2000
#10,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,767
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Cesar
A Spanish and Portuguese occupational surname referring to a person who was an emperor or ruler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,328 Americans carry the last name Cesar. That puts it at #8,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,195 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cesar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cesar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,195
Census rank
#8,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,774 bearers of the surname Cesar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cesar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and White (20.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cesar
The surname Cesar has its origins in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin cognomen "Caesar," which was initially a personal name. The name itself is believed to have originated from the Latin word "caesaries," meaning "hair" or "head of hair," possibly referring to someone with a full head of hair.
The name gained prominence during the reign of Julius Caesar, the renowned Roman dictator and military leader who lived from 100 BC to 44 BC. After his death, the name Caesar became a title bestowed upon Roman emperors, and it eventually evolved into a surname.
Cesar can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Cesar" and "Cesare," indicating its early presence in England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cesar was Pietro Cesare (1270-1326), an Italian jurist and legal scholar from Bologna, known for his contributions to canon law and his work on the Decretals of Pope Gregory IX.
Another notable figure was Cesare Borgia (1475-1507), an Italian nobleman, politician, and cardinal, who was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. Cesare gained infamy for his ruthless pursuit of power and his involvement in various intrigues and conflicts during the Renaissance period.
In England, Sir Julius Caesar (1558-1636) was a prominent figure who served as a judge and held the position of Master of the Rolls, one of the most influential legal positions in the country at the time.
The surname Cesar also has connections to various place names, such as Cesarea in modern-day Israel, which was founded by Herod the Great and named in honor of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar.
Another historical figure bearing the name Cesar was Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), an Italian criminologist and physician who is known for his influential but controversial theories on the biological origins of criminal behavior, which were later discredited.
Throughout history, the surname Cesar has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, politicians, and scholars, reflecting its enduring legacy and diverse origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cesar
Among Census respondents with the surname Cesar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and White (20.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cesar 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 Cesar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.6% · 1,759
- Hispanic or Latino26.2% · 990
- White20.9% · 789
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 119
- Two or more races2.8% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cesar
Cesar 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
#8,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,904
+1,137 bearers (+41.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 2,169 places
2020
#8,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,774
-130 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,627 | 2,767 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,458 | 3,904 | 1.32 | +1,137 bearers (+41.1%) | Up 2,169 places |
| 2020 | #8,405 | 3,774 | 1.26 | -130 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 53 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 Cesar 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 | #8,458 | #8,405 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,904 | 3,774 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.26 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cesar bearers went from 3,904 to 3,774 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,458 to #8,405.
FAQ
Cesar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cesar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,328 living Americans carry the surname Cesar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,195 residents.
How common is Cesar?
Cesar ranks #8,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,774 people with the surname Cesar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Cesar.
Has Cesar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cesar went from 3,904 recorded bearers to 3,774. That is a decrease of 130 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,458 to #8,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Cesar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cesar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and White (20.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cesar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.6% (1,759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cesar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.6%), Hispanic (26.2%), White (20.9%). 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 Cesar (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 Cesar mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese occupational surname referring to a person who was an emperor or ruler. 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 Cesar (1.26 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 Cesar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.