2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cesana
A locational surname derived from a place name in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Cesana. 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 Cesana 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 Cesana 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 Cesana, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cesana
The surname Cesana originated in the region of Piedmont, Italy, in the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "cesano," which means "blackthorn" or "sloe bush," and may have been used as a topographic name for someone who lived near such a plant or a place where it grew abundantly.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in a document from the town of Savigliano, in the province of Cuneo, dated 1382, which refers to a certain "Bertolino Cesana." This suggests that the name was already established in the area by the 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the Cesana family gained prominence in the city of Turin, where they were involved in various trades and professions. Notably, Francesco Cesana (1508-1573) was a respected lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the Senate of Savoy.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records from the town of Verzuolo, also in the province of Cuneo, where a certain Giovanni Battista Cesana (1620-1695) was a prominent landowner and farmer.
Another notable bearer of the name was Giuseppe Cesana (1780-1856), a priest and historian from the town of Saluzzo, who wrote extensively on the history and culture of his native region.
Moving forward in time, the Cesana surname continued to be present in various parts of Piedmont. Vittorio Cesana (1876-1939), born in Cuneo, was a renowned architect who designed several important buildings in Turin, including the Palazzo del Lavoro and the Chiesa di Santa Rita.
Other notable individuals with the surname Cesana include Carlo Cesana (1881-1964), a journalist and writer from Turin, and Augusto Cesana (1908-1990), a painter and sculptor from the town of Racconigi, known for his abstract and surrealist works.
While the name Cesana is primarily concentrated in the Piedmont region of Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond through migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cesana
Among Census respondents with the surname Cesana, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cesana 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 Cesana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 9
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cesana
Cesana appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-11 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 11,338 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 Cesana 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 | #137,327 | #148,665 | -8.3% |
| Count | 122 | 111 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cesana bearers went from 122 to 111 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 11,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #148,665.
FAQ
Cesana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cesana?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Cesana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Cesana?
Cesana 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 Cesana. 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 Cesana.
Has Cesana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cesana went from 122 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Cesana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cesana, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Cesana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cesana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Cesana (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 Cesana mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Italy. 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 Cesana (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 common is the surname Cesana?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Cesana at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.