2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cirka
A surname derived from the Bosnian word for "church", indicating ancestors associated with the church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Cirka. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cirka 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Cirka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cirka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cirka
The surname Cirka has its origins in Eastern Europe, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century in what is now modern-day Poland. The name is believed to have been derived from the Slavic word "tsirk," meaning "circle" or "ring," suggesting that the family's ancestors may have been involved in some form of circular craftsmanship or trade.
One of the earliest known references to the name Cirka can be found in a Polish census record from the town of Krakow in the year 1587, where a family with the surname is listed as residing in the city's merchant quarter. This suggests that the Cirka family may have been involved in trade or commerce during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name Cirka began to appear in various historical documents across Eastern Europe, including birth, marriage, and death records. One notable mention is a record from 1642 in the town of Lviv (now in Ukraine), which references a blacksmith named Jan Cirka, indicating that the family may have also been involved in metalworking.
As the years progressed, the Cirka surname spread across Eastern Europe, with variations in spelling, such as Cyrka and Cyrkow, appearing in different regions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in its modern spelling can be found in a Polish military record from 1786, which lists a soldier named Tomasz Cirka serving in the army.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the Cirka surname. In the late 18th century, a Polish poet and playwright named Franciszek Circa (1760-1825) gained recognition for his works, which explored themes of national identity and independence. Another notable figure was Stanislav Cirka (1876-1949), a Ukrainian-born architect who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Other individuals with the Cirka surname include:
1. Katarzyna Cirka (1908-1992), a Polish resistance fighter during World War II.
2. Ivan Cirka (1919-1995), a Soviet mathematician and academic.
3. Mikhail Cirka (1929-2011), a Russian artist known for his landscape paintings.
4. Ludmila Cirka (born 1954), a Ukrainian chess player and former Women's World Chess Champion.
5. Andrzej Cirka (born 1971), a Polish football player who represented his country in international competitions.
While the Cirka surname may not be among the most widespread in the world, its history can be traced back several centuries, with roots firmly planted in Eastern European culture and traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cirka
Among Census respondents with the surname Cirka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cirka 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 Cirka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cirka
Cirka 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,415 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,052 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,415 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,052 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 Cirka 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 | #157,234 | #154,182 | 1.9% |
| Count | 103 | 103 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cirka bearers went from 103 to 103 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,052 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,182.
FAQ
Cirka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cirka?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Cirka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Cirka?
Cirka ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Cirka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Cirka.
Has Cirka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cirka went from 103 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Cirka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cirka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cirka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cirka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Cirka (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 Cirka mean?
A surname derived from the Bosnian word for "church", indicating ancestors associated with the church. 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 Cirka (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Cirka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.