Cherno
A masculine Bulgarian given name derived from the Slavic word for black.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Cherno. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cherno today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cherno births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cherno. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Cherno with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cherno. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,473
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Cherno: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Cherno 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 Cherno during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Cherno
The name Cherno has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. It is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "chern," meaning "black" or "dark." This name likely emerged during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 10th centuries AD.
In the Balkans, the name Cherno was often associated with the Orthodox Christian tradition, as it was a common name among monks and religious figures. The name appears in several historical records from the Byzantine Empire and the Orthodox Church's archives.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cherno can be found in the writings of the 11th-century Bulgarian scholar and writer, Cherno the Diak (Cherno the Scribe). He was a prominent figure in the Second Bulgarian Empire and is known for his contributions to the development of the Bulgarian literary language.
Another notable figure with the name Cherno was Cherno the Philosopher, a 14th-century Bulgarian scholar and writer who lived during the reign of Tsar Ivan Alexander. He was known for his philosophical and theological works, which were influential in the region.
In the 16th century, there was a Serbian Orthodox monk named Cherno of Zeta, who was a prominent figure in the Serbian Orthodox Church. He was known for his writings and his efforts in promoting education and literacy.
Moving to more modern times, one of the most famous individuals with the name Cherno was Cherno More, a Bulgarian revolutionary and national hero who lived in the 19th century (1828-1916). He played a significant role in the struggle for Bulgarian independence from the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable figure with the name Cherno was Cherno Peev (1914-1968), a Bulgarian writer and poet who was known for his works that depicted the lives of ordinary people and the struggles of the working class. His poetry was widely acclaimed and had a significant impact on Bulgarian literature.
While the name Cherno has Slavic roots and was historically more prevalent in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, it has also been used in other parts of the world, though to a lesser extent. It remains a distinctive name with a rich cultural and historical background.
People
Cherno + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cherno 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
Cherno: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cherno?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cherno 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Cherno a common name?
We classify Cherno as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cherno most popular?
The single biggest year for Cherno was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cherno is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Cherno in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cherno a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cherno in the SSA data are male. 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 Cherno still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cherno 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 Cherno 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Cherno?
Find out how many people share the name Cherno on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.