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

Saavedra, 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 Saavedra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Saavedra in America

Saavedra is the 1910th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Saavedra surname appeared 18,834 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Saavedra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Saavedra 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 Saavedra

The surname Saavedra originates from Spain and has been recorded as early as the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "saavedra," which means "wise" or "intelligent." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was considered knowledgeable or scholarly.

The name is thought to have originated in the region of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. Galicia was influenced by both Celtic and Roman cultures, which may have contributed to the formation of the name. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval documents from this region.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Saavedra was Fernán Saavedra, a 13th-century Galician nobleman and military commander. He played a significant role in the conquest of Seville from the Moors in 1248 and was rewarded with land and titles by King Ferdinand III of Castile.

Another notable figure was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the famous Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright, best known for his masterpiece "Don Quixote." He was born in 1547 in Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language.

During the colonial era, the Saavedra name was carried to the Americas by Spanish settlers and explorers. One such individual was Álvaro de Saavedra Cerón, a 16th-century Spanish explorer who led expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and is credited with the discovery of several islands in the Marshall Islands and the Caroline Islands.

In the realm of literature, Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas (1791-1865), was a prominent Spanish poet, playwright, and politician during the Romantic era. He is best known for his historical novel "El Moro Expósito" (The Abandoned Moor) and his contributions to the development of Spanish Romanticism.

Another notable figure was Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez (1886-1957), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico from 1944 to 1946. He played a significant role in the consolidation of the Mexican Revolution and the establishment of the modern Mexican state.

The surname Saavedra has been carried across the world by individuals of Spanish descent, and it continues to be a prominent name in many Spanish-speaking countries today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Saavedra

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

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

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

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