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

Cobo, 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 Cobo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cobo in America

Cobo is the 21568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cobo surname appeared 1,210 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 Cobo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cobo 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 Cobo

The surname COBO is believed to have originated in Spain, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to derive from the Spanish word "cubo," meaning "cube" or "square," potentially referring to a person's place of residence or occupation.

One of the earliest known references to the COBO name can be found in the medieval records of the Kingdom of Castile and León, where a certain Pedro COBO was mentioned in a land grant document from the year 1237. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, the COBO surname appeared in the records of the town of Cubo de Benavente, located in the province of Zamora, Spain. It is possible that the name originated from this place name, which itself could have been derived from the word "cubo" or a similar term.

During the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the COBO surname was Juan COBO, a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Juan COBO was born in Seville, Spain, around 1460 and played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the Caribbean islands.

Another prominent individual with the COBO surname was Diego COBO, a Spanish missionary and historian who lived from 1564 to 1639. He spent several years in the viceroyalty of Peru, where he documented the customs and traditions of the indigenous peoples. His work, "Historia del Nuevo Mundo," is considered a valuable source of information on the early colonial period in South America.

In the 17th century, the COBO name appeared in the records of the Inquisition in Spain, with a certain Juana COBO being accused of practicing Judaism in secret. This incident highlights the complex religious and cultural landscape of the time, as well as the difficulties faced by those perceived as religious dissidents.

Throughout the centuries, the COBO surname has spread beyond Spain to other regions of the world, particularly to Latin American countries where Spanish colonization took place. Notable individuals with the COBO surname in more recent times include Bernabe COBO (1582-1657), a Spanish Jesuit who wrote extensively about the natural history and culture of Peru, and José María COBO (1804-1875), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cobo

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

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

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

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