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

Cornejo, 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 Cornejo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cornejo in America

Cornejo is the 2045th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cornejo surname appeared 17,591 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Cornejo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cornejo 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 Cornejo

The surname CORNEJO is of Spanish origin, originating in the regions of Castile and Andalusia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "cornejo," which means "dogwood tree," suggesting that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near or worked with these trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the CORNEJO name can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This suggests that the name was already in use during this time period.

In the 15th century, a notable figure with the CORNEJO surname was Juan Cornejo, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors. He was born in Córdoba around 1420 and played a significant role in the conquest of Granada in 1492.

Another historical figure of note was Pedro Cornejo, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century. He accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions and was involved in the founding of several cities, including Trujillo in 1535.

In the 17th century, the name CORNEJO appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a man named Juan Cornejo was tried and convicted of practicing Judaism in secret, which was illegal at the time. This case illustrates the presence of the name among the Iberian Jewish community before their expulsion from Spain in 1492.

During the colonial era, the CORNEJO name spread to Spanish territories in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. For example, Diego Cornejo de Ávila was a Spanish-born colonial official who served as the Governor of Panama from 1664 to 1667.

Another notable individual with the CORNEJO surname was Andrés Cornejo, a Chilean poet and writer born in 1819. He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of Santiago and is considered one of the founders of Chilean romantic poetry.

These examples demonstrate the rich history and geographical spread of the CORNEJO surname, tracing its origins from medieval Spain to its presence in various parts of the Spanish-speaking world over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cornejo

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

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

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

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