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 387th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cervantes surname appeared 82,161 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 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 Cervantes has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word 'cervato', which means a young deer or stag. This indicates that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or a descriptive surname for someone who exhibited characteristics similar to a deer, such as agility or gracefulness.

The name Cervantes is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the provinces of Cantabria and Asturias. It is possible that the name was also influenced by the Latin word 'cervus', meaning deer or stag, suggesting a connection to hunting or forestry activities in these areas.

One of the earliest documented mentions of the surname Cervantes can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla" (Book of Bequests of Castile), a medieval manuscript from the 14th century. This record lists various individuals with the surname Cervantes, indicating that the name was already well-established in Spain by that time.

The most famous bearer of the surname Cervantes is Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), the celebrated Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright, best known for his masterpiece "Don Quixote". Cervantes is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language and a pioneer of modern Western literature.

Another notable figure with the surname Cervantes was Juan de Cervantes (c. 1507-1577), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico and later served as the governor of Nuevo León, a province in the Spanish colonial territories of New Spain (present-day Mexico).

The surname Cervantes can also be found in historical records associated with the Spanish Inquisition. One example is Juan de Cervantes y Padilla (c. 1560-1610), a Spanish Inquisitor and writer who served as the Inquisitor General of Spain from 1609 until his death.

In the 16th century, the surname Cervantes was also present in the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Francisco Cervantes de Salazar (c. 1518-1575) was a Spanish priest and writer who served as a missionary and chronicler in Mexico, documenting the lives and customs of the indigenous populations.

Another individual of note was Gonzalo Cervantes Saavedra (c. 1555-1627), a Spanish military officer and poet who served in the Spanish Army and fought in various campaigns in Europe and North Africa. He was also the nephew of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the renowned author of Don Quixote.

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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