2000
#10,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Sarno
An Italian occupational surname referring to a tailor or someone who repairs clothes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,905 Americans carry the last name Sarno. That puts it at #11,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarno 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
2.9K
1 in 117,988
Census rank
#11,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,533 bearers of the surname Sarno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarno, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarno
The surname Sarno is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Sarno, located in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southern Italy. The name Sarno is derived from the Latin word "Sarnus," which was the ancient name of the Sarno River that flows through the town.
Sarno was first documented as a place name in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a medieval cartulary from the Monastery of Cava de' Tirreni, which contains records dating back to the 9th century. The earliest known reference to the surname Sarno can be found in a document from 1093, which mentions a certain "Petrus de Sarno."
During the Middle Ages, the town of Sarno was an important center for the production of wool and textiles, which may have contributed to the spread of the surname among local merchants and artisans. The name Sarno is also linked to several noble families from the region, such as the Sarnos of Naples, who were prominent in the 15th and 16th centuries.
One notable figure bearing the surname Sarno was Girolamo Sarno (1516-1598), an Italian painter and architect who worked in Naples and its surrounding areas. His works can still be admired in various churches and palaces in the region.
Another person of historical significance was Vincenzo Sarno (1760-1835), an Italian jurist and politician who served as a judge and later as a member of the Neapolitan Parliament during the Napoleonic era.
In the 19th century, Francesco Sarno (1808-1868) was a prominent Italian painter and art teacher who specialized in landscapes and still-life paintings. His works are displayed in several museums across Italy.
Gennaro Sarno (1856-1927) was an Italian composer and pianist who wrote numerous operas, symphonies, and chamber works during the late Romantic period. He was also a respected music teacher and taught at the Conservatory of Music in Naples.
Lastly, Domenico Sarno (1679-1744) was an Italian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Naples, including the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie a Caponapoli and the Palazzo dello Spagnuolo.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Sarno throughout history, highlighting its deep roots in Italian culture and the various fields in which bearers of this name have made significant contributions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarno
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarno, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarno 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 Sarno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 2,118
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 154
- Two or more races3.1% · 79
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarno
Sarno 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
#9,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,235
+446 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 584 places
2020
#11,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,533
-702 bearers (-21.7%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 1,851 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,553 | 2,789 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,969 | 3,235 | 1.10 | +446 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 584 places |
| 2020 | #11,820 | 2,533 | 0.85 | -702 bearers (-21.7%) | Down 1,851 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 Sarno 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 | #9,969 | #11,820 | -18.6% |
| Count | 3,235 | 2,533 | -21.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.85 | -23.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarno bearers went from 3,235 to 2,533 (-21.7% change). The surname moved down 1,851 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,969 to #11,820.
FAQ
Sarno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarno?
Name Census estimates that about 2,905 living Americans carry the surname Sarno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,988 residents.
How common is Sarno?
Sarno ranks #11,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,533 people with the surname Sarno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,905), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Sarno.
Has Sarno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarno went from 3,235 recorded bearers to 2,533. That is a decrease of 702 (-21.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,969 to #11,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarno, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Sarno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (2,118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Sarno (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 Sarno mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a tailor or someone who repairs clothes. 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 Sarno (0.85 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 Sarno?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Sarno on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.