2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cernek
A surname derived from the Croatian word "crn" meaning black or swarthy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Cernek. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cernek 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Cernek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cernek, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.1%) and Two or More Races (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 16th century, the Cernek surname began to appear in various historical documents and records across Central Europe.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cernek
Among Census respondents with the surname Cernek, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.1%) and Two or More Races (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cernek 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 Cernek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.1% · 9
- Two or more races8.1% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cernek
Cernek 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,225 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,225 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 7,379 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 Cernek 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 | #156,044 | #148,665 | 4.7% |
| Count | 104 | 111 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cernek bearers went from 104 to 111 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 7,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #148,665.
FAQ
Cernek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cernek?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Cernek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Cernek?
Cernek ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Cernek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Cernek.
Has Cernek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cernek went from 104 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Cernek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cernek, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.1%) and Two or More Races (8.1%). 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 Cernek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cernek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.1%), Two or More Races (8.1%). 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 Cernek (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 Cernek mean?
A surname derived from the Croatian word "crn" meaning black or swarthy. 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 Cernek (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 Cernek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.