2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sabus
A variant spelling of the Italian surname Sabbas, derived from the Roman family name Sabbatius.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Sabus. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sabus 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Sabus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sabus
The surname "SABUS" has its origins in the Middle Ages, tracing back to the region of Normandy in northern France. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French word "sabas," which means "willowgrass" or "moss." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely associated with the cultivation or processing of these plants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Sabus, indicating the presence of the name in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Sabous, Sabuz, and Sabos. In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guillelmus Sabus was a prominent merchant in the city of Rouen, France, whose trading activities likely contributed to the dissemination of the name.
In the late 14th century, a record from the town of Warwick in England mentions a John Sabus, suggesting the name had taken root in Britain by that time. Around the same period, a Flemish weaver named Pieter Sabus settled in the city of Ghent, Belgium, further expanding the geographical spread of the name.
During the Renaissance, a notable individual bearing the name was Andrea Sabus, an Italian painter born in Venice in 1492. His works, primarily religious paintings and frescoes, adorned several churches in northern Italy, cementing the presence of the name in the region.
Another noteworthy figure was Hans Sabus, a German clockmaker born in Nuremberg in 1534. His intricate and innovative clock designs were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy patrons of his time, contributing to the reputation of the Sabus name in the field of horology.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to appear across Europe, with individuals such as the French philosopher Jacques Sabus (1623-1692), the Dutch explorer Willem Sabus (1702-1778), and the English poet Elizabeth Sabus (1789-1862) leaving their mark in various fields.
While the origins of the surname "SABUS" can be traced back to medieval Normandy, its journey through history has taken it across continents, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have borne this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sabus
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sabus 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 Sabus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sabus
Sabus 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+25 bearers (+25.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,724 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-21 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,878 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+25.0%) | Up 15,724 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 18,878 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 Sabus 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 | #134,712 | #153,590 | -14.0% |
| Count | 125 | 104 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sabus bearers went from 125 to 104 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 18,878 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Sabus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sabus?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Sabus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Sabus?
Sabus ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Sabus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sabus.
Has Sabus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sabus went from 125 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Sabus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Sabus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sabus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Sabus (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 Sabus mean?
A variant spelling of the Italian surname Sabbas, derived from the Roman family name Sabbatius. 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 Sabus (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Sabus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.