2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Scriba
An occupational surname referring to a scribe or clerk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Scriba. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scriba 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Scriba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scriba, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scriba
The surname Scriba is of Latin origin, derived from the word "scriba," which means "scribe" or "writer." The name can be traced back to ancient Rome, where scribes played a crucial role in recording and preserving written documents.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Scriba can be found in various historical documents from the Roman era, including inscriptions, legal texts, and literary works. One notable example is Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus Scriba, a Roman historian and politician who lived in the 1st century BC.
As the Roman Empire expanded, the name Scriba spread across Europe, particularly in regions that were once part of the Roman territories, such as Italy, France, and the Iberian Peninsula. In these areas, the name was often associated with individuals involved in clerical or administrative roles, reflecting the original meaning of "scribe."
During the Middle Ages, the name Scriba appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book, a survey of land and resources commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Scriba is Robertus Scriba, who was mentioned in the Domesday Book as a landowner in Gloucestershire, England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Scriba:
1. Giovanni Scriba (c. 1500-1570), an Italian Renaissance architect and engineer known for his work in Naples.
2. Gaspar Scriba (c. 1460-1552), a German mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of algebraic notation.
3. Ludolphus Scriba (c. 1544-1594), a German theologian and philosopher who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
4. Fabio Scriba (c. 1600-1675), an Italian painter and engraver active in Rome during the Baroque period.
5. Johann Friedrich Scriba (1736-1805), a German mathematician and author who wrote several influential works on algebra and geometry.
The surname Scriba has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations, particularly in areas where the name has a long-standing presence. For example, in Italy, there are several towns and villages with names derived from Scriba, such as Scribano and Scribania.
While the surname Scriba has its roots in ancient Rome, it has evolved and spread across Europe and beyond, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the history of surnames over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scriba
Among Census respondents with the surname Scriba, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Scriba 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 Scriba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 109
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scriba
Scriba 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-11 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,213 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 16,213 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 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 Scriba 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 | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scriba bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Scriba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scriba?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Scriba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Scriba?
Scriba ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Scriba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Scriba.
Has Scriba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scriba went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Scriba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scriba, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Scriba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scriba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Scriba (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 Scriba mean?
An occupational surname referring to a scribe or clerk. 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 Scriba (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 Scriba?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.