Explore the Family Name Cisse

The meaning of Cisse

1. West African (Cissé): from the name of the Cissé clan of the Soninke people, the ruling clan of the former Ghanaian Empire, derived from the word si ‘horse’ and interpreted as ‘rider’. The importance of the horse to the Soninkeis reflected in their traditional personal names, including patronymics (see Sissoko and Sylla). Compare Ceesay, Sesay, and Sise 3. 2. In some cases probably also French (Cissé): habitational name from a place called Cissé in Vienne. Some characteristic forenames: African/Muslim Amadou, Aminata, Mamadou, Moussa, Ibrahima, Daouda, Mohamed, Omar, Thierno, Abdoulaye, Abdul, Aboubacar, Ali, Aliou, Alou, Babacar, Cheikh, Fatou, Hassane, Ismail, Issa, Keba, Khadim, Mahamadou.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Cisse in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Cisse saw a significant boost between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Cisse ranked 30,443 in commonality but jumped to 15,606 by 2010, indicating an increase of 48.74%. The total count of individuals with this surname also rose dramatically from 724 in 2000 to 1,873 in 2010, marking a 158.7% growth. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Cisse per 100,000 people in the population increased from 0.27 in 2000 to 0.63 in 2010, an elevation of 133.33%.

20002010Change
Rank#30,443#15,60648.74%
Count7241,873158.7%
Proportion per 100k0.270.63133.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cisse

In terms of ethnic identity, the surname Cisse has been predominantly associated with the Black community as per the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 87.98% of individuals with this surname identified as Black, and that number increased to 94.82% by 2010. The presence of the surname within the White and Hispanic communities showed minor fluctuations with a slight increase in the White community from 1.93% to 2.08% and a decrease within the Hispanic community from 2.07% to 1.17%. Interestingly, there was a notable decline of 80.3% in the group identifying with two or more races. Meanwhile, the Asian/Pacific Islander category witnessed a new emergence in 2010, and no individuals identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census years.

20002010Change
Black87.98%94.82%7.77%
White1.93%2.08%7.77%
Two or More Races7.87%1.55%-80.3%
Hispanic2.07%1.17%-43.48%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.37%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%