2000
#12,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Cessna
An Italian habitational surname likely derived from a place name meaning "oak forest" or "oak grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,676 Americans carry the last name Cessna. That puts it at #12,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,085 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cessna 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
2.7K
1 in 128,085
Census rank
#12,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,334 bearers of the surname Cessna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cessna, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cessna
Among Census respondents with the surname Cessna, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cessna 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 Cessna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,173
- Two or more races2.7% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 57
- Black or African American0.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cessna
Cessna 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
#12,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,407
+119 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#12,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,334
-73 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,443 | 2,288 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,812 | 2,407 | 0.82 | +119 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #12,630 | 2,334 | 0.78 | -73 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 182 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 Cessna 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 | #12,812 | #12,630 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,407 | 2,334 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.78 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cessna bearers went from 2,407 to 2,334 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,812 to #12,630.
FAQ
Cessna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cessna?
Name Census estimates that about 2,676 living Americans carry the surname Cessna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,085 residents.
How common is Cessna?
Cessna ranks #12,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,334 people with the surname Cessna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,676), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Cessna.
Has Cessna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cessna went from 2,407 recorded bearers to 2,334. That is a decrease of 73 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,812 to #12,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Cessna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cessna, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Cessna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,173 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cessna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Cessna (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 Cessna mean?
An Italian habitational surname likely derived from a place name meaning "oak forest" or "oak grove." 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 Cessna (0.78 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 Cessna?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Cessna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.