2000
#75,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Czerny
A surname of Polish origin referring to someone with dark hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 263 Americans carry the last name Czerny. That puts it at #87,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,303,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Czerny 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
263
1 in 1,303,248
Census rank
#87,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
229
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 229 bearers of the surname Czerny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Czerny, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Czerny
The surname Czerny is of Polish origin, derived from the word "czarny" meaning "black" in the Polish language. It is believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century as a descriptive name for someone with dark hair or complexion.
The earliest recorded use of the name Czerny can be traced back to the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland, which were part of the Kingdom of Poland at the time. It is likely that the name was originally used as a nickname or a distinguishing feature to identify individuals within a community.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Czerny surname was Jan Czerny, a Polish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 15th century. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership during the Polish-Teutonic Wars.
In the 16th century, the name Czerny appeared in various historical records and documents, including the Polish Nobility Registers (Księgi Ziemskie). One notable figure from this period was Mikołaj Czerny, a Polish scholar and writer who published works on philosophy and theology.
The 18th century saw the rise of Carl Czerny, an influential Austrian composer, teacher, and pianist born in 1791. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific composers of etudes for the piano, and his works have been instrumental in the training of countless pianists over the years.
Another prominent bearer of the Czerny surname was Joseph Czerny, a German-born Catholic priest and missionary who lived from 1835 to 1913. He spent much of his life working in Australia, where he played a significant role in establishing Catholic missions and schools for the indigenous population.
In the 20th century, the name Czerny gained recognition in the field of science with the contributions of Adolph Czerny, a German surgeon and pediatrician born in 1863. He is best known for his pioneering work in the field of pediatric surgery, particularly for developing techniques for treating pyloric stenosis in infants.
Throughout its history, the surname Czerny has been associated with various professions, from military leaders and scholars to artists and scientists. While its origins can be traced back to Poland, the name has since spread across various regions and countries, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who have carried it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Czerny
Among Census respondents with the surname Czerny, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Czerny 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 Czerny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 13
- Two or more races5.2% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Czerny
Czerny 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
#76,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253
+14 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 810 places
2020
#87,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
-24 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 11,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #75,219 | 239 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,029 | 253 | 0.09 | +14 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 810 places |
| 2020 | #87,312 | 229 | 0.08 | -24 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 11,283 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 Czerny 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 | #76,029 | #87,312 | -14.8% |
| Count | 253 | 229 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Czerny bearers went from 253 to 229 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 11,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,029 to #87,312.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Czerny
FAQ
Czerny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Czerny?
Name Census estimates that about 263 living Americans carry the surname Czerny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,303,248 residents.
How common is Czerny?
Czerny ranks #87,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 229 people with the surname Czerny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (263), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Czerny.
Has Czerny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Czerny went from 253 recorded bearers to 229. That is a decrease of 24 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #76,029 to #87,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Czerny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Czerny, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Czerny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Czerny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Czerny (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 Czerny mean?
A surname of Polish origin referring to someone with dark hair or complexion. 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 Czerny (0.08 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 common is the surname Czerny?
See how many people have the surname Czerny on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.