2000
#15,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Cervera
A habitational surname indicating a person from any of the various places named Cervera in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,627 Americans carry the last name Cervera. That puts it at #12,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,474 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cervera 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
2.6K
1 in 130,474
Census rank
#12,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,291 bearers of the surname Cervera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cervera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cervera
The surname Cervera originates from Spain, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "cervera," which means "deer" or "stag." This surname likely originated in regions where deer hunting was prevalent or where significant deer populations existed.
Cervera is thought to have originated as a descriptive surname, potentially given to individuals who were known for their skill in hunting deer or who resided in areas with abundant deer populations. It may also have been a locational surname, referring to places named Cervera, which can be found in various regions of Spain, such as Lleida and Valencia.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Cervera can be traced back to the 13th century. One notable mention is in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which details hunting practices and regions known for their game.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Cervera was Pedro Cervera, a 14th-century nobleman from the Kingdom of Valencia. Another notable figure was Francisco Cervera de la Torre, a 16th-century Spanish military commander who played a role in the conquest of the Canary Islands.
In the 17th century, Baltasar Cervera y Aponte was a Spanish soldier and author who wrote about his experiences in the Dutch-Portuguese War. Another prominent individual was Pascual Cervera y Topete (1839-1909), a Spanish naval officer who commanded the Spanish fleet during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War.
The surname Cervera has also been associated with various places, such as Cervera de los Montes, a municipality in the province of Toledo, and Cervera de Buitrago, a town in the Community of Madrid. The name may have originated as a locational surname in these areas before spreading to other regions of Spain.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Cervera, including Miguel Cervera (1894-1968), a Spanish painter and engraver; Amparo Cervera (1903-1980), a Spanish actress and dancer; and Juan Cervera Bachi (1931-2009), a Spanish businessman and politician.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cervera
Among Census respondents with the surname Cervera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cervera 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 Cervera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.8% · 1,965
- White11.4% · 261
- Two or more races0.9% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cervera
Cervera 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
#13,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,329
+535 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 1,946 places
2020
#12,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
-38 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,088 | 1,794 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,142 | 2,329 | 0.79 | +535 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 1,946 places |
| 2020 | #12,830 | 2,291 | 0.77 | -38 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 312 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 Cervera 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 | #13,142 | #12,830 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,329 | 2,291 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.77 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cervera bearers went from 2,329 to 2,291 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 312 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,142 to #12,830.
FAQ
Cervera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cervera?
Name Census estimates that about 2,627 living Americans carry the surname Cervera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,474 residents.
How common is Cervera?
Cervera ranks #12,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,291 people with the surname Cervera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cervera.
Has Cervera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cervera went from 2,329 recorded bearers to 2,291. That is a decrease of 38 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,142 to #12,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Cervera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cervera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Cervera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (1,965 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cervera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.8%), White (11.4%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Cervera (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 Cervera mean?
A habitational surname indicating a person from any of the various places named Cervera in Spain. 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 Cervera (0.77 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 many people have the surname Cervera?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.