2000
#66,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Sarao
A surname of Italian origin meaning "small shovel" or "spade".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 482 Americans carry the last name Sarao. That puts it at #53,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 711,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarao 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
482
1 in 711,109
Census rank
#53,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
420
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 420 bearers of the surname Sarao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarao, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (39.3%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarao
The surname "SARAO" has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have emerged around the 13th century and is derived from the Latin word "sartor," which means "tailor" or "mender of clothes." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to those who worked as tailors or in the textile industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SARAO" can be found in a document from the year 1296, which mentions a certain "Giovanni Sarao" from the town of Caserta in Campania. This document is part of the archives of the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino, one of the oldest monasteries in Italy.
The name "SARAO" also appears in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries in the regions of Campania and Calabria. For example, there is a mention of a "Nicola Sarao" from the town of Sorrento in a legal document dated 1435.
In the 16th century, the name "SARAO" can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, which had a significant presence in southern Italy at the time. One notable figure was "Antonio Sarao," a merchant from the city of Reggio Calabria who was accused of heresy in 1586 but ultimately acquitted.
Another prominent individual with the surname "SARAO" was "Girolamo Sarao," a Neapolitan painter who lived in the 17th century and was known for his religious and historical works. His paintings can still be found in various churches and museums in Naples and the surrounding areas.
During the 18th century, the name "SARAO" was associated with several notable figures in the field of literature and philosophy. One such figure was "Francesco Saverio Sarao," a philosopher and writer from Campania who published several works on ethics and moral philosophy in the 1740s.
In more recent history, the name "SARAO" has been carried by individuals such as "Giuseppe Sarao," an Italian politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Italian Parliament in the early 20th century, and "Antonio Sarao," an Italian actor and filmmaker active in the 1960s and 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarao
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarao, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (39.3%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarao 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 Sarao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.0% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander39.3% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 48
- Black or African American1.7% · 7
- Two or more races1.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarao
Sarao 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
#52,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 392
+114 bearers (+41.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 13,625 places
2020
#53,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 420
+28 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,476 | 278 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,851 | 392 | 0.13 | +114 bearers (+41.0%) | Up 13,625 places |
| 2020 | #53,213 | 420 | 0.14 | +28 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 362 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 Sarao 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 | #52,851 | #53,213 | -0.7% |
| Count | 392 | 420 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarao bearers went from 392 to 420 (+7.1% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,851 to #53,213.
FAQ
Sarao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarao?
Name Census estimates that about 482 living Americans carry the surname Sarao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 711,109 residents.
How common is Sarao?
Sarao ranks #53,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 420 people with the surname Sarao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (482), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Sarao.
Has Sarao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarao went from 392 recorded bearers to 420. That is an increase of 28 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,851 to #53,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarao, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (39.3%) and Hispanic (11.4%). 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 Sarao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (39.3%), Hispanic (11.4%). 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 Sarao (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 Sarao mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "small shovel" or "spade". 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 Sarao (0.14 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 Sarao?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.