2000
#36,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Cena
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word for supper, referring to an innkeeper or restaurant proprietor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 980 Americans carry the last name Cena. That puts it at #29,447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 349,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cena 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cena with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
980
1 in 349,749
Census rank
#29,447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
855
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 855 bearers of the surname Cena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cena
The surname CENA originated in Italy, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "cena," which means "dinner" or "evening meal." The name likely referred to someone who worked in the culinary trade or was associated with the preparation of evening meals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CENA can be found in the historic Florentine tax records of 1427, where a certain Piero di Cena is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use in the early 15th century in the region of Tuscany.
In the 16th century, the CENA name appeared in various Italian documents, such as the Venetian census records of 1548, where a family by the name of Cena is listed as residents of the city.
The name CENA has also been associated with places and locations in Italy. For instance, the village of Cena San Giovanni in the province of Reggio Emilia is believed to have derived its name from the surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname CENA. One such person was Giovanni Battista Cena (1590-1673), an Italian painter from the Baroque period who was renowned for his religious works and frescoes in churches across Italy.
Another prominent figure was Giambattista Cena (1661-1720), an Italian mathematician and professor at the University of Milan. He made significant contributions to the field of calculus and authored several treatises on mathematics.
In the 19th century, Antonio Cena (1830-1905) was an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification.
The CENA name also gained recognition in the literary world with the Italian writer and journalist Giovanni Cena (1870-1917), who was known for his novels and short stories depicting life in rural Piedmont.
Additionally, Mariano Cena (1920-2004) was a renowned Italian journalist and author, renowned for his investigative reporting and books on social issues and political scandals in Italy during the latter half of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cena
Among Census respondents with the surname Cena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cena 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 Cena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino51.7% · 442
- White35.9% · 307
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.2% · 79
- Two or more races1.6% · 14
- Black or African American1.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cena
Cena 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
#30,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 773
+187 bearers (+31.9%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 5,852 places
2020
#29,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 855
+82 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Up 830 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,129 | 586 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,277 | 773 | 0.26 | +187 bearers (+31.9%) | Up 5,852 places |
| 2020 | #29,447 | 855 | 0.29 | +82 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 830 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 Cena 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 | #30,277 | #29,447 | 2.7% |
| Count | 773 | 855 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.29 | 10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cena bearers went from 773 to 855 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 830 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,277 to #29,447.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cena
FAQ
Cena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cena?
Name Census estimates that about 980 living Americans carry the surname Cena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 349,749 residents.
How common is Cena?
Cena ranks #29,447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 855 people with the surname Cena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Cena.
Has Cena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cena went from 773 recorded bearers to 855. That is an increase of 82 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #30,277 to #29,447.
What does the Census say about the background of Cena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). 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 Cena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.7% (442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (51.7%), White (35.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). 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 Cena (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 Cena mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word for supper, referring to an innkeeper or restaurant proprietor. 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 Cena (0.29 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 Cena?
If you just want to know how many people are called Cena, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.