Cervantez last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Cervantez

A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak plantation" or "place of oak trees."

Cervantez, 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 Cervantez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cervantez in America

Cervantez is the 6898th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cervantez surname appeared 4,874 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cervantez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cervantez 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 6898 7482 -8.12%
Count 4,874 4,105 17.13%
Proportion per 100k 1.65 1.52 8.20%

The history of the last name Cervantez

The surname Cervantez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "cervante," which means "deer" or "stag." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a deer habitat or who was known for hunting deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cervantez dates back to the 13th century. It was found in a document from the region of Castile, where the name was initially concentrated. Over time, the spelling evolved from "Cervantes" to "Cervantez" in some cases.

The name Cervantez has a rich literary heritage. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), the renowned author of "Don Quixote," is arguably the most famous bearer of the name. His novel, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, is considered one of the greatest works of fiction in world literature.

Another notable figure with the surname Cervantez was Juan de Cervantes (c. 1520-1593), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico. He served under Hernán Cortés and played a role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

In the 17th century, Diego de Cervantez (1601-1679) was a Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was active in Madrid and is considered a representative of the Golden Age of Spanish art.

Moving forward to the 19th century, Román Cervantez (1824-1891) was a Mexican politician and military leader. He served as the governor of the state of Coahuila and played a significant role in the Reform War, a civil conflict in Mexico.

Lastly, Joaquín Cervantez (1879-1942) was a Chilean poet and essayist. He was a member of the Literary Generation of 1900 and is best known for his works exploring themes of nature and the human condition.

While the surname Cervantez has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other Spanish-speaking countries and regions due to migration and colonization. It remains a prominent surname, especially in Hispanic communities, carrying the legacy of its rich cultural and literary history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cervantez

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

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 Cervantez was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.07% 296
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.31% 15
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.21% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.29% 14
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.25% 12
Hispanic Origin 92.88% 4,527

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 Cervantez has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.07% 6.94% -13.37%
Black 0.31% 0.17% 58.33%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.21% 0.32% -41.51%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.29% 0.19% 41.67%
Two or More Races 0.25% 0.49% -64.86%
Hispanic 92.88% 91.89% 1.07%

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

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Cervantez last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cervantez-surname-popularity/.

"Cervantez last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cervantez-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 December, 2024

Cervantez last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/cervantez-surname-popularity/.

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