2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Cenko
Of Slavic origin, a surname derived from the diminutive form of personal names like Cenka or Tsenko.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Cenko. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cenko 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Cenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cenko
The surname Cenko originated in the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, particularly in the area that is now modern-day Croatia. It is believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, around the 8th or 9th century AD.
The name Cenko is thought to be derived from the Slavic root word "cen," which means "value" or "worth." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone of high social standing or someone who was highly respected within their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cenko can be found in a document from the Dubrovnik archives, dated around 1320 AD. This document mentions a certain Cenko Milosevic, who was a merchant and landowner in the region.
Another notable figure in history bearing the surname Cenko was Ivan Cenko, a Croatian military commander who fought against the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and died in 1583, and his exploits were documented in various chronicles of the time.
In the 17th century, the name Cenko appeared in several records from the town of Cakovec, which was then part of the Habsburg Monarchy. One such record mentions a Marko Cenko, a farmer and vintner who lived between 1612 and 1679.
Jumping ahead to the 19th century, there was a renowned Croatian writer and poet named Jakov Cenko, who was born in 1824 and died in 1899. He was known for his romantic poetry and his contributions to the Croatian literary renaissance.
Another notable figure was Petar Cenko, a Croatian politician and lawyer who lived from 1842 to 1921. He served as a member of the Croatian Parliament and was actively involved in the struggle for Croatian autonomy within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
While the surname Cenko is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of the Slavic nations, particularly Croatia, where it has its roots. The name's enduring presence serves as a reminder of the region's storied past and the contributions of those who bore it throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Cenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cenko 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 Cenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cenko
Cenko appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+14 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,404 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 13,404 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 Cenko 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 | #158,432 | #145,028 | 8.5% |
| Count | 102 | 116 | 13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cenko bearers went from 102 to 116 (+13.7% change). The surname moved up 13,404 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,028.
FAQ
Cenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cenko?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Cenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Cenko?
Cenko ranks #145,028 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.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Cenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
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 Cenko.
Has Cenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cenko went from 102 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 14 (+13.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Cenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (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.
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 Cenko (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 Cenko mean?
Of Slavic origin, a surname derived from the diminutive form of personal names like Cenka or Tsenko. 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 Cenko (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.
How many people share the surname Cenko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.