2000
#9,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Cisco
An Italian surname derived from the given name Francesco, meaning "Frenchman" or "free man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,213 Americans carry the last name Cisco. That puts it at #10,859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cisco 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
3.2K
1 in 106,677
Census rank
#10,859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,802 bearers of the surname Cisco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cisco, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cisco
The surname Cisco originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "cisco," which means "gravel" or "rubble." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a gravel pit or worked with gravel in some capacity.
The earliest known record of the Cisco surname dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in a document from the region of Castile. In the late 15th century, the name was found in the town of Villanueva de los Infantes, located in the province of Ciudad Real.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Cisco surname was Juan Cisco, a soldier who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Pedro Cisco, a merchant who lived in Seville in the early 16th century and is mentioned in several trade records from that time.
In the 17th century, the Cisco name appears in various records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, Diego Cisco was a landowner in Mexico City in the 1620s, while Juana Cisco was a prominent figure in the settlement of Cartagena, Colombia, in the 1650s.
One of the most famous individuals with the Cisco surname was Francisco Cisco, a Spanish painter who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his religious works and portraits, and his paintings can be found in several churches and museums in Spain.
Another notable Cisco was José Cisco, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the Spanish colonization of Texas in the late 18th century. He was a member of the expeditions led by Athanase de Mézières and helped establish several settlements in the region.
As the Cisco surname spread across Europe and the Americas, various spelling variations emerged, such as Ciscos, Ciscó, and Ciscoe. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or linguistic adaptations in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cisco
Among Census respondents with the surname Cisco, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cisco 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 Cisco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 1,989
- Black or African American10.8% · 303
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 218
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.5% · 153
- Two or more races4.4% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cisco
Cisco 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
#10,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,042
-25 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 818 places
2020
#10,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,802
-240 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,723 | 3,067 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,541 | 3,042 | 1.03 | -25 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 818 places |
| 2020 | #10,859 | 2,802 | 0.94 | -240 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 318 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 Cisco 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 | #10,541 | #10,859 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,042 | 2,802 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.94 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cisco bearers went from 3,042 to 2,802 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,541 to #10,859.
FAQ
Cisco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cisco?
Name Census estimates that about 3,213 living Americans carry the surname Cisco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,677 residents.
How common is Cisco?
Cisco ranks #10,859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,802 people with the surname Cisco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Cisco.
Has Cisco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cisco went from 3,042 recorded bearers to 2,802. That is a decrease of 240 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,541 to #10,859.
What does the Census say about the background of Cisco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cisco, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Cisco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (1,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cisco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (10.8%), Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Cisco (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 Cisco mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Francesco, meaning "Frenchman" or "free man." 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 Cisco (0.94 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 are called Cisco?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Cisco on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.