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

Sable, 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 Sable surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sable in America

Sable is the 21371st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sable surname appeared 1,225 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 Sable.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sable 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 Sable

The surname Sable has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. The name derives from the Old French word "sable," which means "black" or "sand." It was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone with dark hair or complexion or possibly as an occupational name for someone who worked with black sand or soil.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sable can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a person named William Sable. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a certain Roger Sable is listed.

During the 13th century, the Sable name was particularly prevalent in the Normandy region of France. It is believed that the name may have been introduced to England by Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Domesday Book, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Sable name, suggesting that it emerged and gained prominence in the centuries following the Norman invasion.

In the 14th century, the Sable name appeared in various records across England. One notable bearer of the name was John Sable, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Yorkshire during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). Another early example is William Sable, a farmer from Warwickshire mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332.

Over the centuries, the Sable name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Pierre Sable (c.1380-1453), a French nobleman and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War. In the 16th century, there was Everard Sable (1517-1582), an English theologian and author who served as a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I.

Other notable figures with the Sable surname include:

1. Sir Robert Sable (1590-1662), an English politician and member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.
2. Jeanne Sable (1642-1712), a French author and salonnière who hosted influential literary gatherings in Paris.
3. William Sable (1720-1798), an American soldier and politician who served as a Continental Congressman during the American Revolutionary War.
4. Marie-Guillemine Sable (1786-1867), a French painter and one of the first women admitted to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
5. Ernest Sable (1851-1924), a British architect known for his work on numerous public buildings and churches in London.

While the Sable name has its roots in France, it has since spread globally and can be found in various countries and cultures, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of families bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sable

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

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

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

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