2000
#16,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Cephas
A surname derived from an Aramaic word meaning "rock" or "stone".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,090 Americans carry the last name Cephas. That puts it at #15,476 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cephas 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
2.1K
1 in 163,997
Census rank
#15,476
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,823 bearers of the surname Cephas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15476th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cephas, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cephas
The surname Cephas is of Aramaic origin, deriving from the Aramaic word 'Kepha' which means 'rock' or 'stone'. This name was given to Simon Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, by Jesus himself. According to the New Testament, Jesus referred to Simon as 'Cephas' which was translated into Greek as 'Petros', meaning 'rock'.
Cephas is a relatively rare surname, primarily found among Christian communities, particularly those with roots in the Middle East or areas where Aramaic was spoken. The earliest recorded use of the surname Cephas can be traced back to the 4th century AD, when it was used by early Christian families in the region of Syria.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname Cephas was Saint Cephas, a 4th-century bishop of Nisibis (modern-day Nusaybin, Turkey). He is celebrated as a notable figure in the Syriac Orthodox Church and is believed to have lived from around 315 to 361 AD.
Another notable bearer of the surname Cephas was Patriarch Cephas I, who served as the Patriarch of the Church of the East from 628 to 647 AD. He played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in Persia (modern-day Iran) during the Sasanian Empire.
In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Cephas Buchis was a Syrian Orthodox bishop and scholar who lived in Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). He is known for his contributions to the study of Syriac literature and theology.
Moving forward in time, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Cephas was Patriarch Cephas IV Shemun, who served as the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1472 to 1480. He was born in Mardin, Turkey, and is renowned for his efforts in promoting unity among the various Eastern Christian churches.
In more recent history, Dr. Cephas Joseph Bagumisiriza, a Ugandan academic and diplomat, held the position of the Vice-Chancellor of Nkumba University in Uganda from 2007 to 2017. He was born in 1944 and is recognized for his contributions to higher education and international relations.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Cephas throughout history, highlighting its deep roots in the Christian tradition and its association with various regions of the Middle East and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cephas
Among Census respondents with the surname Cephas, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cephas 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 Cephas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.8% · 1,600
- Two or more races5.2% · 95
- White3.2% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cephas
Cephas 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
#15,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,826
+200 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 402 places
2020
#15,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,823
-3 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,314 | 1,626 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,912 | 1,826 | 0.62 | +200 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 402 places |
| 2020 | #15,476 | 1,823 | 0.61 | -3 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 436 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 Cephas 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 | #15,912 | #15,476 | 2.7% |
| Count | 1,826 | 1,823 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.61 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cephas bearers went from 1,826 to 1,823 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,912 to #15,476.
FAQ
Cephas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cephas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,090 living Americans carry the surname Cephas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,997 residents.
How common is Cephas?
Cephas ranks #15,476 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,823 people with the surname Cephas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Cephas.
Has Cephas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cephas went from 1,826 recorded bearers to 1,823. That is a decrease of 3 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,912 to #15,476.
What does the Census say about the background of Cephas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cephas, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (3.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cephas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (1,600 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cephas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (87.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%), White (3.2%). 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 Cephas (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 Cephas mean?
A surname derived from an Aramaic word meaning "rock" or "stone". 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 Cephas (0.61 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 Cephas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.