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

Cervas, 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 Cervas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cervas in America

Cervas is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cervas surname appeared 104 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 Cervas.

The history of the last name Cervas

The surname Cervas is believed to have originated in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "ciervo," which means "deer" or "stag." The name likely referred to someone who lived near an area populated by deer or had some association with hunting or taming these animals.

In its earliest recorded instances, the surname appeared with various spellings, including Cierva, Ciervas, and Cervas. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier times.

One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the Libro de la Montería (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. It mentions individuals with the surname Cervas who were involved in hunting activities during that era.

The Cervas family was particularly prominent in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain. In the 15th century, records show a nobleman named Juan Cervas who held land and titles in the city of Seville.

As the surname spread across the Iberian Peninsula and beyond, it took on different forms. In Portugal, for instance, it became Cerva or Cerveira, often associated with place names like Cerveira, a municipality in the district of Viana do Castelo.

During the Age of Exploration, some individuals with the Cervas surname accompanied Spanish explorers and conquistadors to the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Cervas, a soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, a prominent artist named Juan Cervas y Cabrera (1595-1666) gained recognition for his religious paintings and frescoes in various churches and monasteries across Spain.

Another noteworthy individual was José Cervas y Pantoja (1688-1768), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Texas and Coahuila provinces in New Spain (present-day Mexico and United States).

The Cervas surname also found its way to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Sebastián Cervas, a Jesuit missionary who arrived in the Philippines in the late 16th century and worked to establish churches and schools in the archipelago.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cervas

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

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 Cervas 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.

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

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

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