Find out how popular the last name Serrano is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Serrano.

Serrano, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Serrano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Serrano in America

Serrano is the 429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Serrano surname appeared 75,996 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 26 people would have the surname Serrano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Serrano to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Serrano

The surname Serrano is of Spanish origin, deriving from the word "serrano," which means "mountain dweller" or "highlander." It is believed to have originated in the mountainous regions of Spain during the medieval period.

The name first appeared in historical records as early as the 12th century, when it was used to identify individuals who lived in or near the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, located northwest of Madrid. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Serrano," but variations such as "Serran" and "Serrani" were also common.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Serrano surname was Pedro Serrano, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Another notable figure was Juan Serrano, a 16th-century Spanish missionary who established several missions in California and is considered a pioneer in the evangelization of the region.

In the 17th century, the name Serrano was found in various documents and records, including the parish registers of several towns and villages in Spain. One notable example is Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, a Spanish military officer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1874 to 1875.

As the Serrano family spread throughout Spain and its territories, the name became associated with various places and regions. For instance, the town of Serranillos del Valle, located in the province of Madrid, likely derived its name from the Serrano family who settled there.

Other notable individuals with the Serrano surname include Andrés Serrano, an American artist born in 1950, known for his controversial photograph "Piss Christ," and Vicente Serrano, a 19th-century Mexican military leader who fought in the Mexican-American War.

While the Serrano surname is most commonly associated with Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with a significant Spanish influence or migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Serrano

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Serrano.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Serrano was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Serrano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Serrano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Serrano, please contact us.

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