Serious
A name suggesting gravity, solemnity, or earnestness.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Serious. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Serious today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Serious births was 2010 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Serious. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Serious. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2010
6 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2012 SSA rank
#12,035
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Serious: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Serious 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 Serious during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Serious
The name Serious is a highly uncommon given name that has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Latin word "serius," which means "grave," "earnest," or "solemn." The name likely emerged during the classical period of ancient Rome, when Latin was widely spoken across the Roman Empire.
In ancient Roman culture, the concept of seriousness and solemnity was highly valued, especially in the context of philosophy, literature, and oratory. It is possible that the name Serious was given to individuals who exhibited these qualities or were expected to embody them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Serious can be found in the writings of the Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero. In his work "De Officiis" (On Duties), Cicero mentions a certain Serious Sammonicus, who was a renowned physician and writer on medical topics during the 2nd century AD.
Another notable figure with the name Serious was Serious Optatianus, a Roman poet who lived in the 4th century AD. He is best known for his carmina figurata, or pattern poems, which were literary works that utilized visual patterns and shapes in their composition.
In the Middle Ages, the name Serious appears to have been relatively uncommon, but there are a few recorded instances. One such individual was Serious of Toul, a 6th-century Frankish bishop and saint who is venerated in the Catholic Church.
During the Renaissance period, the name Serious gained some popularity among humanist scholars and intellectuals who admired classical Roman culture and values. One notable bearer of the name was Serious Accursius, an Italian jurist and legal scholar who lived in the 13th century.
In more recent times, the name Serious has been quite rare, but a few notable individuals have borne it. One such person was Serious Gaudentius, a 19th-century German philosopher and writer who was known for his works on ethics and aesthetics.
While not a comprehensive list, these examples illustrate the rich history and diverse contexts in which the name Serious has been used throughout the centuries. Despite its relative rarity, the name continues to evoke a sense of gravitas and intellectual depth, reflecting its Latin origins and the values it represents.
People
Serious + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Serious 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
Serious: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Serious?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Serious 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Serious a common name?
We classify Serious as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Serious most popular?
The single biggest year for Serious was 2010, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Serious is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Serious in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Serious a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Serious 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 Serious still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Serious 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 Serious 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Serious as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.