2000
#7,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Sabol
A surname of Slavic origin derived from the word "sobol," meaning "sable" (a small mammal valued for its fur).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,284 Americans carry the last name Sabol. That puts it at #8,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sabol 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
4.3K
1 in 80,008
Census rank
#8,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,736 bearers of the surname Sabol in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabol, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sabol
The surname Sabol originated in the region of Silesia, which is now a part of modern-day Poland. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Polish word "sobol," which means "sable," referring to the highly prized fur of the sable, a small mammal related to the weasel.
The earliest recorded instances of the Sabol surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various legal documents and records from the Silesian region. One notable mention is in the Liber Census Silesiae (Book of the Census of Silesia) from 1348, where the name appears as "Sobel."
In the 15th century, the name began to spread beyond the borders of Silesia, with records showing Sabols living in other parts of Poland and neighboring regions. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Jan Sabol, a merchant from the city of Krakow, who lived between 1420 and 1492.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several notable figures bearing the Sabol surname. Mikołaj Sabol (1521-1589) was a prominent Polish military commander who fought in the Livonian War against the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Another notable Sabol from this period was Jadwiga Sabol (1540-1612), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the town of Bielsko-Biała.
In the 17th century, the Sabol surname began to appear in various parts of Europe, as families migrated and settled in new regions. One such individual was Tomasz Sabol (1625-1697), a Polish-born architect who worked extensively in the city of Vienna, Austria, and contributed to the design of several notable buildings.
As the centuries passed, the Sabol surname continued to spread and evolve. In the 19th century, a notable figure was Józef Sabol (1815-1892), a Polish composer and musician who helped popularize traditional Polish folk music during his lifetime.
Throughout history, the Sabol surname has been associated with various professions, from merchants and artisans to military leaders and scholars. While the name originated in the Silesian region of Poland, it has since become more widely distributed across Europe and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sabol
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabol, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sabol 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 Sabol surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 3,526
- Two or more races2.6% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sabol
Sabol 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
#7,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,250
+146 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#8,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,736
-514 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,485 | 4,104 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,794 | 4,250 | 1.44 | +146 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #8,479 | 3,736 | 1.25 | -514 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 685 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 Sabol 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 | #7,794 | #8,479 | -8.8% |
| Count | 4,250 | 3,736 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.25 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sabol bearers went from 4,250 to 3,736 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 685 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,794 to #8,479.
FAQ
Sabol surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sabol?
Name Census estimates that about 4,284 living Americans carry the surname Sabol. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,008 residents.
How common is Sabol?
Sabol ranks #8,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,736 people with the surname Sabol. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sabol.
Has Sabol become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sabol went from 4,250 recorded bearers to 3,736. That is a decrease of 514 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,794 to #8,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Sabol?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabol, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Sabol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (3,526 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sabol appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Sabol (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 Sabol mean?
A surname of Slavic origin derived from the word "sobol," meaning "sable" (a small mammal valued for its fur). 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 Sabol (1.25 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 are called Sabol?
You can see how many people have the last name Sabol on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.