Saban last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Saban

A surname indicating an origin from the ancient region of Saba in present-day Yemen.

Saban, 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 Saban surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Saban in America

Saban is the 27918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Saban surname appeared 859 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Saban.

We can also compare 2010 data for Saban 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 27918 33054 -16.85%
Count 859 653 27.25%
Proportion per 100k 0.29 0.24 18.87%

The history of the last name Saban

The surname Saban is of Arabic origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle East and the region now known as Lebanon. It is believed to have emerged in the 7th or 8th century AD, during the early years of the Islamic Golden Age.

The name Saban is derived from the Arabic word "saba," which means "morning" or "dawn." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals born at dawn or associated with the early hours of the day.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Saban can be found in historical accounts from the 10th century, where it appears in reference to a prominent family living in the city of Tripoli, located in modern-day Lebanon.

In the 12th century, a notable figure named Saban ibn Ibrahim al-Dimashqi, a philosopher and scholar from Damascus, gained recognition for his contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics.

During the 14th century, the name Saban appeared in several manuscripts and records from the region, including a mention of a merchant named Saban al-Halabi, who hailed from the city of Aleppo in Syria.

As the Saban family spread across the Middle East and beyond, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Sabaan, Sebaan, and Seban.

In the 16th century, a famous Turkish admiral named Saban Reis served under the Ottoman Empire, participating in several naval campaigns in the Mediterranean Sea.

Another notable figure with the surname Saban was Saban Oglu, a 17th-century Ottoman statesman and diplomat who played a crucial role in negotiations between the Ottoman Empire and European powers.

In the 19th century, Saban Khalil, a prominent Lebanese poet and writer, gained recognition for his works that celebrated Arabic literature and culture.

As the Saban family continued to disperse across the globe, individuals with this surname made their mark in various fields, such as business, academia, and entertainment. One of the most recognizable names is Nick Saban, an American football coach born in 1951, who has led several collegiate teams to national championships.

Throughout its history, the surname Saban has maintained its Arabic roots and association with the concept of dawn, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Saban

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

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 Saban was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 69.62% 598
Non-Hispanic Black Only 3.49% 30
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 5.01% 43
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 20.72% 178

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 Saban has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 69.62% 79.94% -13.80%
Black 3.49% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 5.01% 3.98% 22.91%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 2.14% (S)%
Hispanic 20.72% 11.94% 53.77%

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 Saban was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Saban last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 25, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/saban-surname-popularity/.

"Saban last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/saban-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 May, 2025

Saban last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/saban-surname-popularity/.

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