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

Cienfuegos, 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 Cienfuegos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cienfuegos in America

Cienfuegos is the 18899th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cienfuegos surname appeared 1,445 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 Cienfuegos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cienfuegos 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 Cienfuegos

The surname Cienfuegos is of Spanish origin, hailing from the region of Castile in central Spain. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime between the 11th and 15th centuries.

Cienfuegos is derived from the Spanish words "cien" meaning "one hundred" and "fuegos" meaning "fires" or "hearths." It was likely an occupational surname initially bestowed upon a person responsible for maintaining or tending to a large number of fires or hearths, perhaps in a castle, monastery, or other sizable establishment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cienfuegos surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1342. This document cataloged various locations and individuals across the kingdom, providing a glimpse into the names and titles used during that era.

In the 15th century, the Cienfuegos name gained prominence with the birth of Álvaro de Cienfuegos (1470-1536), a Spanish military commander and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico. Álvaro played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and later served as the governor of Santiago de los Caballeros in present-day Guatemala.

Another notable figure bearing the Cienfuegos surname was Nicasio Álvarez de Cienfuegos (1764-1809), a Spanish poet and playwright renowned for his satirical works and contributions to the Neoclassical literary movement. He was born in Madrid and gained recognition for plays such as "La Condesa de Castilla" and "Las Bodas de Camacho."

In the 19th century, José Cienfuegos Jovellanos (1766-1833) became a prominent figure in the Spanish Enlightenment as a writer, politician, and social reformer. He advocated for economic and educational reforms and held influential positions, including Minister of Grace and Justice under King Ferdinand VII.

The surname Cienfuegos also has an association with a city in Cuba, which was founded in 1819 and named after José Cienfuegos Jovellanos, the Spanish statesman and writer mentioned earlier. The city, known as Cienfuegos, became an important port and commercial hub in the Caribbean.

While the Cienfuegos surname originated in Spain, it has since spread to other Spanish-speaking regions and countries due to migration and colonial expansion. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula, where it emerged as an occupational surname with a unique and descriptive meaning.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cienfuegos

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

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

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

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