Cera
Feminine form of the Latin name "Cera" meaning waxen or made of wax.
Name Census estimates that about 1,365 living Americans carry the first name Cera. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cera today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cera births was 1995 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cera. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 251,102 Americans
Peak year
1995
98 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,282
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Cera: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cera from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 681 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cera by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cera during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ceras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Cera, while Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cera
The name Cera is believed to have its origins in the Latin language, where it was derived from the word "cera," meaning "wax." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of wax-based products.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cera can be traced back to ancient Roman times. In the 1st century AD, there was a Roman poet named Cera who gained recognition for her lyrical compositions. Unfortunately, little is known about her life beyond her works.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cera appeared in various historical records across Europe. In the 9th century, a Benedictine abbess named Cera was renowned for her piety and leadership at the Monastery of St. Peter in Pavia, Italy.
As the Renaissance period dawned, the name Cera continued to be used, albeit sparingly. In the 15th century, an Italian painter named Cera di Piero was celebrated for her exquisite frescoes adorning churches in Florence and Siena.
In the 17th century, a Spanish noblewoman named Cera de Guzmán played a significant role in the court of King Philip IV. She was known for her influential political connections and her patronage of the arts.
Another notable figure was Cera Boulanger, a French mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 18th century. She made valuable contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was recognized by the French Academy of Sciences for her work.
Moving into the 19th century, Cera Grimaldi was an Italian opera singer renowned for her powerful soprano voice. She performed at some of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe, including La Scala in Milan and the Palais Garnier in Paris.
While the name Cera has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, each leaving their mark in their respective fields.
People
Cera + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cera as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cera: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cera?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,365 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cera going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 251,102 US residents.
Is Cera a common name?
We classify Cera as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,402 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cera most popular?
The single biggest year for Cera was 1995, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cera is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cera a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cera in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.