2000
#16,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Cecere
Italian surname likely derived from the Latin word "caecus" meaning blind or small-eyed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,853 Americans carry the last name Cecere. That puts it at #17,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 184,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cecere 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
1.9K
1 in 184,973
Census rank
#17,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,616 bearers of the surname Cecere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cecere, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cecere
The surname Cecere has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Puglia. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "caecus," meaning "blind" or "one-eyed." This surname likely originated during the Middle Ages as a descriptive nickname for someone who had a visual impairment or a distinctive physical trait related to their eyes.
Historically, the surname Cecere can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various records and documents from that period. One notable early reference is found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, where the name Cecere is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the year 1268.
In the 14th century, the name Cecere is recorded in the Catasto Onciario, a tax register from the Kingdom of Naples, which suggests that the family had established roots in the region during that time. The earliest known bearer of the surname Cecere is a certain Riccardo Cecere, who lived in the town of Manfredonia, Puglia, in the late 13th century.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the Cecere surname. One prominent figure was Girolamo Cecere (1518-1592), a Renaissance painter and architect from Naples, who is renowned for his frescoes in the Church of San Severo al Pendino in Naples.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Antonio Cecere (1760-1828), an Italian poet and scholar from the town of Molfetta, Puglia, who wrote extensively on the history and culture of his native region.
In the 19th century, Giovanni Cecere (1836-1891) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Bari, who founded several charitable institutions and contributed to the development of his city.
The surname Cecere has also been associated with several place names throughout Italy. For example, the town of Ceccano in the province of Frosinone is believed to have derived its name from the Latin word "caecus," sharing a similar etymological root as the surname Cecere.
It is worth noting that variations of the spelling, such as Ceceri, Ceceri, and Cecieri, have also been recorded throughout history, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations within Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cecere
Among Census respondents with the surname Cecere, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cecere 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 Cecere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,506
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 76
- Two or more races1.1% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cecere
Cecere 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
#16,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,745
+88 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 408 places
2020
#17,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,616
-129 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 690 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,062 | 1,657 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,470 | 1,745 | 0.59 | +88 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 408 places |
| 2020 | #17,160 | 1,616 | 0.54 | -129 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 690 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 Cecere 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 | #16,470 | #17,160 | -4.2% |
| Count | 1,745 | 1,616 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.54 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cecere bearers went from 1,745 to 1,616 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 690 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,470 to #17,160.
FAQ
Cecere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cecere?
Name Census estimates that about 1,853 living Americans carry the surname Cecere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 184,973 residents.
How common is Cecere?
Cecere ranks #17,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,616 people with the surname Cecere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,853), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Cecere.
Has Cecere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cecere went from 1,745 recorded bearers to 1,616. That is a decrease of 129 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,470 to #17,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Cecere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cecere, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cecere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cecere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Cecere (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 Cecere mean?
Italian surname likely derived from the Latin word "caecus" meaning blind or small-eyed. 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 Cecere (0.54 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 are called Cecere?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Cecere at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.