2000
#9,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Cerny
Derived from the Czech word černý, meaning "black," referring to a person with dark hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,553 Americans carry the last name Cerny. That puts it at #9,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cerny 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
3.6K
1 in 96,469
Census rank
#9,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,098 bearers of the surname Cerny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cerny, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cerny
The surname Cerny has its origins in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it is a relatively common name. The name is derived from the Czech adjective "cerny," meaning "black" or "dark." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Cerny can be traced back to the 13th century in Bohemia, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name appears in various medieval records and documents from this region, sometimes spelled as "Czierny" or "Czyrny."
One notable historical figure with the surname Cerny was Jan Cerny (1379-1456), a Czech priest and reformer who was a follower of Jan Hus, a prominent religious thinker and philosopher during the Hussite Reformation in Bohemia. Jan Cerny played a significant role in the Hussite movement and was involved in the defense of Prague during the Hussite Wars.
Another individual of note was Václav Cerny (1849-1928), a Czech architect who designed several important buildings in Prague, including the National Museum and the Municipal House. His contributions significantly shaped the architectural landscape of the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 20th century, Jaroslav Cerny (1898-1970) was a renowned Czech poet and translator. He was a prominent figure in the Czech literary scene and played a crucial role in introducing the works of foreign authors, such as T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, to Czech readers.
The name Cerny can also be found in other Slavic countries, such as Poland and Slovakia, where it may have slightly different spellings or variations. For instance, in Slovakia, the name is sometimes spelled as "Černý."
While the name Cerny is most commonly associated with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it has also been adopted by individuals of various nationalities, particularly those with Slavic roots or connections to the region. However, the name's historical significance and origins can be traced back to the Czech lands and the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cerny
Among Census respondents with the surname Cerny, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cerny 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 Cerny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,871
- Two or more races3.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 38
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cerny
Cerny 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
#9,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,227
-3 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 718 places
2020
#9,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,098
-129 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,276 | 3,230 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,994 | 3,227 | 1.09 | -3 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 718 places |
| 2020 | #9,948 | 3,098 | 1.04 | -129 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 46 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 Cerny 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 | #9,994 | #9,948 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,227 | 3,098 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.04 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cerny bearers went from 3,227 to 3,098 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,994 to #9,948.
FAQ
Cerny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cerny?
Name Census estimates that about 3,553 living Americans carry the surname Cerny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,469 residents.
How common is Cerny?
Cerny ranks #9,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,098 people with the surname Cerny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,553), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Cerny.
Has Cerny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cerny went from 3,227 recorded bearers to 3,098. That is a decrease of 129 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,994 to #9,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Cerny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cerny, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Cerny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cerny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Cerny (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 Cerny mean?
Derived from the Czech word černý, meaning "black," referring to a person with dark hair or complexion. 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 Cerny (1.04 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 have the last name Cerny?
If you just want to know how common the surname Cerny is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.