2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Scerba
A topographic surname possibly derived from a person living near a precipice or steep slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Scerba. 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 Scerba 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 Scerba 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 Scerba, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scerba
The surname Scerba is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Calabria. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "scerbo," which means "barren" or "sterile." It is possible that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who lived on infertile land or who struggled with fertility issues.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scerba can be found in a document from the Archivio di Stato di Napoli (State Archives of Naples), dated 1387. This document mentions a certain "Giovanni Scerba," who was a landowner in the town of Salerno. In the 15th century, there are records of a family called Scerba living in the town of Cosenza, located in the province of Calabria.
During the Renaissance period, the name Scerba appeared in several literary works and documents. In 1538, a poet named Tommaso Scerba published a collection of sonnets titled "Rime Amorose" (Amorous Rhymes) in Naples. Additionally, a merchant named Antonio Scerba is mentioned in a trade record from the city of Bari, dated 1572.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Scerba was Giuseppe Scerba (1706-1781), a Catholic priest and theologian from the town of Monteleone (now Vibo Valentia) in Calabria. He was known for his scholarly works on canon law and religious philosophy.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Vincenzo Scerba (1810-1878), a lawyer and political activist from Naples. He was actively involved in the Italian unification movement and played a role in the Risorgimento, the political and social process that led to the formation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname Scerba was Gaetano Scerba (1899-1968), an Italian painter and sculptor. He was a prominent figure in the Futurist art movement and is known for his dynamic and avant-garde works, which often depicted themes of motion and technology.
While the surname Scerba is not particularly common, it has left its mark in various regions of Italy throughout history, with notable individuals contributing to fields such as literature, religion, law, politics, and art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scerba
Among Census respondents with the surname Scerba, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Scerba 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 Scerba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 99
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scerba
Scerba 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+3 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,738 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-20 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 5,738 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 18,836 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 Scerba 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 | #130,610 | #149,446 | -14.4% |
| Count | 130 | 110 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scerba bearers went from 130 to 110 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 18,836 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #149,446.
FAQ
Scerba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scerba?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Scerba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Scerba?
Scerba 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 Scerba. 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 Scerba.
Has Scerba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scerba went from 130 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Scerba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scerba, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Scerba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scerba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (6.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Scerba (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 Scerba mean?
A topographic surname possibly derived from a person living near a precipice or steep slope. 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 Scerba (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 have the surname Scerba?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.