2000
#2,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.52
Uncommon Last name
Ceja
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone living near a cereal field or grain storage area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,954 Americans carry the last name Ceja. That puts it at #2,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ceja 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
19K
1 in 18,083
Census rank
#2,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,529 bearers of the surname Ceja in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ceja
The surname CEJA originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "ceja," which means "eyebrow." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with prominent or distinctive eyebrows.
The earliest known records of the CEJA surname date back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, Spain. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the medieval records of the city of Burgos, where a person named Pedro CEJA is mentioned in a land transaction in the year 1289.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the CEJA surname began to spread to other parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. In these areas, the name was sometimes spelled as "Cexas" or "Cejas," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable historical figure with the CEJA surname was Juan CEJA, a Spanish soldier who fought in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century. He was born in Seville around 1460 and participated in the expeditions led by Juan Rejón and Alonso Fernández de Lugo.
In the 16th century, the CEJA surname made its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Americas is that of Diego CEJA, a Spanish settler who established a farm in the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto in the 1540s.
Another prominent individual with the CEJA surname was Francisca CEJA, a Spanish nun and mystic who lived in the 17th century. She was born in Seville in 1616 and entered the Convent of Santa María de Gracia, where she gained a reputation for her spiritual visions and writings.
In the 18th century, the CEJA surname was found in various parts of the Spanish Empire, including Mexico and Peru. One notable figure from this period was Pedro CEJA, a Mexican architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Puebla between 1730 and 1760.
As the CEJA surname spread across different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Ceja," "Cejas," "Cexas," and "Sejas." However, the original Spanish spelling of "CEJA" remained the most common form throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceja
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ceja 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 Ceja surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.4% · 15,934
- White2.8% · 469
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 28
- Black or African American0.2% · 25
- Two or more races0.2% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ceja
Ceja 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
#2,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,423
+5,224 bearers (+42.8%)
Per 100,000 5.91
Rank movement Up 629 places
2020
#2,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,529
-894 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,707 | 12,199 | 4.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,078 | 17,423 | 5.91 | +5,224 bearers (+42.8%) | Up 629 places |
| 2020 | #2,131 | 16,529 | 5.53 | -894 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 53 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 Ceja 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 | #2,078 | #2,131 | -2.6% |
| Count | 17,423 | 16,529 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.91 | 5.53 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ceja bearers went from 17,423 to 16,529 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,078 to #2,131.
FAQ
Ceja surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ceja?
Name Census estimates that about 18,954 living Americans carry the surname Ceja. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,083 residents.
How common is Ceja?
Ceja ranks #2,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,529 people with the surname Ceja. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,954), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Ceja.
Has Ceja become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ceja went from 17,423 recorded bearers to 16,529. That is a decrease of 894 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,078 to #2,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Ceja?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ceja in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (15,934 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ceja appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.4%), White (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Ceja (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 Ceja mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone living near a cereal field or grain storage area. 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 Ceja (5.53 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 common is the surname Ceja?
Find out how common the surname Ceja is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.