2000
#10,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Cueto
Derived from the Spanish place name Cueto, referring to a person who lived near a hill or peak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,281 Americans carry the last name Cueto. That puts it at #8,482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cueto 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
4.3K
1 in 80,064
Census rank
#8,482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,733 bearers of the surname Cueto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cueto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%) and White (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cueto
The surname CUETO has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "cueto," which means a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or elevated area.
The name CUETO is most commonly associated with the regions of Cantabria and Asturias in northern Spain, where it is believed to have originated. In these areas, the name can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries, appearing in various historical records and documents.
One of the earliest known references to the CUETO name can be found in the "Becerro Antiguo de la Catedral de Burgos," a historical document from the 13th century that recorded the names of landowners and their properties in the region.
In the 14th century, the CUETO name gained prominence with the existence of Juan Cueto, a nobleman and military leader from Asturias who was instrumental in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
Another notable figure bearing the CUETO surname was Pedro Cueto, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas and the Pacific Ocean.
During the 17th century, Juan Cueto y Herrera, a Spanish architect and engineer, gained recognition for his work on several significant architectural projects, including the Cathedral of Guadalajara in Mexico.
In the 19th century, Francisco Cueto Rui-Diaz, a Spanish military officer and politician, played a significant role in the Carlist Wars, a series of civil wars in Spain over the issue of succession to the throne.
The name CUETO has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Cueto de Valles in Cantabria and Cueto in Asturias, further emphasizing its geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cueto
Among Census respondents with the surname Cueto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%) and White (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cueto 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 Cueto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.3% · 2,959
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.3% · 423
- White7.1% · 266
- Black or African American1.2% · 45
- Two or more races0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cueto
Cueto 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
#8,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,833
+1,054 bearers (+37.9%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 1,995 places
2020
#8,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,733
-100 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,588 | 2,779 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,593 | 3,833 | 1.30 | +1,054 bearers (+37.9%) | Up 1,995 places |
| 2020 | #8,482 | 3,733 | 1.25 | -100 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 111 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 Cueto 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 | #8,593 | #8,482 | 1.3% |
| Count | 3,833 | 3,733 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.25 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cueto bearers went from 3,833 to 3,733 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,593 to #8,482.
FAQ
Cueto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cueto?
Name Census estimates that about 4,281 living Americans carry the surname Cueto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,064 residents.
How common is Cueto?
Cueto ranks #8,482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,733 people with the surname Cueto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Cueto.
Has Cueto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cueto went from 3,833 recorded bearers to 3,733. That is a decrease of 100 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,593 to #8,482.
What does the Census say about the background of Cueto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cueto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%) and White (7.1%). 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 Cueto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (2,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cueto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%), White (7.1%). 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 Cueto (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 Cueto mean?
Derived from the Spanish place name Cueto, referring to a person who lived near a hill or peak. 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 Cueto (1.25 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 people share the surname Cueto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.