2000
#10,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Ceniceros
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold ashtrays or worked with ashes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,113 Americans carry the last name Ceniceros. That puts it at #8,773 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,334 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ceniceros 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
4.1K
1 in 83,334
Census rank
#8,773
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,587 bearers of the surname Ceniceros in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8773rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceniceros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ceniceros
The surname Ceniceros is of Spanish origin, originating in the regions of Castile and Aragon during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "ceniza," meaning "ash," likely referring to an occupation or locality associated with ash or cinders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ceniceros surname can be found in the Libro del Repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century document detailing the distribution of land and properties in Seville following the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This suggests the presence of individuals bearing this surname in Andalusia during that time.
The Ceniceros surname is also mentioned in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, including the Libro de los Repartimientos de Córdoba and the Libro de las Cuentas de la Santa Cruzada, both of which document individuals with this surname in the regions of Córdoba and Andalusia.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Ceniceros surname is Pedro Ceniceros, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico in the 1520s. Another prominent individual was Fray Diego de Ceniceros, a 17th-century Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who worked in the Philippines and wrote extensively about the indigenous populations and their customs.
In the 18th century, Juan Ceniceros y Villaran (1693-1768) was a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile from 1736 to 1740. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of several fortifications and public works projects in Santiago.
Moving into the 19th century, Mariano Ceniceros y Villarreal (1819-1890) was a Mexican politician and military leader who served as governor of the state of Jalisco from 1867 to 1871. He played a significant role in the Reform War and the struggle against the French intervention in Mexico.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Enrique Ceniceros (1885-1976) was a prominent Mexican architect and engineer known for his contributions to the development of modern architecture in Mexico City. He designed several notable buildings, including the Palacio de Hierro department store and the Monumento a la Revolución.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceniceros
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceniceros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ceniceros 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 Ceniceros surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.3% · 3,382
- White5.0% · 181
- Two or more races0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ceniceros
Ceniceros 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
#8,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,924
+1,011 bearers (+34.7%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 1,744 places
2020
#8,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,587
-337 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,167 | 2,913 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,423 | 3,924 | 1.33 | +1,011 bearers (+34.7%) | Up 1,744 places |
| 2020 | #8,773 | 3,587 | 1.20 | -337 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 350 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 Ceniceros 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 | #8,423 | #8,773 | -4.2% |
| Count | 3,924 | 3,587 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.20 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ceniceros bearers went from 3,924 to 3,587 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,423 to #8,773.
FAQ
Ceniceros surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ceniceros?
Name Census estimates that about 4,113 living Americans carry the surname Ceniceros. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,334 residents.
How common is Ceniceros?
Ceniceros ranks #8,773 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,587 people with the surname Ceniceros. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,113), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Ceniceros.
Has Ceniceros become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ceniceros went from 3,924 recorded bearers to 3,587. That is a decrease of 337 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,423 to #8,773.
What does the Census say about the background of Ceniceros?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceniceros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Ceniceros in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (3,382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ceniceros appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.3%), White (5.0%), Two or More Races (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 Ceniceros (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 Ceniceros mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold ashtrays or worked with ashes. 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 Ceniceros (1.20 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 Ceniceros?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ceniceros? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.