2000
#4,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Uncommon Last name
Serrato
A Italian occupational surname referring to a locksmith or someone who makes locks and keys.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,224 Americans carry the last name Serrato. That puts it at #3,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Serrato 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
11K
1 in 30,538
Census rank
#3,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,788 bearers of the surname Serrato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Serrato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Serrato
The surname SERRATO has its origins in Spain and Italy, dating back to the 12th century. In Spain, it is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "sierra," meaning a mountain range or a saw, possibly referring to a person who lived near a mountain range or worked as a sawyer. In Italy, the name is thought to be derived from the Italian word "serrare," which means to lock or secure, suggesting a connection to a person who worked as a locksmith or a gatekeeper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SERRATO surname can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon in Spain, where a certain Pedro Serrato was mentioned as a landowner in the year 1275. Another early reference to the name comes from the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century manuscript that documents the history and culture of the Aztec people in Mexico, where a Spanish soldier named Juan Serrato is mentioned as part of Hernán Cortés's expedition in 1519.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the SERRATO surname was Giacomo Serrato, an Italian jurist and statesman who served as a judge in the city of Venice. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Venetian legal system and his writings on maritime law.
During the Renaissance period in Italy, the SERRATO family produced several notable artists and intellectuals. One such figure was Giovanni Battista Serrato (1536-1607), a Venetian painter who specialized in religious works and is renowned for his altarpieces in churches across Venice.
Another prominent individual with the SERRATO surname was Miguel de Serrato (1555-1631), a Spanish Golden Age poet and dramatist from Valladolid. His works, which often explored themes of love and honor, were widely acclaimed and influential during his lifetime.
In more recent centuries, the SERRATO name has continued to be represented across various fields. Antonio Serrato (1845-1918) was an Italian painter and engraver from Naples, known for his landscapes and portraits. Additionally, Amerigo Serrato (1882-1959) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a role in the resistance movement during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serrato
Among Census respondents with the surname Serrato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Serrato 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 Serrato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.2% · 9,223
- White4.7% · 456
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 65
- Black or African American0.2% · 17
- Two or more races0.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Serrato
Serrato 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
#3,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,449
+2,839 bearers (+37.3%)
Per 100,000 3.54
Rank movement Up 903 places
2020
#3,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,788
-661 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.27
Rank movement Down 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,318 | 7,610 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,415 | 10,449 | 3.54 | +2,839 bearers (+37.3%) | Up 903 places |
| 2020 | #3,557 | 9,788 | 3.27 | -661 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 142 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 Serrato 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 | #3,415 | #3,557 | -4.2% |
| Count | 10,449 | 9,788 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.54 | 3.27 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Serrato bearers went from 10,449 to 9,788 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,415 to #3,557.
FAQ
Serrato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Serrato?
Name Census estimates that about 11,224 living Americans carry the surname Serrato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,538 residents.
How common is Serrato?
Serrato ranks #3,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,788 people with the surname Serrato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Serrato.
Has Serrato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Serrato went from 10,449 recorded bearers to 9,788. That is a decrease of 661 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,415 to #3,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Serrato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Serrato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Serrato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (9,223 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Serrato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.2%), White (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Serrato (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 Serrato mean?
A Italian occupational surname referring to a locksmith or someone who makes locks and keys. 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 Serrato (3.27 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 Serrato?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.