2000
#9,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,260
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Zermeno
Derived from a place name referring to someone from Cermeño, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,788 Americans carry the last name Zermeno. That puts it at #7,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zermeno 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
4.8K
1 in 71,586
Census rank
#7,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,175 bearers of the surname Zermeno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zermeno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zermeno
The surname Zermeno originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "zermena," which means "the hill or mound." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with a geographical location or a place of residence.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Zermeno can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Zermeno, indicating that the name was already in use during that time.
In the 15th century, there are records of a nobleman named Juan de Zermeno, who served as a military commander during the Reconquista, the Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Juan de Zermeno was born around 1420 and played a significant role in the capture of Granada in 1492, the final victory that marked the end of the Reconquista.
During the 16th century, the name Zermeno gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the New World. One notable figure was Pedro de Zermeno, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Pedro de Zermeno was born in 1495 and participated in several battles against the Aztec Empire.
In the 17th century, the Zermeno family established themselves in the region of Santander, located in northern Spain. A prominent member of this branch was Diego de Zermeno y Salamanca, who served as a magistrate and judge in the Spanish colonial administration. He was born in 1625 and authored several legal treatises during his lifetime.
Another notable figure with the surname Zermeno was María Ignacia Zermeno, a Spanish nun and writer who lived in the 18th century. She was born in 1760 and is renowned for her mystical writings and religious poetry, which were widely circulated during her time.
Throughout its history, the surname Zermeno has been associated with various professions, including military service, law, religion, and literature. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with Spanish colonial heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zermeno
Among Census respondents with the surname Zermeno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zermeno 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 Zermeno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 3,907
- White5.1% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
- Two or more races0.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zermeno
Zermeno 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
#7,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,455
+1,195 bearers (+36.7%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 1,722 places
2020
#7,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,175
-280 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,200 | 3,260 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,478 | 4,455 | 1.51 | +1,195 bearers (+36.7%) | Up 1,722 places |
| 2020 | #7,641 | 4,175 | 1.40 | -280 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 163 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 Zermeno 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 | #7,478 | #7,641 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,455 | 4,175 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.40 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zermeno bearers went from 4,455 to 4,175 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,478 to #7,641.
FAQ
Zermeno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zermeno?
Name Census estimates that about 4,788 living Americans carry the surname Zermeno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,586 residents.
How common is Zermeno?
Zermeno ranks #7,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 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 4,175 people with the surname Zermeno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 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 Zermeno.
Has Zermeno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zermeno went from 4,455 recorded bearers to 4,175. That is a decrease of 280 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,478 to #7,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Zermeno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zermeno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zermeno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,907 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zermeno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (5.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Zermeno (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 Zermeno mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone from Cermeño, Spain. 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 Zermeno (1.40 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 Americans have the surname Zermeno?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.