The surname Sereno has an ancient and well-documented origin in Italy, derived mainly from the Latin cognomen Serenus, already used in Roman times. This term means "serene, clear, calm," and was employed both as an auspicious personal name —linked to desirable qualities of character— and later converted into a hereditary surname.

The classical onomastic sources agree that Sereno was formed from this Latin personal name, diffused in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, favoured also by the Christian use of names with symbolic and positive value. In this sense, the surname expresses a moral or descriptive attribution, rather than a reference to a trade or a specific place name.