2000
#5,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Serra
A topographic surname of Italian and Catalan origin, referring to someone who lived near a hill or mountain ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,579 Americans carry the last name Serra. That puts it at #5,810 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Serra 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Serra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 52,098
Census rank
#5,810
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,737 bearers of the surname Serra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5810th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Serra, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Serra
The surname SERRA has its origins in Catalonia, Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Catalan word "serra," meaning "mountain range" or "saw." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a mountain range or worked with saws.
In the 13th century, the name SERRA appeared in historical records of Catalonia, such as the "Llibre dels Fets" (Book of Deeds) written by King James I of Aragon. This manuscript mentioned individuals with the surname SERRA, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SERRA can be found in the 14th century, with Bernat SERRA, a renowned Catalan painter who lived from approximately 1330 to 1385. His works adorned churches and monasteries in Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia.
The SERRA surname also has a connection to the Italian region of Liguria, where it is believed to have originated from the Ligurian word "sèrra," meaning "ridge" or "mountain crest." This suggests that the name may have been adopted by Catalan families who migrated from Liguria or had ties to the region.
In the 16th century, the explorer and missionary Junípero SERRA (1713-1784) gained prominence. Born in Mallorca, Spain, he established missions along the coast of California, including the Mission San Diego de Alcalá and the Mission San Francisco de Asís (commonly known as Mission Dolores). His work played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of California.
Another notable figure with the SERRA surname was Francesc SERRA I Mestres (1871-1960), a Catalan architect and urban planner. He designed numerous buildings in Barcelona, including the famous Palau de la Música Catalana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Other historical figures bearing the SERRA surname include Miguel SERRA (1713-1805), a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who established missions in California; Jaume SERRA Hunter (1716-1784), a Catalan painter known for his religious works; and Antoni SERRA Parnés (1856-1930), a prominent Catalan banker and philanthropist.
Overall, the surname SERRA has deep roots in Catalan and Ligurian culture, with its origins dating back to medieval times. It has been associated with various professions, from artists and architects to explorers and missionaries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serra
Among Census respondents with the surname Serra, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Serra 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 Serra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 3,707
- Hispanic or Latino30.0% · 1,721
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 163
- Two or more races1.7% · 96
- Black or African American0.8% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Serra
Serra 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
#5,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,114
+592 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Up 73 places
2020
#5,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,737
-377 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,747 | 5,522 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,674 | 6,114 | 2.07 | +592 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 73 places |
| 2020 | #5,810 | 5,737 | 1.92 | -377 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 136 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 Serra 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 | #5,674 | #5,810 | -2.4% |
| Count | 6,114 | 5,737 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.07 | 1.92 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Serra bearers went from 6,114 to 5,737 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,674 to #5,810.
FAQ
Serra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Serra?
Name Census estimates that about 6,579 living Americans carry the surname Serra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,098 residents.
How common is Serra?
Serra ranks #5,810 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,737 people with the surname Serra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Serra.
Has Serra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Serra went from 6,114 recorded bearers to 5,737. That is a decrease of 377 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,674 to #5,810.
What does the Census say about the background of Serra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Serra, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Serra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (3,707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Serra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.6%), Hispanic (30.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Serra (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 Serra mean?
A topographic surname of Italian and Catalan origin, referring to someone who lived near a hill or mountain ridge. 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 Serra (1.92 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 have the last name Serra?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Serra, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.