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

Cernek, 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 Cernek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cernek in America

Cernek is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cernek surname appeared 104 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 Cernek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cernek 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 Cernek

The surname Cernek is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic during the late 15th century. It is derived from the Slavic word "cerna," meaning "black," and is likely an occupational surname referring to someone who worked in a charcoal or soot-related trade.

The earliest known record of the Cernek name dates back to 1492, when a Vaclav Cernek was listed as a resident of the town of Litomerice in Bohemia. This region, now part of the modern-day Czech Republic, was historically home to a significant Slavic population, which explains the Slavic roots of the surname.

In the 16th century, the Cernek surname began to appear in various historical documents and records across Central Europe. For instance, a Jakub Cernek was mentioned in a land registry in the village of Lipnice nad Sazavou in 1547.

One of the most notable bearers of the Cernek name was Jan Cernek, a prominent Czech theologian and philosopher who lived from 1568 to 1632. He was a professor at the University of Prague and authored several influential works on Christian theology and ethics.

Another significant figure was Vaclav Cernek, a Czech nobleman who lived from 1622 to 1697. He served as a high-ranking military officer and diplomat in the service of the Holy Roman Empire and was granted various land holdings and titles for his service.

In the 18th century, the Cernek surname began to spread beyond the Czech lands, with some bearers migrating to neighboring regions like Silesia and Galicia. One notable example was Jiri Cernek, a Czech-born merchant who settled in the city of Lviv (then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) in the 1750s and established a successful trading business.

As the centuries passed, the Cernek name continued to be carried by various individuals across Central and Eastern Europe, though it remained most concentrated in the Czech lands. Some variations in spelling, such as Černek or Czerneck, also emerged over time.

While the Cernek surname is not among the most common in the Czech Republic today, it has a rich history and ties to the region's Slavic heritage, dating back to the late medieval period and the origins of many modern Czech family names.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cernek

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

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 Cernek 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 Cernek 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 Cernek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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