Find out how popular the last name Cepeda is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cepeda.

Cepeda, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cepeda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cepeda in America

Cepeda is the 3112th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cepeda surname appeared 11,572 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Cepeda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cepeda to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cepeda

The surname Cepeda has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "cepa," meaning "vine stock" or "grapevine." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with vineyards or wine-making.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Cepeda surname can be found in the Becerro de Behetrias, a medieval census document from the 14th century. It lists individuals with the surname Cepeda residing in the region of Castile, indicating that the name was already established in that area during that time.

The Cepeda surname is also believed to have ties to the town of Cepeda, located in the province of Salamanca, Spain. Some historians suggest that the name may have originated as a toponym, referring to individuals who hailed from or resided in this particular town.

In the 16th century, notable individuals with the Cepeda surname included Juan de la Cepeda (1495-1543), a Spanish theologian and writer, and María de Cepeda y Ahumada (1515-1582), better known as St. Teresa of Avila, a renowned Carmelite nun, mystic, and writer.

Another prominent figure was Diego de Cepeda y Ahumada (1510-1579), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as the first governor of Nueva Vizcaya (present-day northern Mexico).

In the 17th century, Francisco de Cepeda y Figueroa (1592-1660) was a Spanish playwright and poet who contributed to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.

Moving to the 18th century, José Cepeda y Castro (1734-1804) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Montevideo, Uruguay, and later as the viceroy of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the Cepeda surname who have left their mark throughout history, highlighting the widespread and longstanding presence of this name across various regions and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cepeda

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cepeda.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cepeda was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cepeda has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cepeda was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cepeda, please contact us.

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