2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sachan
A surname of Indian origin, believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Sachiv" meaning a companion or assistant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 188 Americans carry the last name Sachan. That puts it at #113,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,823,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sachan 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
188
1 in 1,823,161
Census rank
#113,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
164
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 164 bearers of the surname Sachan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sachan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sachan
The surname SACHAN originates from India, specifically from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name SACHAN is derived from the Sanskrit word "Sacha," which means "truthful" or "honest." It is likely that the name was initially given as a title or honorific to individuals who were known for their honesty and integrity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SACHAN can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions a certain "Sachan Singh," who was a prominent landowner and chieftain in the region.
Another notable historical figure with the surname SACHAN was Raja Jai Singh Sachan, a 17th-century ruler of the Sachan estate in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He was known for his patronage of arts and architecture, and several monuments and temples were built under his reign.
In the 18th century, the SACHAN family played a significant role in the region's politics and military affairs. Maharaja Shiv Prasad Sachan was a notable figure who fought against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
During the 19th century, the SACHAN surname was also associated with scholarly pursuits. Pandit Radha Krishna Sachan was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and author who wrote extensively on Hindu philosophy and religion.
Other notable individuals with the surname SACHAN include Ram Charan Sachan (1887-1967), a freedom fighter and member of the Indian National Congress, and Bhagwati Prasad Sachan (1901-1977), a prominent Hindi poet and writer.
While the SACHAN surname originated in Uttar Pradesh, it has since spread to other parts of India and even to other countries due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern Indian state, where it has a rich historical and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sachan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sachan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sachan 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 Sachan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.5% · 132
- White16.5% · 27
- Two or more races2.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sachan
Sachan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#113,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
+64 bearers (+64.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 47,410 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #113,565 | 164 | 0.05 | +64 bearers (+64.0%) | Up 47,410 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 Sachan 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 | #160,975 | #113,565 | 29.5% |
| Count | 100 | 164 | 64.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.05 | 82.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sachan bearers went from 100 to 164 (+64.0% change). The surname moved up 47,410 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #113,565.
FAQ
Sachan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sachan?
Name Census estimates that about 188 living Americans carry the surname Sachan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,823,161 residents.
How common is Sachan?
Sachan ranks #113,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 164 people with the surname Sachan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (188), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Sachan.
Has Sachan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sachan went from 100 recorded bearers to 164. That is an increase of 64 (+64.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #113,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Sachan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sachan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sachan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sachan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.5%), White (16.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sachan (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 Sachan mean?
A surname of Indian origin, believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Sachiv" meaning a companion or assistant. 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 Sachan (0.05 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 share the surname Sachan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.