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

Cervantes, 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 Cervantes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cervantes in America

Cervantes is the 70208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cervantes surname appeared 279 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cervantes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cervantes 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 Cervantes

The surname Cerbantes is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Spanish word "cerro," meaning hill or mountain, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or on a hill or mountainous region.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Cerbantes can be found in the 13th-century records of the Kingdom of Aragon, where it is spelled "Cervantes." This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spellings were not yet widely established.

In the 14th century, the Cerbantes name appears in various documents from the region of La Mancha, located in central Spain. This area was known for its windmills and served as the setting for the famous novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, one of the most renowned individuals to bear this surname.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) was a Spanish writer, poet, and playwright, widely regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time. His masterpiece, "Don Quixote," is considered one of the most influential works of literature in the Spanish language and a foundational text of Western literature.

Another notable figure with the Cerbantes surname was Juan de Cerbantes (1569-1633), a Spanish poet and dramatist who lived during the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He is best known for his plays and poetic works that explored themes of love, honor, and social commentary.

In the 18th century, the Cerbantes surname was also found in the records of the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central America. This suggests that some individuals bearing this name may have participated in the Spanish colonization efforts during that period.

One example is José Cerbantes y Velasco (1768-1844), a Mexican military officer and politician who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. He served as the interim president of Mexico for a brief period in 1824.

Throughout its history, the Cerbantes surname has been associated with various occupations, including writers, poets, soldiers, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cervantes

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

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 Cervantes 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 Cervantes 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 Cervantes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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