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

Cifuentes, 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 Cifuentes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cifuentes in America

Cifuentes is the 5500th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cifuentes surname appeared 6,325 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 Cifuentes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cifuentes 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 Cifuentes

The surname Cifuentes originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a toponymic name derived from the town of Cifuentes, located in the province of Guadalajara, in the Castilla-La Mancha region of central Spain. The name is believed to have its roots in the Latin phrase "circa fontes," meaning "near the springs" or "around the fountains," referring to the natural springs found in the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cifuentes can be found in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census-like document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname Cifuentes, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.

In the 15th century, Alonso Díaz de Cifuentes (c. 1470-1535) was a Spanish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was appointed as the first governor of New Spain (Mexico) in 1524.

Another notable figure with this surname was Fray Diego de Cifuentes (c. 1585-1658), a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who traveled to the Americas in the early 17th century. He is known for his work among the indigenous populations of New Mexico and Texas, where he established several missions and learned various Native American languages.

In the late 18th century, María Antonia Cifuentes (c. 1770-1840) was a renowned Spanish painter and portraitist who gained recognition for her skilled depictions of members of the Spanish nobility and upper class.

During the 19th century, José Cifuentes (1833-1915) was a prominent Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Public Works and later as the Minister of Justice under the reign of King Alfonso XII.

In more recent times, Álvaro Cifuentes (born 1958) is a Chilean computer scientist and academic who has made significant contributions to the field of programming languages and software engineering. He is known for his work on the development of the Java Virtual Machine and has been recognized with various awards and honors.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Cifuentes throughout history, showcasing the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds associated with this Spanish name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cifuentes

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

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

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

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