2000
#88,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 196
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Ceriani
A surname of Italian origin meaning "person from Ceriano", a town near Milan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 249 Americans carry the last name Ceriani. That puts it at #91,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,376,523 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ceriani surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
249
1 in 1,376,523
Census rank
#91,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
217
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 217 bearers of the surname Ceriani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceriani, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ceriani
The surname Ceriani has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. It is believed to have emerged as early as the 12th century, derived from the Latin word "cerarius," meaning "wax worker" or "candle maker." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in the production of candles or wax-related crafts.
The name first appeared in historical records during the medieval period, with some of the earliest mentions found in documents from the city of Milan and surrounding areas. One notable example is a record from the year 1248, which references a certain "Petrus Cerianus" as a resident of the town of Ceriano Laghetto, located in the province of Monza e Brianza.
In the 14th century, the surname Ceriani began to spread to other parts of northern Italy, including the regions of Piedmont and Liguria. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Ceriano" and "Ceriana," reflecting the regional dialects and local pronunciations.
The Ceriani name is also linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded figures was Giovanni Ceriani, a prominent jurist and legal scholar who lived in the city of Pavia in the late 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Antonio Ceriani, a renowned theologian and orientalist born in 1828 in Brissago, Switzerland, who made significant contributions to the study of ancient manuscripts and biblical texts.
Other notable individuals with the Ceriani surname include:
1. Giambattista Ceriani (1753-1819), an Italian painter and architect from Milan.
2. Carlo Ceriani (1856-1926), an Italian sculptor and medallist known for his works depicting religious themes.
3. Ernesto Ceriani (1891-1975), an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs, including Internazionale and Genoa.
4. Guido Ceriani (1902-1979), an Italian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Milan and other cities.
5. Sergio Ceriani (born 1935), an Italian motorcycle engineer and designer who worked for companies like Ducati and Cagiva.
While the name Ceriani has its roots in northern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have migrated or established themselves in different regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceriani
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceriani, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ceriani bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ceriani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 18
- Two or more races3.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ceriani
Ceriani appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#89,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
+11 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 1,320 places
2020
#91,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
+10 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 1,795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,083 | 196 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,403 | 207 | 0.07 | +11 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 1,320 places |
| 2020 | #91,198 | 217 | 0.07 | +10 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 1,795 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ceriani surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #89,403 | #91,198 | -2.0% |
| Count | 207 | 217 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ceriani bearers went from 207 to 217 (+4.8% change). The surname moved down 1,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,403 to #91,198.
FAQ
Ceriani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ceriani?
Name Census estimates that about 249 living Americans carry the surname Ceriani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,376,523 residents.
How common is Ceriani?
Ceriani ranks #91,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 217 people with the surname Ceriani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ceriani.
Has Ceriani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ceriani went from 207 recorded bearers to 217. That is an increase of 10 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,403 to #91,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Ceriani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ceriani, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ceriani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ceriani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ceriani (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ceriani mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "person from Ceriano", a town near Milan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ceriani (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Ceriani?
If you just want to know how many people are called Ceriani, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.