Find out how popular the last name Saari is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Saari.

Saari, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Saari surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Saari in America

Saari is the 11257th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Saari surname appeared 2,808 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Saari.

We can also compare 2010 data for Saari to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Saari

The surname SAARI has its origins in Finland, where it is considered a locational name derived from the Finnish word "saari," meaning "island." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify individuals who lived on or near an island.

The earliest recorded instances of the SAARI surname can be traced back to the 16th century in various Finnish historical records and parish registers. It is believed to have originated in the southwestern regions of Finland, particularly in the areas around the Turku archipelago and the Åland Islands.

One of the earliest documented references to the SAARI name can be found in the Tammisaari church records from the year 1585, where a man named Matts Saari is mentioned. Another notable early example is the mention of a person named Christer Saari in the Pori parish records from 1631.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the SAARI surname began to spread beyond its original localized areas as people migrated to other parts of Finland and even to neighboring countries like Sweden. During this period, variations in spelling, such as Sari, Sarri, and Saary, were also observed in historical documents.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the SAARI surname. One such person was Heikki Saari (1624-1692), a Finnish clergyman and writer who served as the rector of the Turku Cathedral School. Another was Johan Saari (1789-1856), a Finnish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of maritime trade in the city of Vaasa.

In the 19th century, Lauri Saari (1845-1929) was a Finnish businessman and industrialist who founded the Saari & Valkonen Company, one of the largest sawmill operations in Finland at the time. Alma Saari (1883-1976) was a Finnish artist and painter known for her landscape and still life paintings.

More recently, Markku Saari (1932-2011) was a prominent Finnish architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport terminal and the Finlandia Hall concert venue in Helsinki.

While the SAARI surname is predominantly found in Finland, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Finnish islands and coastal regions, where it originated as a locational name reflecting the geography and lifestyle of its earliest bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Saari

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Saari.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Saari was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Saari has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Saari was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Saari, please contact us.

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