2000
#147,095
National surname rank
First available Census row
Of Czech origin, a habitational name for someone from a place called Cekada.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cekada. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cekada 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cekada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cekada, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
The surname CEKADA has its origins tracing back to the Czech Republic and Slovakia regions of Central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Old Slavic word "cekati," meaning "to wait" or "to expect." This suggests the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their patience or anticipation.
One of the earliest known records of the CEKADA surname can be found in the Czech town of Žatec, where a family bearing this name is mentioned in local archives dating back to the late 16th century. It is possible that the name may have evolved from various spellings or regional variations, such as Cekada, Czekada, or Czekade.
During the Middle Ages, the CEKADA name appears to have been more concentrated in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. In the 14th century, a nobleman named Jan Cekada was recorded as serving in the court of Charles IV, the King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor.
As the surname spread across Central and Eastern Europe, it can be found in various historical documents and records. For instance, in the 17th century, a merchant named Petr Cekada is mentioned in the town records of Banska Bystrica, in present-day Slovakia.
Among notable individuals bearing the CEKADA surname, one can find:
1. Frantisek Cekada (1826-1894), a Czech painter and art teacher known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
2. Karel Cekada (1866-1935), a Czech architect who designed several notable buildings in Prague, including the Vinohrady Theatre.
3. Alois Cekada (1884-1957), a Slovenian composer and conductor who contributed significantly to the development of Slovenian classical music.
4. Jaroslav Cekada (1931-2016), a Czech actor and playwright who performed in numerous theatre productions and films.
5. Lubomir Cekada (born 1959), a Slovak ice hockey player who represented Czechoslovakia in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
While the CEKADA name may not be as widespread as some other surnames, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Cekada, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cekada 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 Cekada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Cekada 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
+17 bearers (+16.5%)
2020
National surname rank
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 7,867 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,977 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
How has the Cekada surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #139,228 | #150,205 | -7.9% |
| Count | 120 | 109 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cekada bearers went from 120 to 109 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 10,977 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,205.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cekada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
Cekada ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Cekada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cekada.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cekada went from 120 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,205.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cekada, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cekada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (105 people in the source table).
Cekada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Black (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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.
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 Cekada (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
Of Czech origin, a habitational name for someone from a place called Cekada. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Cekada (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Cekada at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.