Sabbagh last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Sabbagh

An Arabic surname meaning "dyer" or "the one who dyes".

Sabbagh, 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 Sabbagh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sabbagh in America

Sabbagh is the 18584th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sabbagh surname appeared 1,483 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 Sabbagh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sabbagh 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 18584 21004 -12.23%
Count 1,483 1,166 23.93%
Proportion per 100k 0.50 0.43 15.05%

The history of the last name Sabbagh

The surname Sabbagh is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "sabbagh" which means "dyer" or "cloth dyer" in Arabic. The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in regions where the textile industry and dyeing crafts were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sabbagh can be traced back to the 12th century in medieval Arabic manuscripts and historical records from the region. The name was commonly associated with individuals involved in the dyeing trade and the production of textiles.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Ahmad al-Sabbagh, a renowned dyer and textile merchant from Damascus, Syria, was mentioned in several historical accounts. His expertise in the art of dyeing and textile production was highly regarded during that era.

The surname Sabbagh has also been found in various historical documents from the Ottoman Empire. In the 16th century, a notable individual named Ismail Sabbagh was recorded as a skilled dyer and textile producer in the city of Istanbul, which was then known as Constantinople.

Another notable figure in history with the surname Sabbagh was Abdul-Rahman Sabbagh, a 17th-century scholar and writer from Cairo, Egypt. He authored several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and Arabic literature, cementing his legacy as a prominent intellectual of his time.

During the 19th century, the name Sabbagh gained prominence in Lebanon, where several families with this surname could be found. One notable individual was Khalil Sabbagh, a Lebanese poet and writer born in 1840, whose works contributed significantly to the literary and cultural landscape of the region.

Throughout history, the surname Sabbagh has been associated with various spellings and variations, such as Sabagh, Sabbagh, and Sabbah, reflecting the linguistic diversity and regional dialects within the Arabic-speaking world.

While the surname Sabbagh originated in the Middle East, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots remain firmly tied to the historical textile and dyeing industries of the region, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and craftsmanship of the Arabic-speaking peoples.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sabbagh

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

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 Sabbagh was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 88.87% 1,318
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.01% 15
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.59% 68
Hispanic Origin 5.12% 76

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 88.87% 85.08% 4.36%
Black 1.01% 1.11% -9.43%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.59% 8.06% -54.86%
Hispanic 5.12% 5.57% -8.42%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sabbagh, 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!

"Sabbagh last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 6, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/sabbagh-surname-popularity/.

"Sabbagh last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/sabbagh-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 June, 2025

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

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