Serapio
A Spanish masculine name of uncertain origin possibly meaning "serpent" or "protector".
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Serapio. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Serapio today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Serapio births was 1925 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Serapio. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
1925
14 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,672
Tracked since 1905
Census
Serapio in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 590 people with the first name Serapio, which placed it at #18,296 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,296
National first-name rank
People counted
590
590 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serapio
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Serapio is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and White (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Serapio 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Serapio at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.6% · 564
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 14
- White0.8% · 5
- Black or African American0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Popularity
Serapio: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Serapio from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 69 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Serapio by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Serapio during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Serapios live
Origin
Meaning and history of Serapio
The name Serapio has its origins in ancient Greek, derived from the word "Serapion," which was associated with the Egyptian god Serapis. The name gained popularity in the Mediterranean region, particularly in areas where Greek culture and mythology held sway.
In ancient times, the name Serapio was often given to individuals as a reflection of their devotion to the god Serapis or as a sign of respect for the divine figure. The cult of Serapis was widespread throughout the Mediterranean, and its influence extended from Egypt to Greece and Rome.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Serapio can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, who lived in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries CE. Plutarch mentions a philosopher named Serapio who was a contemporary of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
During the early centuries of Christianity, the name Serapio was also adopted by some early Christian saints and martyrs. One notable figure was Saint Serapio of Antioch, who lived in the 3rd century CE and was a bishop of Antioch. He is revered for his defense of the Christian faith against the teachings of the heretic Paul of Samosata.
In the 4th century CE, another prominent individual bearing the name Serapio was a church historian known as Serapio of Thmuis. He was a monk and a disciple of St. Antony, and he is credited with writing a biography of his mentor, which provided valuable insights into the early monastic movement in Egypt.
During the Middle Ages, the name Serapio continued to be used, although less frequently. One notable bearer of the name was Serapio Riccolfi, an Italian jurist and diplomat who lived in the 13th century and served as a judge and ambassador for the Republic of Florence.
In the Renaissance period, the name Serapio resurfaced in literary circles. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Serapio Aquilano, an Italian humanist and poet who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was renowned for his Latin poetry and his contributions to the revival of classical learning.
Over the centuries, the name Serapio has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, including scholars, artists, and religious figures. While its popularity has waxed and waned, the name continues to carry a rich historical legacy, tracing its roots back to the ancient Mediterranean world and the veneration of the Egyptian god Serapis.
People
Serapio + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Serapio as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Serapio: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Serapio?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Serapio going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Serapio a common name?
We classify Serapio as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 291 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Serapio most popular?
The single biggest year for Serapio was 1925, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Serapio is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Serapio in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 590 people with the name Serapio, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,296 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Serapio in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Serapio?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Serapio appears almost entirely male. Of the 594 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Serapio?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Serapio is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and White (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Serapio most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Serapio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (564 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Serapio in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Serapio a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Serapio in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Serapio still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Serapio in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Serapio can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Serapio?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Serapio at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.