Can a MAC address be traced?

Can the MAC address of a computer be traced to the serial number of a computer?

I have the MAC address that is trying to break into my wireless router. Knowing the serial number of the computer would possibly help me find the owner. Is this possible?

Not likely.

Part of the MAC address identifies the manufacturer of the device. The rest is defined by that manufacturer. With that, you're narrowing down the possibilities a bit -- for example, you know that it's a wireless device made by Intel.

You're not narrowing it down too much though. Most Windows laptops I've used in the past five years all use Intel made internal wireless cards.

And... it's not too difficult to spoof a MAC address.

If you know the MAC address of the intruder, why not just block it? That won't help you identify the perp (unless somebody complains that he/she can't connect), but it will secure you a bit more.

Just a side note, given the title of the question:

In IPv4, MAC addresses do no propagate all the way over the network (nor the internet). True, the first router will know it (like the wireless router in the question). But further on in the network (on the internet) the MAC address of the requesting computer is no longer visible.

In IPv6, the 64 bit "host" part of the full 128 bit address is often automatically generated from the MAC address of your computer (not your modem/router). Sites like ipv6-test.com will then show the MAC address of your current computer when you're using IPv6, and will try to determine the vendor given the public database of MAC address ranges, as assigned by IEEE. Whether or not the MAC address is used, is configured on your computers (not on the router). See How to avoid exposing my MAC address when using IPv6? for details.

The computer (or just the network card) could have been purchased off the shelf with cash, which would mean that even if the MAC address was traceable to a particular computer, there would be no way to identify the owner. The ease with which MAC addresses can be spoofed would further invalidate any attempt to identify the owner.

If you just want the problem to go away, switch to using WPA2 on your network. There are more interesting options available as well.

When purchasing new laptops and similar equipment, I've often seen the MAC address printed on the outside of the box and used as a unique device identifier (e.g., for inventory tracking), so there's a very good chance that at least the retailer the equipment was purchased from would have a record of it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the manufacturer also knows what warehouse that device was shipped to and the warehouse has a record of which retailer they sent it to. As others have already said, though, none of those records will do you a bit of good without a court order demanding their release.

Another point is that MAC addresses, as a general rule (such as in IPv4, but not in IPv6), do not survive past the first router they encounter, after which the next hop is made using the router's MAC address. You didn't specify whether the person you're complaining about is trying to break in over a wireless connection or over the wired connection to your ISP, but, if it's the latter, you're seeing the MAC for your ISP's router, not the attacker's computer.