Cernea is a Romanian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Cornel Cernea (born 1976), Romanian goalkeeping coach and footballer Ion Cernea (1933–2025), Romanian Greco-Roman wrestler Michael M. Cernea (born 1931), Romania sociologist and anthropologist Remus Cernea (born 1974), Romanian activist Ruth Cernea (1934–2009), American cultural anthropologist
Other Acidalia cernea, the alternative name of Scopula epigypsa, a moth of the family Geometridae
See also Cerna (surname) Cerna (disambiguation)