Given name & surname
Cesar
“an emperor; having a full head of hair”
Cesar is a variant of Caesar. One Latin interpretation is “an emperor; having a full head of hair.”
Original SpanishCésar
Meaning & origin
What it means
Cesar is a variant of Caesar. One Latin interpretation is “an emperor; having a full head of hair.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cesar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 79,139
- 78,824 boys · 315 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 2,538 babies
- 2025
- 824
- #385 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 824 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 385 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,538 in 2004. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (209). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 121,106 as a first name in 2020; 3,774 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cesar’s family of names
In English usage, Cesar shares an earlier linguistic root with Caesar. In German usage, Cesar has a related form in Cäsar. Cesar has a related form in Caesar.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cesar has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Spanish roots to each of them.
Spanishwhere Cesar comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Cesar
- Cesár SampsonAustrian singer–songwriterborn 1983
- César BlackmanPanamanian footballer (born 1998)
- Cesar VirataPrime Minister of the Philippines from 1981 to 1986born 1930
- Cesar van LooFrench painter (1743-1821)
- Cesar PurisimaFilipino politicianborn 2000
- Cesar BresgenAustrian composer (1913–1988)
- César Neira PérezSpanish cyclistborn 1979
- Cesar AcevedoSalvadoran footballerborn 1953
- Cesar RamosAmerican former professional baseball player and coachborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cesar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Sun King is a given name from French.
—
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