2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saalwaechter
A German occupational surname for a room warden or caretaker of an assembly hall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Saalwaechter. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saalwaechter 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Saalwaechter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saalwaechter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saalwaechter
The surname SAALWAECHTER originates from Germany and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is a compound word derived from the German words "Saal" meaning hall or room, and "Waechter" meaning guard or watchman. This suggests that the surname was initially given to individuals who worked as hall guards or caretakers of public spaces.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SAALWAECHTER can be found in the town records of Nuremberg from the 15th century, where a certain Hans Saalwaechter is mentioned as a resident. The name also appears in various historical documents from other German regions, such as Bavaria and Saxony, indicating its widespread use across different parts of the country.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SAALWAECHTER surname gained prominence as several individuals bearing this name held notable positions. For instance, Matthias Saalwaechter (1530-1612) was a renowned engraver and goldsmith from Augsburg, whose intricate works were highly sought after by nobility and affluent patrons.
Another notable figure was Johann Saalwaechter (1585-1643), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. His writings on theology and biblical exegesis were widely circulated and studied in academic circles of the time.
In the 18th century, the SAALWAECHTER name gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Christoph Saalwaechter (1716-1789), a celebrated composer and organist from Thuringia. His compositions for organ and church choirs were highly regarded and performed throughout Germany.
Moving into the 19th century, the SAALWAECHTER surname continued to be associated with various professions and trades. One notable individual was Karl Saalwaechter (1825-1901), a prominent architect from Berlin who designed several iconic buildings in the city's neo-Renaissance style.
Another significant figure was Heinrich Saalwaechter (1870-1943), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party. He served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) and was an outspoken advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.
While the SAALWAECHTER surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was first associated with individuals who guarded and maintained public halls and spaces.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saalwaechter
Among Census respondents with the surname Saalwaechter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Saalwaechter 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 Saalwaechter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 90
- Two or more races6.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saalwaechter
Saalwaechter 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,325 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-14 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,074 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,325 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 12,074 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 Saalwaechter 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 | #142,108 | #154,182 | -8.5% |
| Count | 117 | 103 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saalwaechter bearers went from 117 to 103 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 12,074 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #154,182.
FAQ
Saalwaechter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saalwaechter?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Saalwaechter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Saalwaechter?
Saalwaechter ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Saalwaechter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Saalwaechter.
Has Saalwaechter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saalwaechter went from 117 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Saalwaechter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saalwaechter, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saalwaechter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saalwaechter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Saalwaechter (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 Saalwaechter mean?
A German occupational surname for a room warden or caretaker of an assembly hall. 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 Saalwaechter (0.03 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 share the surname Saalwaechter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.