2000
#9,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Serio
An Italian occupational surname referring to a silk or cotton merchant or a serious-minded person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,157 Americans carry the last name Serio. That puts it at #11,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,570 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Serio 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
3.2K
1 in 108,570
Census rank
#11,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,753 bearers of the surname Serio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Serio, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Serio
The surname Serio originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "serius," meaning "serious" or "grave." This name may have been given to someone with a solemn or earnest demeanor.
The name Serio was first documented in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, particularly in the areas surrounding the city of Bergamo. It is likely that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname before becoming a hereditary surname.
One of the earliest known records of the name Serio can be found in the municipal archives of Bergamo, where a certain Giovanni Serio is mentioned in a document dated 1537. Another early reference is a birth record from the town of Caravaggio in 1598, which lists a child named Battista Serio.
In the 17th century, the surname Serio began to appear more frequently in various Italian records. For instance, a certain Pietro Serio was a renowned painter from the city of Milan, born in 1605 and known for his religious and mythological works.
As the surname spread throughout Italy, it also took on regional variations in spelling, such as Serio, Serrio, and Seri. One notable bearer of the name was Sebastiano Serio, a sculptor from Carrara, who lived from 1647 to 1711 and was renowned for his marble statues.
During the 18th century, the name Serio continued to be present in various parts of Italy. One famous individual with this surname was Luigi Serio, a composer and violinist from Naples who lived from 1786 to 1863 and contributed to the development of the Neapolitan opera tradition.
In the 19th century, the surname Serio gained further recognition with the birth of Francesco Serio, an Italian politician and lawyer from Palermo, Sicily, who lived from 1824 to 1903 and served as a member of the Italian parliament.
Another notable bearer of the name Serio was Vincenzo Serio, an Italian architect born in 1870 in the town of Bari. He was responsible for designing several prominent buildings in his hometown, including the Teatro Petruzzelli and the Palazzo dell'Acquedotto Pugliese.
While the surname Serio has its roots firmly planted in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, its historical significance and ties to various Italian regions remain an integral part of its rich legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serio
Among Census respondents with the surname Serio, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Serio 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 Serio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,476
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 161
- Two or more races2.3% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Serio
Serio 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
#10,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,209
+7 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 696 places
2020
#11,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,753
-456 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 998 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,340 | 3,202 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,036 | 3,209 | 1.09 | +7 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 696 places |
| 2020 | #11,034 | 2,753 | 0.92 | -456 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 998 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 Serio 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 | #10,036 | #11,034 | -9.9% |
| Count | 3,209 | 2,753 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.92 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Serio bearers went from 3,209 to 2,753 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 998 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,036 to #11,034.
FAQ
Serio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Serio?
Name Census estimates that about 3,157 living Americans carry the surname Serio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,570 residents.
How common is Serio?
Serio ranks #11,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,753 people with the surname Serio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Serio.
Has Serio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Serio went from 3,209 recorded bearers to 2,753. That is a decrease of 456 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,036 to #11,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Serio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Serio, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Serio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Serio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Serio (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 Serio mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a silk or cotton merchant or a serious-minded person. 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 Serio (0.92 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 share the surname Serio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.