos, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,607 Americans carry the last name Cavazos. That puts it at #2,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cavazos 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
20K
1 in 17,481
Census rank
#2,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,098 bearers of the surname Cavazos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavazos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cavazos
The surname Cavazos has its roots in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, dating back to the 16th century during the Spanish colonization of the region. It is believed to be a toponymic surname, derived from a place name, potentially linked to the word "cava," which means "cave" or "pit" in Spanish.
One possible theory suggests that the surname originated from a specific location, potentially a settlement or ranch, where there were notable caves or pits in the surrounding area. This geographic connection was then adopted as a surname by the families residing in or near that particular place.
While there are no definitive historical records or manuscripts that explicitly mention the earliest known bearers of the Cavazos surname, it is likely that the name emerged during the early stages of Spanish settlement in Nuevo León, which began in the late 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Cavazos can be found in the 18th century. José María Cavazos, born in 1786 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, was a prominent figure who served as a military officer during the Mexican War of Independence.
Another notable bearer of the Cavazos surname was Eugenio Cavazos, a Mexican lawyer and politician who lived from 1842 to 1904. He served as the Governor of Nuevo León from 1889 to 1891.
In the 19th century, Juan Ignacio Cavazos, born in 1854 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, made significant contributions to the field of education. He founded several schools and worked tirelessly to promote literacy in the region.
The Cavazos surname also has a connection to the United States, particularly in Texas. One prominent figure was Tomás Cavazos, born in 1892 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. He was a businessman and philanthropist who played a crucial role in the development of the Rio Grande Valley region in Texas.
Another notable individual was María Cristina Cavazos, a Mexican-American educator and civil rights activist born in 1936 in Kingsville, Texas. She dedicated her life to promoting educational opportunities and advocating for the rights of Hispanic Americans.
While the Cavazos surname has its origins in Mexico, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated or descended from those with Mexican roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cavazos
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavazos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cavazos 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 Cavazos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.3% · 15,605
- White7.7% · 1,314
- Two or more races0.3% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 40
- Black or African American0.2% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cavazos
Cavazos 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
#2,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,361
+2,818 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 5.89
Rank movement Up 206 places
2020
#2,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,098
-263 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 5.72
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,290 | 14,543 | 5.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,084 | 17,361 | 5.89 | +2,818 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 206 places |
| 2020 | #2,060 | 17,098 | 5.72 | -263 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 24 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 Cavazos 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 | #2,084 | #2,060 | 1.2% |
| Count | 17,361 | 17,098 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.89 | 5.72 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cavazos bearers went from 17,361 to 17,098 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,084 to #2,060.
FAQ
Cavazos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cavazos?
Name Census estimates that about 19,607 living Americans carry the surname Cavazos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,481 residents.
How common is Cavazos?
Cavazos ranks #2,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,098 people with the surname Cavazos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Cavazos.
Has Cavazos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cavazos went from 17,361 recorded bearers to 17,098. That is a decrease of 263 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,084 to #2,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Cavazos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavazos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Cavazos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (15,605 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cavazos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.3%), White (7.7%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Cavazos (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 Cavazos mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating someone from any of the several places named Cavazos in Burgos, Spain. 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 Cavazos (5.72 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 Cavazos?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Cavazos, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.