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

Cernas, 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 Cernas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cernas in America

Cernas is the 62189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cernas surname appeared 322 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 Cernas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cernas 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 Cernas

The surname CERNAS is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia, Spain, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Catalan word "cerna," which means "a small deer" or "a young deer." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with occupations related to hunting or forestry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the CERNAS surname can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a historical document from the 13th century that documented the distribution of land and property in the Kingdom of Valencia after its reconquest from the Moors. In this record, a certain Berenguer de Cernas is mentioned as having received lands in the region of Alzira.

The CERNAS name also appears in various municipal records and notarial documents from the 14th and 15th centuries in Catalonia and Valencia, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in these regions during that time period. One notable individual from this era was Guillem de Cernas, a merchant from Barcelona who was involved in trade with the Mediterranean ports in the late 14th century.

As the CERNAS family spread throughout Spain and other parts of Europe, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Cernàs, Cernas, and Cernás. In some cases, the name was also associated with specific place names, such as the village of Cernás in the province of Girona, Catalonia.

Among the notable individuals who have carried the CERNAS surname throughout history is Miguel Cernas y Zapata (1599-1672), a Spanish military officer and author who served in the Spanish Army during the Thirty Years' War and wrote several treatises on military tactics and strategy.

Another prominent figure was Juan Antonio Cernas (1730-1804), a Spanish naval officer who participated in various naval campaigns during the latter part of the 18th century, including the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797.

In the 19th century, Enrique Cernas (1836-1912) was a renowned Spanish painter and sculptor, known for his realistic portraiture and his works depicting scenes from Spanish history and literature.

The CERNAS surname has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world, such as Pedro Cernas (1875-1952), a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice and Education in the early 20th century.

Another notable bearer of the name was Mariano Cernas (1901-1986), a Mexican artist and muralist who was part of the renowned Mexican muralism movement and created numerous public murals throughout Mexico City and other regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cernas

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

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

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

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