2000
#3,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.46
Uncommon Last name
Salerno
A locational surname referring to the city of Salerno in southern Italy or someone who originated from there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,003 Americans carry the last name Salerno. That puts it at #3,952 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salerno 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Salerno with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,265
Census rank
#3,952
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,723 bearers of the surname Salerno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3952nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salerno, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salerno
The surname Salerno is of Italian origin, derived from the city of Salerno, located in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. The name can be traced back to the medieval period, with records indicating its use as early as the 11th century.
Salerno was an important city during the Middle Ages, known for its renowned medical school and its strategic location on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The name is believed to have originated from individuals who either lived in or were associated with the city of Salerno.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Salerno surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery, which dates back to the 11th century. This indicates that the name was already in use during this period.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the Salerno surname was Matteo Salerno, a physician and philosopher who taught at the renowned University of Salerno. He lived between 1235 and 1316 and was renowned for his contributions to the field of medicine.
Another historical figure with the Salerno surname was Raffaele Salerno, a 16th-century Italian painter and architect. He was born in Naples in 1509 and is known for his work on various churches and buildings in the city, such as the Chiesa di Santa Maria la Nova.
In the 17th century, Francesco Salerno was a prominent Italian composer and organist. He was born in Naples in 1635 and served as the organist at the Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma.
The Salerno surname also appeared in literary works, such as the 14th-century Italian epic poem "Divina Commedia" by Dante Alighieri, where a character named Mosca de' Salerni is mentioned.
During the 19th century, a notable figure with the Salerno surname was Giacomo Salerno, an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Sicilian Parliament and was involved in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification.
Throughout history, the Salerno surname has been associated with various locations in Italy, including the city of Salerno itself, as well as other areas in the Campania region and beyond. The name has also undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Salerne or Salerni, though the core meaning and origin remain unchanged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salerno
Among Census respondents with the surname Salerno, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Salerno 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 Salerno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 7,896
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 563
- Two or more races2.1% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- Black or African American0.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salerno
Salerno 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
#3,751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,440
+94 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#3,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,723
-717 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,498 | 9,346 | 3.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,751 | 9,440 | 3.20 | +94 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #3,952 | 8,723 | 2.92 | -717 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 201 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 Salerno 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 | #3,751 | #3,952 | -5.4% |
| Count | 9,440 | 8,723 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.20 | 2.92 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salerno bearers went from 9,440 to 8,723 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,751 to #3,952.
FAQ
Salerno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salerno?
Name Census estimates that about 10,003 living Americans carry the surname Salerno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,265 residents.
How common is Salerno?
Salerno ranks #3,952 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,723 people with the surname Salerno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Salerno.
Has Salerno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salerno went from 9,440 recorded bearers to 8,723. That is a decrease of 717 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,751 to #3,952.
What does the Census say about the background of Salerno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salerno, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Salerno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (7,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salerno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Salerno (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 Salerno mean?
A locational surname referring to the city of Salerno in southern Italy or someone who originated from there. 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 Salerno (2.92 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 have the surname Salerno?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.