2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Cynkar
A surname possibly derived from the German word "zinken" meaning to play a musical instrument.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cynkar. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cynkar 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cynkar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cynkar, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cynkar
The surname CYNKAR originated in the region of Silesia, an area that spans modern-day Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. It first appeared in records during the 13th century, derived from the Slavic word "cynkar," which referred to a worker in a zinc foundry or mine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CYNKAR surname can be found in the Liber Fundationis Claustri Sanctae Mariae Virginis in Heinrichau, a 13th-century manuscript detailing the founding of the Cistercian monastery in Heinrichau (now Henryków, Poland). The document mentions a certain "Petrus Cynkar" as a witness to a land transaction in 1285.
In the 14th century, the CYNKAR name appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls throughout Silesia. Notable examples include Hanko Cynkar, a prominent merchant from Wrocław (Breslau) mentioned in the city's trade registers in 1352, and Niklas Cynkar, a landowner from the village of Strzegom (Striegau) whose property is documented in a 1378 deed.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the CYNKAR surname spread beyond Silesia as members of the family migrated to other parts of Central Europe. One notable figure was Johannes Cynkar, a Catholic priest and theologian from Bohemia who lived from 1465 to 1532. He studied at the University of Prague and later served as a canon in the town of Žatec (Saaz).
In the 17th century, the CYNKAR name was associated with the mining industry in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) region that straddles the modern-day border between Germany and the Czech Republic. Records from this period mention several miners and foundry workers with the surname, such as Georg Cynkar (born 1612 in Annaberg, Saxony) and Matthias Cynkar (born 1638 in Jáchymov, Bohemia).
Another notable individual with the CYNKAR surname was Anna Cynkar, a woman from the town of Racibórz (Ratibor) in Upper Silesia who lived from 1705 to 1783. She is remembered for her involvement in the Silesian Weavers' Uprising of 1765, a series of protests by weavers against oppressive working conditions and taxation imposed by the Prussian authorities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cynkar
Among Census respondents with the surname Cynkar, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Cynkar 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 Cynkar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 109
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cynkar
Cynkar 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,272 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 17,272 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,985 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 Cynkar 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 | #145,220 | #150,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 114 | 109 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cynkar bearers went from 114 to 109 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,205.
FAQ
Cynkar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cynkar?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cynkar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Cynkar?
Cynkar ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Cynkar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Cynkar.
Has Cynkar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cynkar went from 114 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Cynkar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cynkar, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Cynkar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cynkar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Cynkar (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 Cynkar mean?
A surname possibly derived from the German word "zinken" meaning to play a musical instrument. 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 Cynkar (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 Cynkar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.