2000
#17,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Cuervo
A Spanish surname meaning "raven" or "crow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,041 Americans carry the last name Cuervo. That puts it at #15,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,935 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuervo 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
2.0K
1 in 167,935
Census rank
#15,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,780 bearers of the surname Cuervo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuervo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuervo
The surname CUERVO originates from Spain and has its roots dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Spanish word "cuervo," which means "raven" or "crow." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive surname, possibly given to someone with dark hair or complexion resembling the color of a raven's feathers.
In the early days, surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin. CUERVO may have been initially used to distinguish individuals within a community or region. The first recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various Spanish regions, particularly in Andalusia and Castile.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname CUERVO was Pedro Cuervo, a nobleman from Seville, who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he was granted land and titles by King Alfonso X of Castile for his loyalty and military service.
During the 16th century, the CUERVO surname gained prominence as several members of the family held notable positions in the Spanish Empire. Juan Cuervo (1510-1585) was a renowned lawyer and judge who served in the Supreme Court of Castile, while Alonso Cuervo (1537-1612) was a celebrated playwright and poet whose works were performed in the royal courts of Madrid.
As Spain expanded its territories through exploration and colonization, the CUERVO surname spread across the Americas. In the 17th century, Diego Cuervo (1620-1692) was a prominent landowner and cattle rancher in New Granada (present-day Colombia), where he established a successful hacienda and helped shape the region's agricultural development.
Another notable figure with the CUERVO surname was María Cuervo y Aráoz (1753-1824), a Spanish-born philanthropist and educator who founded several schools and charitable institutions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Andrés Cuervo (1805-1888), a Colombian philologist and grammarian, made significant contributions to the study of the Spanish language. His comprehensive work, "Diccionario de Construcción y Régimen de la Lengua Castellana," published in 1886, became a influential reference for scholars and linguists.
While the CUERVO surname has its roots in Spain and was initially concentrated in regions like Andalusia and Castile, over the centuries, it has spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuervo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuervo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuervo 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 Cuervo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.4% · 1,573
- White10.1% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.6% · 10
- Two or more races0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuervo
Cuervo 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
#16,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,782
+349 bearers (+24.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 1,767 places
2020
#15,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,780
-2 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 421 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,970 | 1,433 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,203 | 1,782 | 0.60 | +349 bearers (+24.4%) | Up 1,767 places |
| 2020 | #15,782 | 1,780 | 0.60 | -2 bearers (-0.1%) | Up 421 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 Cuervo 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 | #16,203 | #15,782 | 2.6% |
| Count | 1,782 | 1,780 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.60 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuervo bearers went from 1,782 to 1,780 (-0.1% change). The surname moved up 421 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,203 to #15,782.
FAQ
Cuervo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuervo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,041 living Americans carry the surname Cuervo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,935 residents.
How common is Cuervo?
Cuervo ranks #15,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,780 people with the surname Cuervo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cuervo.
Has Cuervo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuervo went from 1,782 recorded bearers to 1,780. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,203 to #15,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuervo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuervo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Cuervo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (1,573 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuervo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.4%), White (10.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Cuervo (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 Cuervo mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "raven" or "crow". 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 Cuervo (0.60 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 Americans have the surname Cuervo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.