2000
#13,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Cerrato
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from Cerrato, a region in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,416 Americans carry the last name Cerrato. That puts it at #10,285 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,338 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cerrato 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
3.4K
1 in 100,338
Census rank
#10,285
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,979 bearers of the surname Cerrato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10285th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cerrato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cerrato
The surname Cerrato is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century.
The name Cerrato is derived from the Italian word "cerrato," which means "land covered with oak trees." This suggests that the surname was likely given to someone who lived near or owned land with an abundance of oak trees. It may also be related to the Italian place name Cerrato, a small town in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cerrato can be found in the Codex Astensis, a medieval cartulary from the city of Asti in Piedmont, dating back to the 13th century. This document contains various references to individuals with the surname Cerrato, indicating their presence in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Cerrato was a prominent jurist and professor of law at the University of Bologna. He lived from approximately 1310 to 1380 and was highly regarded for his contributions to legal scholarship during the Renaissance period.
Another individual of note was Gian Lorenzo Cerrato, an Italian architect and engineer who lived from 1537 to 1601. He is best known for his work on the construction of the famous Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome, which serves as the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.
In the 17th century, Pietro Cerrato (1600-1670) was a renowned Italian painter and engraver, known for his religious works and portraits. He was active in the cities of Milan and Genoa during the Baroque period.
During the 18th century, Giuseppe Cerrato (1727-1796) was a celebrated Italian composer and violinist. He was born in Bergamo and spent much of his career in the service of various European courts, including those of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Elector of Bavaria.
Over the centuries, the surname Cerrato has spread beyond its origins in Piedmont to other parts of Italy and even to other countries through migration. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in northwestern Italy, where it was likely derived from the local geography and landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cerrato
Among Census respondents with the surname Cerrato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cerrato 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 Cerrato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino66.3% · 1,976
- White31.6% · 942
- Black or African American0.9% · 26
- Two or more races0.8% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cerrato
Cerrato 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
#10,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
+964 bearers (+45.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 2,827 places
2020
#10,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,979
-88 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,300 | 2,103 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,473 | 3,067 | 1.04 | +964 bearers (+45.8%) | Up 2,827 places |
| 2020 | #10,285 | 2,979 | 1.00 | -88 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 188 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 Cerrato 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 | #10,473 | #10,285 | 1.8% |
| Count | 3,067 | 2,979 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.00 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cerrato bearers went from 3,067 to 2,979 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,473 to #10,285.
FAQ
Cerrato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cerrato?
Name Census estimates that about 3,416 living Americans carry the surname Cerrato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,338 residents.
How common is Cerrato?
Cerrato ranks #10,285 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,979 people with the surname Cerrato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,416), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cerrato.
Has Cerrato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cerrato went from 3,067 recorded bearers to 2,979. That is a decrease of 88 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,473 to #10,285.
What does the Census say about the background of Cerrato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cerrato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cerrato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (1,976 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cerrato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (66.3%), White (31.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Cerrato (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 Cerrato mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from Cerrato, a region in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont. 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 Cerrato (1.00 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 share the surname Cerrato?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.