2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sarnese
A surname originating from Sarno, a town in the Campania region of Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Sarnese. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarnese 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Sarnese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarnese, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarnese
The surname Sarnese is believed to have originated in Italy. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Sarno in the province of Salerno, Campania. The name is thought to have roots dating back to the 11th century and is believed to be derived from the Latin word "Sarnus," which was the name of a river that flowed through the area.
In the 13th century, the town of Sarno was a thriving center of commerce and trade, and it is likely that the name Sarnese was adopted by families who lived in or near the town. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from 1296, which mentions a nobleman named Guglielmo Sarnese.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the Sarnese family played a significant role in the history of the region. In the 15th century, a branch of the family settled in Naples, where they became prominent merchants and landowners. One notable member of the family was Gian Domenico Sarnese, who was born in 1470 and served as a diplomat and advisor to the King of Naples.
During the 16th century, the Sarnese name began to spread beyond Italy. Records show that in 1542, a man named Pietro Sarnese emigrated to Spain, where he and his descendants established themselves as successful businessmen and landowners.
In the 17th century, the Sarnese name appeared in various historical records across Europe. In 1612, a man named Antonio Sarnese was mentioned in a document from the Papal States, while in 1678, a woman named Maria Sarnese was recorded as a landowner in the city of Milan.
One of the most famous bearers of the Sarnese name was the Italian composer and musician Francesco Sarnese, who was born in 1735 in Naples. He was a renowned virtuoso violinist and composer of the Baroque period, and his works were performed throughout Europe during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Sarnese name continued to be found in various parts of Italy and beyond. In 1832, a man named Vincenzo Sarnese was recorded as a merchant in the city of Genoa, while in 1873, a woman named Lucia Sarnese was listed as a landowner in the town of Sorrento.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarnese
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarnese, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarnese 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 Sarnese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarnese
Sarnese 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,059 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-28 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,898 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 9,059 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 24,898 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 Sarnese 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 | #124,548 | #149,446 | -20.0% |
| Count | 138 | 110 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarnese bearers went from 138 to 110 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 24,898 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #149,446.
FAQ
Sarnese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarnese?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Sarnese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Sarnese?
Sarnese ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Sarnese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sarnese.
Has Sarnese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarnese went from 138 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 28 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarnese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarnese, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sarnese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarnese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%), Two or More Races (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 Sarnese (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 Sarnese mean?
A surname originating from Sarno, a town in the Campania region of Italy. 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 Sarnese (0.04 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 Sarnese?
See how many people have the surname Sarnese on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.