Cerra
Of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Latin meaning "gatekeeper" or "guardian".
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the first name Cerra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cerra today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cerra births was 1995 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cerra. 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
166
~ 1 in 2,064,785 Americans
Peak year
1995
13 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2012 SSA rank
#15,361
Tracked since 1985
Census
Cerra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 206 people with the first name Cerra, which placed it at #37,688 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#37,688
National first-name rank
People counted
206
206 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
52.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cerra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cerra is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Hispanic (9.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cerra 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cerra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.4% · 108
- Black or African American27.2% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 19
- Two or more races8.3% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 3
Popularity
Cerra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cerra from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 102 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
Cerra 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 Cerra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cerra
The name Cerra is a relatively uncommon given name, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some scholars believe it has its roots in ancient Latin, possibly derived from the word "cera," meaning "wax." The name may have been used in reference to those involved in the production or trade of wax candles or other wax-based products.
Another theory suggests that Cerra has its origins in the Celtic languages, with possible ties to the Gaelic word "ciar," meaning "dark" or "dusky." In this context, Cerra may have been used as a descriptive name for individuals with dark hair or complexions.
One of the earliest known references to the name Cerra can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a Gallic chieftain named Cerra in his work "Annals." This would suggest that the name was in use among the Celtic tribes of Gaul during the 1st century AD.
In medieval times, there are records of a few individuals bearing the name Cerra, though their precise origins and significance are unclear. One notable example is Cerra of Cologne, a 12th-century nun and mystic who was known for her visions and writings on spiritual matters.
Moving into the Renaissance period, we find Cerra Colonna, an Italian noblewoman from the powerful Colonna family, who lived in the 15th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the cultural life of Renaissance Rome.
Another notable figure was Cerra Vela, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in the colonization of the Americas in the early 16th century. He was part of the expeditions led by Juan Ponce de León and served as a pilot and cartographer, helping to map the coastlines of Florida and the Caribbean.
In the 18th century, we have Cerra Picart, a French engraver and artist who was renowned for her intricate and detailed engravings of botanical subjects and natural history illustrations. Her work was highly prized and contributed significantly to the development of scientific illustration during the Enlightenment period.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Cerra, demonstrating its scattered presence across various cultures and time periods, albeit in a relatively rare and obscure manner.
People
Cerra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cerra 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
Cerra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cerra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 166 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cerra 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 2,064,785 US residents.
Is Cerra a common name?
We classify Cerra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 171 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cerra most popular?
The single biggest year for Cerra was 1995, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cerra is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cerra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 206 people with the name Cerra, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,688 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cerra in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cerra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cerra appears almost entirely female. Of the 200 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cerra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cerra is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Hispanic (9.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cerra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cerra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.4% (108 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cerra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cerra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cerra 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.
Is Cerra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cerra in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cerra can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Cerra?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Cerra at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.