Find out how popular the last name Cephus is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cephus.

Cephus, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cephus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cephus in America

Cephus is the 25171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cephus surname appeared 985 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cephus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cephus to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cephus

The surname Cephus is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, derived from the Greek word "kephale," which means "head." It is thought to have been a nickname given to someone with a large or distinctive head.

Historically, the name first appeared in written records during the Byzantine era, with mentions in Greek manuscripts from the 6th and 7th centuries. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was a scholar named Cephus Alexandrinus, who lived in the 5th century and wrote several treatises on philosophy and theology.

In the Middle Ages, the name spread to other parts of Europe, particularly Italy and France, where it underwent various spelling variations, such as Cefus, Ceffo, and Cephas. During the Renaissance period, there are records of a notable Italian painter named Cephus Boccaccino, who lived from 1467 to 1525 and was known for his religious artworks.

As the name continued to evolve, it found its way to other regions, including England and Scotland. In the 16th century, there are mentions of a Scottish poet named Cephus Dunbar, who wrote several works in Middle Scots language. Another notable figure was an English clergyman named Cephus Calvert, who lived from 1605 to 1679 and served as the Bishop of Worcester.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in various historical records across Europe, including church registers and census documents. One notable individual from this period was Cephus Devereux, an Irish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Virginia.

As time went on, the name spread to other parts of the world, including the Americas and Australia, carried by immigrants and settlers from Europe. In the 19th century, there are records of a Canadian entrepreneur named Cephus Macdonald, who established several successful businesses in Nova Scotia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cephus

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cephus.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cephus was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cephus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cephus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cephus, please contact us.

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