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

Cristobal, 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 Cristobal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cristobal in America

Cristobal is the 9074th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cristobal surname appeared 3,602 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cristobal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cristobal 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 Cristobal

The surname Cristobal originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish given name Cristóbal, which is the Spanish form of the name Christopher, meaning "Christ-bearer" in Greek. The name was popular among Spanish Christians, particularly after the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cristobal can be found in the Catalan Fogatge records of 1365, which listed individuals by their surnames for tax purposes. These records mention a Pere Cristobal residing in the town of Besalú, located in the province of Girona, Catalonia.

In the 15th century, the surname Cristobal gained prominence with the arrival of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) to the Americas. Born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy, Columbus was instrumental in the Spanish colonization of the New World, establishing settlements in the Caribbean and paving the way for further European exploration and conquest.

Another notable figure bearing the Cristobal surname was Juan Cristobal Calvete de Estrella, a Spanish chronicler and poet who lived from 1510 to 1593. He is best known for his work "El felicíssimo viaje del muy alto y muy poderoso Príncipe Don Felipe" (The Most Fortunate Journey of the Most High and Most Powerful Prince Don Felipe), which documented the journey of Philip II of Spain through Italy, Germany, and the Low Countries.

In the 17th century, the Cristobal surname appeared in various Spanish colonial records, particularly in Mexico and the Philippines. One such individual was Juan Cristobal de Ansa y Ribera, a Spanish military officer and explorer who led expeditions in present-day Arizona and New Mexico between 1768 and 1776.

The Cristobal surname also gained recognition in the field of art with Pedro Cristobal de Córdova, a Spanish painter active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his religious paintings and works commissioned by churches and convents in Seville.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Cristobal surname spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, the Philippines, and other regions with a significant Spanish colonial presence. Today, the surname is still prevalent in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, carrying the legacy of its historical roots and connections to notable individuals who have contributed to various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cristobal

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

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

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

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