Cisco
A Spanish nickname derived from Francisco, meaning "travelling companion".
Name Census estimates that about 790 living Americans carry the first name Cisco. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cisco today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cisco births was 1999 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cisco. 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
790
~ 1 in 433,866 Americans
Peak year
1999
33 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,890
Tracked since 1924
Census
Cisco in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 872 people with the first name Cisco, which placed it at #13,735 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
#13,735
National first-name rank
People counted
872
872 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
71.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cisco
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cisco is Hispanic at 71.3%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and Black (7.0%). 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 Cisco 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 Cisco at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.3% · 622
- White12.6% · 110
- Black or African American7.0% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 24
- Two or more races2.1% · 18
Popularity
Cisco: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cisco from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 186 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Cisco remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cisco 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 Cisco during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ciscos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cisco
The name Cisco originated in the Middle Ages, derived from the Spanish word "Francisco," which itself comes from the Latin name "Franciscus." This name was initially a nickname for members of the Franciscan religious order, founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.
The name Cisco gained popularity in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions during the medieval period. It was often used as a diminutive or pet form of the name Francisco, reflecting a sense of endearment or familiarity. Over time, Cisco evolved into a standalone name separate from its root Francisco.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cisco can be found in the writings of the Spanish mystic and poet, San Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591). In his works, he referred to a fellow monk named Cisco, suggesting that the name was in use among religious communities in 16th century Spain.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cisco. One of the earliest was Cisco Rodriguez (c.1520-1594), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the exploration and conquest of parts of modern-day Mexico and the southwestern United States. Another famous bearer of the name was Cisco de Santa Cruz (1516-1570), a Spanish sailor and navigator who was among the first Europeans to explore the coasts of California and the Pacific Northwest.
In the 19th century, Cisco Gonzalez (1822-1887) was a Mexican revolutionary and military leader who played a significant role in the Reform War and the struggle against the French intervention in Mexico. During the same period, Cisco Treviño (1834-1865) was a Mexican-American rancher and soldier who fought for the Union during the American Civil War.
In more recent times, Cisco Houston (1918-2005) was an American actor and singer who appeared in numerous Western films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century. He was known for his portrayal of cowboy and Native American characters, and his deep, resonant voice became a trademark of his performances.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse cultural backgrounds associated with the name Cisco, spanning several centuries and encompassing individuals from various walks of life, including religious figures, explorers, military leaders, and entertainers.
People
Cisco + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cisco 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
Cisco: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cisco?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 790 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cisco 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 433,866 US residents.
Is Cisco a common name?
We classify Cisco as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 827 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cisco most popular?
The single biggest year for Cisco was 1999, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cisco is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cisco in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 872 people with the name Cisco, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,735 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 Cisco 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 Cisco?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cisco leans strongly male. 860 people counted with this name were male (98.7%), compared with 11 female bearers (1.3%). 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 Cisco?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cisco is Hispanic at 71.3%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and Black (7.0%). 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 Cisco most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Cisco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (622 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 Cisco in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cisco a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cisco 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 Cisco still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cisco 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 Cisco 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 many people have Cisco as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Cisco on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.