2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Serabian
A surname likely of Armenian origin related to silk production or trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Serabian. 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 Serabian 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 Serabian 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 Serabian, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Serabian
The surname SERABIAN has its origins in Armenia, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Armenian word "serab," meaning "monastery," and the suffix "-ian," indicating a place of origin or ancestry. The name likely referred to individuals who lived near or were associated with a particular monastery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SERABIAN can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Haghpat Monastery in northern Armenia. The manuscript mentions a scribe named Grigor Serabian, who was responsible for copying and preserving various religious texts.
In the 14th century, the SERABIAN name gained prominence in the region of Vayots Dzor, particularly in the town of Yeghegnadzor. Historical records from this period mention several prominent individuals bearing the surname, including Hovhannes Serabian, a respected scholar and theologian who authored several treatises on Armenian history and theology.
The SERABIAN name is also linked to the village of Serabinovka, located in the Ararat Valley region of modern-day Armenia. This village was founded in the 17th century by a group of Armenian families, many of whom bore the SERABIAN surname. The village was named after their ancestral heritage, reflecting the ongoing connection between the name and its monastic origins.
Throughout the centuries, the SERABIAN name has been associated with several notable figures in Armenian history and culture. One such figure was Mariam Serabian, a renowned poet and writer who lived in the late 18th century. Her collection of poetry, "Garoun Areunits" (Spring Flowers), is considered a significant contribution to Armenian literature.
Another prominent individual with the SERABIAN surname was Khachatur Serabian (1813-1895), a prominent Armenian educator and writer. He founded several schools in the region and authored numerous textbooks and educational materials, playing a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of Armenian language and culture.
Over time, the SERABIAN name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Serabyan, Serabjanian, and Serabiantz, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the regions where it was found. Despite these variations, the name's connection to its monastic origins has remained a consistent thread throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serabian
Among Census respondents with the surname Serabian, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Serabian 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 Serabian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 106
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Serabian
Serabian 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,469 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 16,469 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Serabian 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Serabian bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Serabian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Serabian?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Serabian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Serabian?
Serabian 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 Serabian. 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 Serabian.
Has Serabian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Serabian went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Serabian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Serabian, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Serabian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Serabian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Serabian (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 Serabian mean?
A surname likely of Armenian origin related to silk production or trade. 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 Serabian (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 common is the surname Serabian?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Serabian, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.