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

Fidel, 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 Fidel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fidel in America

Fidel is the 34427th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fidel surname appeared 658 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 Fidel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fidel 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 Fidel

The surname Fidel originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "fidelis," meaning "faithful" or "loyal." The name Fidel was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who demonstrated unwavering loyalty or devotion.

In the early centuries of its use, the surname Fidel was primarily found in regions of northern Spain, particularly in Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country. It is believed that the name may have been adopted by some of the early Christian settlers in these areas during the Reconquista, the period of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fidel can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners and vassals in the Crown of Castile, dating back to the 14th century. This document includes references to individuals bearing the surname Fidel, suggesting its established use during that time.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Fidel. One such figure was Pedro Fidel García de Henestrosa (1525-1590), a Spanish soldier and admiral who served in the Spanish Armada during the reign of King Philip II. Another notable Fidel was Juan Fidel Ríos (1608-1670), a Spanish-born Catholic missionary and explorer who traveled to New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, José Fidel Ríos (1737-1814) was a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest of North America. Another prominent figure was Miguel Fidel Suárez (1778-1830), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain during the Trienio Liberal, a period of liberal reforms in the early 19th century.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Fidel was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), the Cuban revolutionary and politician who served as the Prime Minister and President of Cuba for several decades. Although Fidel was his given name, his surname was Castro, derived from a different origin.

While the surname Fidel has its roots in Spain and was initially concentrated in certain regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries with historical ties to Spanish colonization and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fidel

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

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

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

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