2000
#520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.38
Uncommon Last name
Cervantes
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a person from a place with many oak trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 90,037 Americans carry the last name Cervantes. That puts it at #404 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,807 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cervantes 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
90K
1 in 3,807
Census rank
#404
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
79K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 78,517 bearers of the surname Cervantes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 404th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cervantes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cervantes
Among Census respondents with the surname Cervantes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cervantes 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 Cervantes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.2% · 73,999
- White3.9% · 3,087
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 859
- Two or more races0.3% · 234
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 191
- Black or African American0.2% · 147
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cervantes
Cervantes 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
#387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 82,161
+24,476 bearers (+42.4%)
Per 100,000 27.85
Rank movement Up 133 places
2020
#404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,517
-3,644 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 26.27
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #520 | 57,685 | 21.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #387 | 82,161 | 27.85 | +24,476 bearers (+42.4%) | Up 133 places |
| 2020 | #404 | 78,517 | 26.27 | -3,644 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 17 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 Cervantes 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 | #387 | #404 | -4.4% |
| Count | 82,161 | 78,517 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 27.85 | 26.27 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cervantes bearers went from 82,161 to 78,517 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #387 to #404.
FAQ
Cervantes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cervantes?
Name Census estimates that about 90,037 living Americans carry the surname Cervantes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,807 residents.
How common is Cervantes?
Cervantes ranks #404 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 78,517 people with the surname Cervantes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (90,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Cervantes.
Has Cervantes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cervantes went from 82,161 recorded bearers to 78,517. That is a decrease of 3,644 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #387 to #404.
What does the Census say about the background of Cervantes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cervantes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Cervantes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (73,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cervantes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.2%), White (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Cervantes (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 Cervantes mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a person from a place with many oak trees. 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 Cervantes (26.27 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 Cervantes?
You can see how many people are called Cervantes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.