2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Ceniza
A Spanish surname derived from the word for "ashes" or "cinders".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 396 Americans carry the last name Ceniza. That puts it at #62,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 865,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ceniza 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
396
1 in 865,541
Census rank
#62,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
345
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 345 bearers of the surname Ceniza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 62640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceniza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and White (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ceniza
The surname "CENIZA" is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period in Spain. It is derived from the Spanish word "ceniza," which translates to "ash" or "cinder." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation related to ash or cinders, such as a charcoal maker or someone who worked with fires or kilns.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts from the regions of Castile and Aragon in Spain. One of the earliest documented instances was in a land registry from the city of Toledo, where a certain Pedro de la Ceniza was listed as a landowner in 1275.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname Ceniza began to spread across other parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. This coincided with the Reconquista, a period of territorial expansion and resettlement by the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula.
Notable individuals bearing the Ceniza surname include Rodrigo de la Ceniza, a prominent military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns during the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Juana Ceniza, a renowned potter from Seville, who lived in the 16th century and is credited with developing innovative glazing techniques for ceramics.
In the 17th century, the Ceniza family established roots in the Americas, with some members settling in the Spanish colonies of Mexico and Peru. One such individual was Pedro Ceniza, a merchant and landowner who arrived in Lima, Peru, in 1635 and became a prominent figure in the local community.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Ceniza appeared in various records from the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. Juan Ceniza, born in 1712 in Havana, Cuba, was a renowned sailor and navigator who participated in several expeditions to explore the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Throughout the 19th century, the Ceniza surname continued to be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. Notably, Ignacio Ceniza (1823-1897) was a renowned educator and writer from Madrid, who authored several influential works on Spanish literature and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceniza
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceniza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and White (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ceniza 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 Ceniza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.2% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 16
- White3.8% · 13
- Two or more races3.2% · 11
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ceniza
Ceniza 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
#64,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 307
+113 bearers (+58.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 24,104 places
2020
#62,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 345
+38 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 2,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,721 | 307 | 0.10 | +113 bearers (+58.2%) | Up 24,104 places |
| 2020 | #62,640 | 345 | 0.12 | +38 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 2,081 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 Ceniza 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 | #64,721 | #62,640 | 3.2% |
| Count | 307 | 345 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.12 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ceniza bearers went from 307 to 345 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 2,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,721 to #62,640.
FAQ
Ceniza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ceniza?
Name Census estimates that about 396 living Americans carry the surname Ceniza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 865,541 residents.
How common is Ceniza?
Ceniza ranks #62,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 345 people with the surname Ceniza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Ceniza.
Has Ceniza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ceniza went from 307 recorded bearers to 345. That is an increase of 38 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #64,721 to #62,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Ceniza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceniza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and White (3.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ceniza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ceniza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), White (3.8%). 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 Ceniza (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 Ceniza mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word for "ashes" or "cinders". 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 Ceniza (0.12 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 have the surname Ceniza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.