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

Cessna, 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 Cessna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cessna in America

Cessna is the 12812th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cessna surname appeared 2,407 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cessna.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cessna 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 Cessna

The surname Cessna is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "zessen," which means "to settle" or "to dwell." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who settled or lived in a particular area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cessna can be found in the Bavarian town records of Nuremberg, dating back to the 15th century. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Zessner" and "Cessner," reflecting the variations common in that era.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Cessna was Hans Cessner, a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Augsburg. He was born in 1512 and played a significant role in the local economy and politics of his time.

During the 17th century, the Cessna family spread to other parts of Germany, and the name was recorded in various regions, including Saxony and Brandenburg. One notable individual from this period was Johann Cessner, born in 1628 in Dresden, who was a respected scholar and author of several theological works.

The name Cessna also found its way to the United States, with early immigrants arriving from Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances in America was that of Jacob Cessna, who was born in 1744 in Pennsylvania and fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable American with the surname Cessna was Clyde Cessna, born in 1879 in Hawthorne, Kansas. He was a pioneering aviator and the founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation, which became one of the leading manufacturers of small aircraft in the United States.

Other historical figures with the surname Cessna include:

1. Wilhelm Cessna (1832-1912), a German-American theologian and educator who served as the president of Wittenberg College in Ohio.
2. Mary Cessna (1860-1932), an American educator and activist who advocated for women's rights and educational reform.
3. Albert Cessna (1892-1976), an American aviator and engineer who worked for the Cessna Aircraft Corporation and contributed to the development of several aircraft models.
4. Robert Cessna (1900-1983), an American businessman and executive who served as the president of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation from 1936 to 1975.
5. Dwane Cessna (1921-2003), an American pilot and aircraft designer who worked for the Cessna Aircraft Corporation and contributed to the development of several popular light aircraft models.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cessna

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!