2000
#23,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,026
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Cobo
A Spanish surname meaning "pile" or "stack."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,682 Americans carry the last name Cobo. That puts it at #18,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 203,778 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cobo 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
1.7K
1 in 203,778
Census rank
#18,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,467 bearers of the surname Cobo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cobo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cobo 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 Cobo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.0% · 1,130
- White20.0% · 293
- Black or African American1.2% · 18
- Two or more races1.2% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cobo
Cobo 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
#21,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,210
+184 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Up 1,639 places
2020
#18,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,467
+257 bearers (+21.2%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 2,988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,207 | 1,026 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,568 | 1,210 | 0.41 | +184 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 1,639 places |
| 2020 | #18,580 | 1,467 | 0.49 | +257 bearers (+21.2%) | Up 2,988 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 Cobo 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 | #21,568 | #18,580 | 13.9% |
| Count | 1,210 | 1,467 | 21.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.49 | 19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cobo bearers went from 1,210 to 1,467 (+21.2% change). The surname moved up 2,988 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,568 to #18,580.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cobo
FAQ
Cobo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cobo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,682 living Americans carry the surname Cobo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 203,778 residents.
How common is Cobo?
Cobo ranks #18,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,467 people with the surname Cobo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cobo.
Has Cobo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cobo went from 1,210 recorded bearers to 1,467. That is an increase of 257 (+21.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,568 to #18,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Cobo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Cobo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (1,130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cobo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.0%), White (20.0%), Black (1.2%). 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 Cobo (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 Cobo mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "pile" or "stack." 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 Cobo (0.49 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 are called Cobo?
Find out how common the surname Cobo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.