2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cisko
A surname with Czech origins meaning "small" or "little one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Cisko. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cisko 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Cisko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cisko
The surname CISKO is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic, with records dating back to the 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Czech word "Cis," which means "pure" or "clean." It may also be related to the Czech word "Cisty," meaning "clear" or "bright."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CISKO can be found in a 1389 document from the town of Brno, which mentions a man named Jan Cisko. This suggests that the name was already in use in the late medieval period in what is now the Czech Republic.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name CISKO can be found in various historical records from the region, including tax rolls and parish registers. In 1492, a man named Matej Cisko is listed as a resident of the village of Litomerice, near the city of Usti nad Labem.
The name CISKO is also believed to have been associated with certain occupations or professions in its early history. Some historians speculate that it may have been used to identify individuals who worked in trades involving cleanliness or purity, such as brewers, millers, or candlemakers.
One notable figure bearing the surname CISKO was Jan Cisko, a Czech artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his intricate woodcuts and illustrations, which were featured in various religious and literary works of the time.
Another individual of note was Vaclav Cisko, a Czech composer and music teacher who lived from 1845 to 1915. He is best known for his compositions for choir and orchestra, as well as his contributions to music education in the Czech lands.
In the 20th century, the name CISKO gained recognition through the work of Jan Cisko, a Czech writer and journalist who was active in the years leading up to and during World War II. He is particularly remembered for his anti-fascist writings and his efforts to document the experiences of Czechs during the Nazi occupation.
Other notable individuals with the surname CISKO include Jiri Cisko, a Czech politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations in the late 20th century, and Zdenek Cisko, a renowned Czech physicist and researcher in the field of nuclear physics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cisko
Among Census respondents with the surname Cisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cisko 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 Cisko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cisko
Cisko 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,064 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 Cisko 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 | #140,157 | #147,221 | -5.0% |
| Count | 119 | 113 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cisko bearers went from 119 to 113 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,221.
FAQ
Cisko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cisko?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Cisko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Cisko?
Cisko ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Cisko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Cisko.
Has Cisko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cisko went from 119 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Cisko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Cisko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cisko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), Black (2.7%). 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 Cisko (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 Cisko mean?
A surname with Czech origins meaning "small" or "little one". 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 Cisko (0.04 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 Cisko?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Cisko at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.