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

Cuaya, 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 Cuaya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cuaya in America

Cuaya is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cuaya surname appeared 154 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 Cuaya.

The history of the last name Cuaya

The surname Cuaya has its origins in Mexico, and it is believed to have emerged during the 16th century. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous groups in central Mexico. Cuaya is thought to be a combination of two Nahuatl words: "cuahuitl," meaning tree or wood, and "ya," meaning abundance or place. Thus, the name Cuaya could be interpreted as "a place of many trees" or "wooded area."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cuaya can be found in the "Códice Mendoza," a 16th-century codex that contains detailed records of the tribute paid by various towns and provinces to the Aztec Empire. The name appears in connection with a settlement located in what is now the state of Morelos, suggesting that the Cuaya family may have originated from that region.

During the colonial era, the Cuaya surname is mentioned in several Spanish chronicles and documents related to the administration of New Spain (colonial Mexico). For example, in the 1570s, a man named Juan Cuaya is recorded as having been granted a land grant in the area now known as Jalisco.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Cuaya was Hernán Cuaya, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the early 16th century. He was born around 1490 in Seville, Spain, and died sometime after 1541 in Guatemala.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Cuaya surname was Alonso Cuaya, a Franciscan friar who worked as a missionary among the indigenous communities in what is now northern Mexico. He was born in 1620 in Puebla, Mexico, and died in 1699 in Chihuahua.

Another prominent individual with the Cuaya surname was María Cuaya, a renowned painter and sculptor active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. She was born in 1670 in Taxco, Mexico, and is known for her religious artwork, which adorned several churches and convents in central Mexico.

In the 19th century, Manuel Cuaya (1823-1891) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Zacatecas, Mexico. He served as a senator and played an active role in the liberal reforms of the mid-19th century.

Francisco Cuaya (1876-1942) was a Mexican revolutionary and military leader who fought alongside Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. He was born in Durango and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Zacatecas in 1914.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cuaya

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

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 Cuaya 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.

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

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

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