2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cvitanovich
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "son of Cvitan".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Cvitanovich. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cvitanovich 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Cvitanovich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cvitanovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cvitanovich
The surname Cvitanovich is of Croatian origin, originating in the 16th century from the Adriatic coastal regions of modern-day Croatia. It is derived from the Croatian word "cvit," meaning "flower," and is likely a descriptive surname originally referring to someone who cultivated or sold flowers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cvitanovich can be found in the Venetian cadastral records of the 16th century, where a Nikola Cvitanovich is listed as a landowner in the village of Omiš, located near Split, Croatia. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Cvitanovich appeared in various historical records and documents from the Dalmatian region of Croatia. For example, a Jure Cvitanovich is mentioned in the parish records of the town of Makarska in 1672, indicating the presence of the name in that area.
In the 19th century, several notable individuals with the surname Cvitanovich emerged. One such person was Frane Cvitanovich (1820-1891), a prominent Croatian writer and philosopher who was born in Makarska and wrote extensively on topics related to Croatian culture and language.
Another noteworthy Cvitanovich from this time period was Ivan Cvitanovich (1834-1912), a Croatian politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Makarska for several years in the late 19th century.
As Croatian immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States and Australia, the surname Cvitanovich traveled with them. One example is Mate Cvitanovich (1878-1960), a Croatian-American businessman who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and established a successful fishing and canning operation in San Pedro, California.
In Australia, the Cvitanovich name can be traced back to the late 19th century, with the arrival of Croatian immigrants from the Dalmatian coastal regions. One notable Australian Cvitanovich was Ante Cvitanovich (1892-1976), a fisherman and businessman from the island of Brač who settled in Fremantle, Western Australia, in the early 20th century.
While the surname Cvitanovich is relatively uncommon outside of Croatia and Croatian diaspora communities, it remains a rich part of the cultural heritage and history of the Croatian people, with its origins dating back to the 16th century and the Adriatic coastal regions of modern-day Croatia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cvitanovich
Among Census respondents with the surname Cvitanovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cvitanovich 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 Cvitanovich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cvitanovich
Cvitanovich 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,352 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,881 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 1,352 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,881 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 Cvitanovich 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 | #142,108 | #152,989 | -7.7% |
| Count | 117 | 105 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cvitanovich bearers went from 117 to 105 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,881 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #152,989.
FAQ
Cvitanovich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cvitanovich?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Cvitanovich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Cvitanovich?
Cvitanovich ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Cvitanovich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Cvitanovich.
Has Cvitanovich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cvitanovich went from 117 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Cvitanovich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cvitanovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Cvitanovich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cvitanovich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (6.7%), Black (1.0%). 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 Cvitanovich (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 Cvitanovich mean?
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "son of Cvitan". 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 Cvitanovich (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 Americans have the surname Cvitanovich?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.