2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cherkasov
A surname derived from the name of the Cossack region of Cherkassk in southern Russia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 158 Americans carry the last name Cherkasov. That puts it at #129,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,169,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cherkasov 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
158
1 in 2,169,331
Census rank
#129,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
138
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 138 bearers of the surname Cherkasov in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cherkasov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cherkasov
The surname Cherkasov originates from Russia and is believed to have emerged in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Russian word "cherkasy," which was used to refer to a group of people who lived in the region of Cherkas, located in present-day Ukraine.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Cherkasov can be found in the Velvet Book, a collection of historical records from the 16th century. The book contains entries related to the service of noble families in Moscow, including several individuals with the surname Cherkasov.
During the 17th century, the Cherkasov family played a significant role in Russian history. Mikhail Cherkasov (1628-1711) was a prominent military leader and diplomat who served under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He participated in several military campaigns and was involved in negotiations with the Ottoman Empire.
In the 18th century, Vasily Cherkasov (1722-1796) was a notable Russian architect who designed several churches and buildings in Moscow and other cities. His most famous work is the Resurrection Cathedral in the Novodevichy Convent, which is considered a masterpiece of Russian Baroque architecture.
Another prominent figure with the surname Cherkasov was Nikolai Cherkasov (1903-1966), a renowned Soviet actor who gained international recognition for his portrayal of Alexander Nevsky in Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 film of the same name. Cherkasov's performance is widely regarded as one of the most iconic in Soviet cinema.
In the field of literature, Aleksey Cherkasov (1830-1896) was a Russian writer and journalist who contributed to several publications and wrote novels and short stories exploring social issues and the lives of ordinary people in 19th-century Russia.
It is worth noting that the surname Cherkasov has also been associated with various place names in Russia, such as the town of Cherkasovo in the Stavropol Krai region and the village of Cherkasovo in the Voronezh Oblast.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cherkasov
Among Census respondents with the surname Cherkasov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cherkasov 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 Cherkasov surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 132
- Two or more races2.2% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cherkasov
Cherkasov 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
#129,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+20 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 12,095 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #129,045 | 138 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 12,095 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 Cherkasov 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 | #141,140 | #129,045 | 8.6% |
| Count | 118 | 138 | 16.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cherkasov bearers went from 118 to 138 (+16.9% change). The surname moved up 12,095 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #129,045.
FAQ
Cherkasov surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cherkasov?
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the surname Cherkasov. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,169,331 residents.
How common is Cherkasov?
Cherkasov ranks #129,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 138 people with the surname Cherkasov. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Cherkasov.
Has Cherkasov become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cherkasov went from 118 recorded bearers to 138. That is an increase of 20 (+16.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #141,140 to #129,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Cherkasov?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cherkasov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Cherkasov in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cherkasov appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Cherkasov (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 Cherkasov mean?
A surname derived from the name of the Cossack region of Cherkassk in southern Russia. 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 Cherkasov (0.05 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 Cherkasov?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.