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

Cortés, 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 Cortés surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cortés in America

Cortés is the 751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cortés surname appeared 46,229 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Cortés.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cortés 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 Cortés

The surname Cortes is of Spanish origin, deriving from the medieval Spanish word "corte," meaning "court" or "royal residence." The name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century, during the era of the Reconquista, when Spanish nobles and courtiers were granted lands and titles by the monarchs they served.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cortes name can be found in the Libro de las Behetrias, a 14th-century document that cataloged the lands and privileges held by the nobility in the Kingdom of Castile. The document mentions individuals bearing the name Cortes, indicating their status as courtiers or royal officials.

The Cortes surname is also closely associated with the famous Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. His exploits and conquest of Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City) are well-documented in historical accounts and have cemented his place in history as one of the most significant figures of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Another notable historical figure with the Cortes surname was Martín Cortés (1532-1589), the son of Hernán Cortés and his interpreter and mistress, Malinche. Martín Cortés served as a Spanish military officer and played a crucial role in the conquest and colonization of the Philippines.

In the realm of literature, the Spanish Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega (1562-1635) wrote a play titled "El Nuevo Mundo Descubierto por Cristóbal Colón" (The New World Discovered by Christopher Columbus), which features a character named Hernán Cortés and depicts his conquest of Mexico.

The Cortes surname can also be found in the historical records of other Spanish-speaking regions, such as the Philippines, where it was introduced during the Spanish colonial era. One notable figure was Juan Cortés y Olarte (1568-1626), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and linguist who authored one of the earliest dictionaries of the Tagalog language.

While the Cortes name is primarily associated with Spain and its former colonies, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. Regardless of its geographic location, the surname Cortes continues to carry a rich historical legacy, rooted in the courtly traditions and colonial explorations of the Spanish Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cortés

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

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

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

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