Cisneros last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Cisneros

A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Cisneros, meaning "swan marshes."

Cisneros, 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 Cisneros surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cisneros in America

Cisneros is the 670th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cisneros surname appeared 50,920 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Cisneros.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cisneros 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 670 850 -23.68%
Count 50,920 37,050 31.53%
Proportion per 100k 17.26 13.73 22.78%

The history of the last name Cisneros

The surname Cisneros is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "cismero," which means "thorny bush" or "bramble." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.

The earliest recorded use of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the region. One notable example is the mention of a person named Rodrigo Cisneros in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), written in 1305 by King Alfonso XI of Castile.

The name Cisneros is also associated with several historical figures, including the influential Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros (1436-1517), who served as the Grand Inquisitor of Spain and played a significant role in the Spanish Inquisition. He was also a renowned statesman, scholar, and patron of the arts.

Another notable figure with the surname Cisneros is Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811), a Mexican Catholic priest and revolutionary leader who is considered the Father of Mexican Independence. His full name was Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor Cisneros.

In the 16th century, the name Cisneros appeared in various records from the Spanish colonial era, particularly in documents related to the exploration and settlement of the Americas. One example is Juan de Cisneros, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro.

The surname Cisneros can also be found in historical records from other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico, where it is believed to have been introduced during the colonial period. In Mexico, the name is sometimes associated with the town of Cisneros, located in the state of Michoacán.

Other notable individuals with the surname Cisneros include José María Cisneros (1766-1834), a Venezuelan military leader and politician who played a significant role in the Venezuelan War of Independence, and Antonio Cisneros (1942-2012), a Peruvian writer and journalist known for his work on Peruvian culture and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cisneros

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

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 Cisneros was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.58% 2,332
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.20% 102
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.20% 102
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.12% 61
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.17% 87
Hispanic Origin 94.73% 48,237

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.58% 4.98% -8.37%
Black 0.20% 0.27% -29.79%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.20% 0.18% 10.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.12% 0.22% -58.82%
Two or More Races 0.17% 0.31% -58.33%
Hispanic 94.73% 94.05% 0.72%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cisneros, 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!

"Cisneros last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 27, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cisneros-surname-popularity/.

"Cisneros last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cisneros-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 July, 2024

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

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