2000
#12,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Ceasar
A surname derived from the Roman imperial title, also possibly referring to a person with a cesarean birth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,078 Americans carry the last name Ceasar. That puts it at #11,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ceasar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,356
Census rank
#11,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,684 bearers of the surname Ceasar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceasar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.0%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Hispanic (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ceasar
The surname Caesar is derived from the Latin name Caesar, which was originally a nickname meaning "hairy" or "having a thick head of hair". It was borne by the famous Roman leader Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), who played a pivotal role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. The name became associated with imperial power and was later adopted as a title by the Roman emperors who succeeded him.
The surname Caesar can be traced back to the Roman Empire, where it was initially used as a cognomen or family name by those who claimed descent from Julius Caesar or sought to align themselves with his legacy. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in ancient Roman texts and inscriptions.
In the Middle Ages, the surname Caesar was adopted by various noble families across Europe, particularly in Italy, France, and Germany. For example, the Caesarini family was a prominent noble family in Rome during the 14th and 15th centuries, with members holding influential positions in the Catholic Church and local government.
One of the earliest documented uses of the surname Caesar in England can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded a landowner named Willelmus Caesar in Gloucestershire. However, the name was likely introduced to England earlier by Norman settlers who had connections to the continent.
Notable individuals with the surname Caesar throughout history include:
1. Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), the famous Roman military leader and statesman who played a crucial role in the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.
2. Tiberius Caesar (42 BC-37 AD), the second Roman emperor and the stepson of Augustus Caesar.
3. Nero Claudius Caesar (37-68 AD), the infamous Roman emperor known for his tyrannical rule and the persecution of early Christians.
4. Cassius Dio Cocceianus (155-235 AD), a Roman historian and author of the extensive work "Roman History".
5. Philibert de Chalon, Prince of Orange (1502-1530), a French military leader and diplomat who held the title of Prince of Orange.
The surname Caesar has also been associated with various place names, such as the town of Kaiserswerth in Germany, which was originally known as "Caesaris villa" or "Caesar's villa" in Latin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceasar
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceasar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.0%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Hispanic (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ceasar bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ceasar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.0% · 2,067
- White8.7% · 234
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 205
- Two or more races4.7% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ceasar
Ceasar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,694
+317 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 410 places
2020
#11,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,684
-10 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,047 | 2,377 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,637 | 2,694 | 0.91 | +317 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 410 places |
| 2020 | #11,261 | 2,684 | 0.90 | -10 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 376 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ceasar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,637 | #11,261 | 3.2% |
| Count | 2,694 | 2,684 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.90 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ceasar bearers went from 2,694 to 2,684 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 376 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,637 to #11,261.
FAQ
Ceasar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ceasar?
Name Census estimates that about 3,078 living Americans carry the surname Ceasar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,356 residents.
How common is Ceasar?
Ceasar ranks #11,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,684 people with the surname Ceasar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ceasar.
Has Ceasar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ceasar went from 2,694 recorded bearers to 2,684. That is a decrease of 10 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,637 to #11,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Ceasar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceasar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.0%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Hispanic (7.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ceasar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (2,067 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ceasar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (77.0%), White (8.7%), Hispanic (7.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ceasar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ceasar mean?
A surname derived from the Roman imperial title, also possibly referring to a person with a cesarean birth. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ceasar (0.90 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Ceasar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Ceasar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.